MetFilm School, which has a campus in Leeds, has been acquired by the owners of BIMM University.
BIMM Group said that this expanded reach into the creative arts sector would make it the UK’s leading provider of undergraduate film courses.
“The film industry is experiencing a monumental shift, and our acquisition of MetFilm School is a testament to our commitment to staying ahead of the curve,” said David Jones-Owen, CEO and Vice-Chancellor of BIMM University.
“Through this strategic collaboration in creative education, we seek to leverage the complementary strengths of both institutes, addressing the skills gap in the film industry and empowering students with the essential tools they need to thrive in an ever-evolving landscape.”
BIMM University currently provides courses across modern music, performing arts, creative technology, and filmmaking to over 8,000 students at 8 campuses in the UK, Ireland, and Germany. These include BIMM Music Institute, Screen and Film School, Performers College, Institute for Contemporary Theatre and Northern Ballet School.
The acquisition of MetFilm School will add further campuses in Leeds, Berlin and London’s Ealing Studios.
“We are thrilled to announce our new home as part of the BIMM group, which represents a unique opportunity for both organisations to deliver our industry-focused education to a wider population and to diversify our portfolio to support the creative industries worldwide,” explained Jonny Persey, Director of MetFilm School.
“For over 20 years, we have been building an organisation whose ethos is to bring industry and education together in innovative ways. We are proud of our journey to date, and grateful to Thomas Høegh and Arts Alliance, who co-founded the School alongside Luke Montagu, and who have stuck with us as we have germinated from a small seed of an idea into the international school and film business we have become, and we are excited for the opportunity that awaits us as we partner with BIMM. The conversations over the last few months have revealed a common vision and a common approach, and we look forward to embarking on the next leg of our journey together.”
According to a BFI Skills Report in 2022, the UK remains the second-biggest global market for film and high-end TV productions. However, the film industry is expected to grow at 7% over the next two years, with an estimated skills gap building to 21k positions within the industry before 2025.
“When Luke Montagu and I set out to build a digital-only film school in 2003 for anyone who was interested, people thought we had lost our marbles. No 16mm cans stuffed into Bolexes and scholars pontificating about the splendours of Eisenstein, but rather cheap cameras and practical hands-on learning from day one,” said MetFilm School co-founder, Thomas Høegh.
“We quickly grew and as Jonny Persey joined, we became an education institution that could scale and award degrees with our excellent partner, the University of West London, but still accessible to all. Being dyslexic myself, we always prided ourselves on being open and welcoming to anyone with learning difficulties or neurodiversity. We now have more than 15,000 alumni who create the most wonderful stories every day. It is with immense pride we join forces with BIMM to take MetFilm School to the next level. We want to be an active stakeholder going forward and support BIMM Group’s goal of becoming the best creative university in the world.”
MetFilm Production, Sales and Distribution will continue to operate as partner companies to the MetFilm School, but will not be part of this transaction.
Jonny Persey will continue as Chairman of MetFilm Production, Sales and Distribution alongside his ongoing role as Director of MetFilm School.
