News & Events
 |
Lights, Camera, Action for Bournemouth Screen Academy Launching Friday 17th March 2006 |
Award-winning film director and screenwriter Anthony Minghella will confirm Bournemouth's status as one of Britain's leading centres for film-making when he launches the new Bournemouth Screen Academy (Friday, 17th March, 2006).
The Academy is a joint initiative between the Arts Institute at Bournemouth and Bournemouth University Media School, and is funded by Skillset, the Sector Skills Council for the audio visual industries. It is the only Skillset centre of excellence for film training in England outside the London area. Shared funding from Skillset, worth over £5 million across the national Screen Academy network, will go to support film-related activities provided by the two institutions through the development of master classes, summer schools, online learning programmes, talent scouting initiatives and more.
 |
The Academy is a joint initiative between the Arts Institute at Bournemouth and Bournemouth University Media School |
Launch activities for the Screen Academy are scheduled from Wednesday to Friday, March 15th to 17th and will culminate with a 'special audience' event with Anthony Minghella, best known for his Oscar-winning films "The English Patient" and "Cold Mountain" He will be talking about his career to date and discussing his new film "Breaking and Entering" which is due for release shortly. Minghella, recipient of an honorary doctorate from Bournemouth University in 2001, is a member of the Screen Academy Panel selected to support training and development activities within the Screen Academy Network.
 |
Launch activities for the Screen Academy are scheduled from Wednesday to Friday, March 15th to 17th and will culminate with a 'special audience' event with Anthony Minghella |
"The network is a compass, guiding prospective students towards highly-focused vocational courses to prepare for a career in film," says Minghella. "By identifying, supporting and celebrating a variety of courses, Skillset is seeking to alert the film industry to the presence of high quality training and to involve them in that training. Over time the hope is that we can develop a mutually supportive process in which trainers and workers collaborate to produce the best creative industry possible. It's a great opportunity for students, a great opportunity for their future employers."
A range of other guest speakers from film and television will appear at the University and the Arts Institute in celebration of the launch including sound designer Prof Stephen Deutsch, computer animator Chris Landreth, screenwriter Alan Plater and film producer Huw Penallt-Jones. The University will also host the south coast premier of the feature film "Peppermint" which was self-financed and produced by Bournemouth graduates.
 |
"The network is a compass, guiding prospective students towards highly-focused vocational courses to prepare for a career in film," says Minghella |
Bournemouth Screen Academy is also hosting the first Academy-based conference of all seven UK Academies on March 16th and 17th, scheduled to coincide with the launch and the Anthony Minghella event.
Bournemouth's Screen Academy status was achieved following a rigorous selection process involving representatives from industry and education funding bodies including Minghella and film producer Lord Puttnam.
"This is the beginning of a powerful new partnership between two of the most highly regarded media training institutions in the UK," said David Hanson, Director of the Bournemouth Screen Academy. "This radical new initiative will make a fundamental difference in the South West and further a field."
