The Media School

BU celebrates double BAFTA delight

26 May 2010

Sam Shetabi receiving his BBC Blast and BAFTA Youth Screen-Skills Award

BU is celebrating a double success following this year’s British Academy Television Craft Awards.

Current TV Production student Sam Shetabi and TV Production graduate Jessie Versluys both won major awards at the ceremony in London.

Sam is the first recipient of the new BBC Blast & BAFTA Youth Screen-Skills Award The Award is the result of a collaboration between BBC Blast and BAFTA set up to showcase the fresh talent of 16-19 year olds across the UK.

Sam was already one of eight individuals to qualify for a £3,000 bursary and the opportunity to work with industry mentors to produce a new piece of work within their chosen field. In January, Sam was one of four bursary winners put forward by a Super Jury as nominees for the all-new BBC Blast & BAFTA Award.

Speaking backstage after accepting the award from Skins actress Kaya Scodelario and Shameless star Elliot Tittensor, Sam expressed his excitment at receiving the honour. "After submitting my intitial film and thinking I would never hear back, here I am, at the BAFTAs, winning the big prize!" he enthused.

Jessie, a 2001 BU graduate, received the Academy's prestigious BreakThrough Talent Award which pays tribute to an individual whose emerging talents have come to fruition in the last year. The Award is sponsored by The Farm, London's leading television and film post production company.

Last year, Jessie directed Channel 4's The Hospital, a three-part series examining the relationship between teenagers and the NHS. She also directed touching documentary Katie, my beautiful face, about the girl whose life changed after a vicious acid attack. The film has also been shortlisted for a Television BAFTA for Best Single Documentary.