Bournemouth Film School dominates national Kodak Student Commercial Awards

AUB’s Bournemouth Film School (BFS) made a historic clean sweep at the prestigious Kodak Student Commercial Awards held at Regent Street Cinema in central London on 29 May.

Despite competing against every undergraduate film department in the UK, BFS students took home the top prize of the night and also won or placed in every single award category.

The annual competition challenges the UK's brightest emerging filmmaking talent to work with traditional, physical media. Each student production group was handed a strict brief: a single 400-foot roll of 16mm celluloid film yielding just 11 minutes of raw footage to conceptualise, shoot and deliver a polished 30-second commercial or Public Service Announcement (PSA).

While competing institutions and film schools increasingly rely solely on digital formats, BFS’s success highlights the school’s unique commitment to traditional cinematic craftsmanship. Senior lecturers credited the triumph to a cross-department team effort, particularly highlighting the invaluable training provided by AUB’s technical staff.

Barry Gross, Cinematography Lecturer for BA (Hons) Film Production, says: “This experience, and everything we do here, is vital for us to remain the premier undergraduate film school in the country. Working with celluloid requires immense discipline, precision, and collaborative trust.

“Win or lose, giving our students the chance to master 16mm film is what sets them apart in the industry. To see them go out and completely dominate a national field where every single UK film department entered is just extraordinary. Our students are amazing, and our technical team pulled out all the stops to make this happen.”

Mark Sheldon, Directing Senior Lecturer for BA (Hons) Film Production, comments: “Every single student involved with our Specialist Production Practice (SPP) unit this year contributed to an award-winning piece, which is a first for the university.

“We produced six films on the unit this year, one for the Few Minutes for the Planet competition and five for the NAHEMI-Kodak Student Commercial Awards, and every single one of them won an award on a national platform.

“This flawless sweep truly reflects our students' incredible commitment, engagement, creativity, and absolute passion for filmmaking. They should be deeply proud of what they've achieved.”