On May 3, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) announced the shortlist for its 2018 Student Film Awards, featuring 60 films from students that span the globe. Out of 469 submissions, three of the shortlisted films came from Columbia’s Cinema and Television Arts students.

“Chicken Strips” by Chloe Bestward ’17 is in consideration for the BAFTA Student Film Award for Animation. Interactive Arts and Media Associate Professor and co-director of the Animation Program, Ron Fleischer, oversaw Bestward in last year’s Senior Capstone. Bestward, a “very talented character designer” according to Fleischer, directed the capstone’s final animated film.

MFA candidate Ryan Buckley’s “Heroin Hearse” is shortlisted for the Documentary Award. The film follows Dwayne Woods as he works to save his community from heroin by preaching a message of life from a hearse-turned-mobile-pulpit. “Growing up in Appalachia, I’ve seen firsthand the pain that joblessness and drug addiction can cause, so I wanted to tell a personal—but hopeful—story about someone trying to make a difference in the region,” Buckley says.

Fellow MFA candidate Areej Mahmoud’s “What Remains” is in consideration for the BAFTA Student Film Award for Live Action. “It’s a great honor,” Mahmoud says. “What Remains” centers around an Iraqi immigrant whose car is hijacked at gunpoint by a desperate U.S. Army veteran. 

Finalists will be announced in the coming weeks. The gala ceremony for the Student Film Awards takes Place June 29 in Los Angeles.

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