A Manchester student has won an international scholarship to study a Masters in documentary filmmaking in the United States.
Lily Freeston is the first ever recipient of the $60,000 Fulbright-BAFTA scholarship, and will study at Northwestern University, Chicago.
She will also get free access to BAFTA’s online events and resources.
“I’m incredibly proud to be the first ever recipient of the Fulbright-BAFTA Scholarship. I remember when I used to walk to school in Hulme and look up at the airplanes in the sky, dreaming that one day I’d get to work around the world,” she said.
“This award is providing me with the opportunity to do this, to hone my craft as a journalist and documentary film-maker and to have international impact through my work. In the future I hope to support other female filmmakers to do the same.”
Freeston grew up in Manchester and moved to London to study at the University of the Arts, gaining a first class degree. She then trained as a youth-worker, supporting young people, and during this time co-directed a short animation for Channel 4 and Dazed. Another film was screened at BAFTA in London.
In 2017, she became a current affairs journalist at the BBC and a film she co-directed about child marriage, was screened at a UN summit.
“Our charitable activity sits at the heart of everything we do. For the last 18 years, BAFTA Scholarships have played a vital role in providing financial support for students who would not otherwise be able to further their education in film, games or television,” said Amanda Berry OBE, Chief Executive at BAFTA.
Previous BAFTA Scholars include director Aneil Karia (Top Boy); Sacha Gervasi (My Dinner with Herve, Hitchcock); visual effects artist Shivani Shah (The Lion King trailer, Avengers: Infinity War); make-up artist Alesha Ledeatte-Williams (No Time to Die) and actor Jurrell Carter (Kiri, Emmerdale).
