Screen Academy Scotland to celebrate 20 years of creating film and television with EIFF screening
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Screen Academy Scotland, the film school founded by Edinburgh Napier University in partnership with Edinburgh College of Art, is celebrating two decades of creative achievement across film and television.
Now Scotland’s largest film school, Screen Academy Scotland’s courses are taught by lecturers who bring extensive professional experience to their teaching.
As part of Edinburgh Napier University’s wider creative hub, covering film, TV, animation, photography, journalism and acting, it equips students with the knowledge, skills and confidence, they need to become successful, employable graduates.
And its 20th anniversary will be marked by a screening of short films from staff, students and graduates at the Edinburgh International Film Festival.
Find out more and book your tickets for 15 August here.
Twenty years of shining a light on Scots talent
Screen Academy Scotland at Edinburgh Napier University is one of Scotland’s leading screen practice educators. It opened in August 2005, launched by then-First Minister Jack McConnell, and a new Production Centre followed in 2006, opened by Napier honorary graduate Tilda Swinton.
Established in 2005 as part of the original UK-wide network of Film Academies, Screen Academy Scotland was recognised by Creative Skillset as a centre of excellence in film practice education, thanks to its dedicated and experienced staff along with industry-standard cameras, grip, lighting and post-production editing and sound facilities.
Training the next generation of filmmakers
ENU’s Paul Gray, Director of Screen Academy Scotland, has played a key role in training the next generation of filmmakers.
“We've evolved in that time from offering a suite of specialist master's programmes focused on developing talent for the screen sector to having a much broader and more inclusive remit” says Paul. “Today Screen Academy Scotland brings together undergraduate and postgraduate programmes across film, television and acting, supporting creative talent from entry-level study through to advanced professional practice.
“With the Scottish Government's recently launched Film and Screen Curriculum, we're seeing a real shift in how film education is being recognised. This year, ENU celebrated its first cohort of teachers graduating with the Screen Scotland-funded Postgraduate Certificate in Film and Screen Professional Practice, delivered in collaboration with Screen Education Edinburgh. It means teachers delivering filmmaking in schools are gaining the specialist knowledge and practical skills to provide high-quality film and screen education.”
He says that while the Academy has grown significantly over the past 20 years, it has retained its specialist focus, with genuine industry recognition, hands-on production training, and a track record of graduates going on to work on award-winning and internationally screened projects. Graduates of the Academy include Ben Sharrock and producer Irune Gurtubai, whose debut feature Pikadero won the Michael Powell Award for Best British Feature Film at the Edinburgh International Film Festival before they went on to make the BAFTA-nominated feature Limbo, and Robin Haig, whose beautiful graduation film Hula about how divorcee Clara copes with empty nest syndrome in her Highland home, premiered at the festival, and Niamh McKeown, whose graduation film Good Girls also premiered at EIFF before she went on to direct the BBC comedy series Dinosaur.
A chance to learn about the industry
“The people who work at Screen Academy Scotland are all practitioners, they're all making work and so bringing those industry skills directly into their teaching,” says Paul.
As with many courses at ENU, there’s a strong focus on equipping students for the careers that they want to pursue when they graduate.
“We really just want them to be in a position that, when they go out into the industry, they recognise that environment and understand where they fit,” he explains. “We want to make sure they're ready for that and that they have the knowledge, skills and confidence to succeed.”
And while the Academy has always embraced the latest technological developments, its staff and students are still telling the stories that matter. “At the heart of everything we do is storytelling. Technology will continue to evolve, and that’s important, but what really matters is the ability to tell stories that connect with audiences,” says Paul.
“One of the great pleasures of working in education is seeing people arrive at university, find their voice and develop their own approach to storytelling, before going on to build successful and meaningful careers.”
Join the celebrations at the screening
You can experience some of that storytelling through a curated snapshot of the work being created at Screen Academy Scotland today, with a selection of work being screened to mark the 20th anniversary.
Curated from work by both students and staff, the programme includes five student short films alongside two made by staff, exploring themes ranging from the environmental impact of filmmaking to the technological advances shaping the future.
Join the Screen Academy Scotland screening, which is part of the Edinburgh International Film Festival, on Saturday, 15 August, at Cineworld Fountainpark. Tickets are now available to the public – visit the website to book.