Screen Academy Scotland
Encyclopedia
The Screen Academy Scotland (A Skillset Film and Media Academy) is a collaboration between Edinburgh Napier University and Edinburgh College of Art
. It was opened in August 2005 by the then First Minister of Scotland, Jack McConnell
, and is based in Edinburgh
, Scotland
. Both Edinburgh Napier and eca already had established film making courses, Napier's combined photography and film undergraduate BA launched Cannes
prizewinner Lynne Ramsay on her journey to film directing. The Academy offers practical, project-based, postgraduate courses. A new Production Centre was opened in August 2006 by Napier Honorary Graduate Tilda Swinton
. The Academy's first Director is Robin MacPherson FRSA, a BAFTA-nominated producer and formerly Development Executive for Scottish Screen, now Professor of Screen Media at Edinburgh Napier University where he is also Director of its Institute for Creative Industries and a Board member of Creative Scotland.
Sir Sean Connery
, Brian Cox and Dame Judi Dench
are patrons of the Academy.
The Academy is one of three UK centres of excellence in film practice education recognised by Skillset
, (the Sector Skills Council for Creative Media) as a Skillset Film Academy and one of only two institutions recognised as both a Skillset Film and a Skillset Media Academy.
In November 2008 the Academy at Napier University
was admitted to full membership of CILECT
, the association of the world's major film and television schools. The Academy regularly hosts masterclasses and guest lectures by prominent industry figures, recent examples of which include 'Trainspotting
' and '28 Days Later
' producers Andrew MacDonald
and Iain Smith (who is also a member of the Screen Academy Board) and Iranian Director Seyyed Reza Mir-karami.
Films by Academy graduates have won numerous prizes and been screened at festivals worldwide including Venice
, Kolkata
, Tribeca
and Beijing
.
Students or graduates of the Academy have won the Page Screenwriting Awards Gold Prize for Short Film in three of the past four years, the most recent winner being Amy Rich in 2010. Michael Cumes took the Gold Prize in 2009 with The Romance Class. In 2007, David Bishop won with Danny’s Toy’s.
In addition to offering a range of degree programmes the Academy also hosts professional summerschools such as 'The Soundtrack', in partnership with industry training partners such as The School of Sound, its journalism programmes are accredited by the Broadcast Journalism Training Council (BJTC).
In 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 the Academy was awarded funding by the EU MEDIA programme for its international writer, director and producer development programme ENGAGE which is a collaboration with the National Film School of Ireland, the Baltic Film and Media School, Tallinn, Estonia and Aalto University
in Finland. The programme runs on an annual basis with workshops in each of the partner countries. In 2011 the ENGAGE partnership was awarded EU MEDIA MUNDUS funding to extend its programme to include non-EU countries including Canada, China and India.
Edinburgh College of Art
Edinburgh College of Art is an art school in Edinburgh, Scotland, providing tertiary education in art and design disciplines for over two thousand students....
. It was opened in August 2005 by the then First Minister of Scotland, Jack McConnell
Jack McConnell
Jack Wilson McConnell, Baron McConnell of Glenscorrodale is a British Labour life peer in the House of Lords. He was third First Minister of Scotland from 2001 to 2007, making him the longest serving First Minister in the history of the Scottish Parliament...
, and is based in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. Both Edinburgh Napier and eca already had established film making courses, Napier's combined photography and film undergraduate BA launched Cannes
Cannes
Cannes is one of the best-known cities of the French Riviera, a busy tourist destination and host of the annual Cannes Film Festival. It is a Commune of France in the Alpes-Maritimes department....
prizewinner Lynne Ramsay on her journey to film directing. The Academy offers practical, project-based, postgraduate courses. A new Production Centre was opened in August 2006 by Napier Honorary Graduate Tilda Swinton
Tilda Swinton
Katherine Mathilda "Tilda" Swinton is a British actress known for both arthouse and mainstream films. She has appeared in a number of films including The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Burn After Reading, The Beach, We Need to Talk About Kevin and was nominated for a Golden Globe for her...
. The Academy's first Director is Robin MacPherson FRSA, a BAFTA-nominated producer and formerly Development Executive for Scottish Screen, now Professor of Screen Media at Edinburgh Napier University where he is also Director of its Institute for Creative Industries and a Board member of Creative Scotland.
Sir Sean Connery
Sean Connery
Sir Thomas Sean Connery , better known as Sean Connery, is a Scottish actor and producer who has won an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards and three Golden Globes Sir Thomas Sean Connery (born 25 August 1930), better known as Sean Connery, is a Scottish actor and producer who has won an Academy...
, Brian Cox and Dame Judi Dench
Judi Dench
Dame Judith Olivia "Judi" Dench, CH, DBE, FRSA is an English film, stage and television actress.Dench made her professional debut in 1957 with the Old Vic Company. Over the following few years she played in several of William Shakespeare's plays in such roles as Ophelia in Hamlet, Juliet in Romeo...
are patrons of the Academy.
The Academy is one of three UK centres of excellence in film practice education recognised by Skillset
Skillset
Skillset is the Sector Skills Council which supports skills and training for people and businesses to ensure the UK creative media industries competitive and productive.-History:It was founded 1992 and is jointly funded by industry and government...
, (the Sector Skills Council for Creative Media) as a Skillset Film Academy and one of only two institutions recognised as both a Skillset Film and a Skillset Media Academy.
In November 2008 the Academy at Napier University
Napier University
Edinburgh Napier is one of the largest higher education institutions in Scotland with over 17,000 students, including nearly 5,000 international students, from more than 100 nations worldwide.-History:...
was admitted to full membership of CILECT
CILECT
CILECT is the association of the world's major film and television schools...
, the association of the world's major film and television schools. The Academy regularly hosts masterclasses and guest lectures by prominent industry figures, recent examples of which include 'Trainspotting
Trainspotting (film)
Trainspotting is a 1996 British satirical/drama film directed by Danny Boyle based on the novel of the same name by Irvine Welsh. The movie follows a group of heroin addicts in a late 1980s economically depressed area of Edinburgh and their passage through life...
' and '28 Days Later
28 Days Later
28 Days Later is an acclaimed 2002 British horror film directed by Danny Boyle. The screenplay was written by Alex Garland, and the film stars Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Brendan Gleeson, Megan Burns, and Christopher Eccleston...
' producers Andrew MacDonald
Andrew MacDonald
Andrew MacDonald may refer to:*Andrew MacDonald , Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman*Andrew Macdonald , Scottish film producer*Duck MacDonald, real name Andrew MacDonald, American rock guitarist...
and Iain Smith (who is also a member of the Screen Academy Board) and Iranian Director Seyyed Reza Mir-karami.
Films by Academy graduates have won numerous prizes and been screened at festivals worldwide including Venice
Venice Film Festival
The Venice International Film Festival is the oldest international film festival in the world. Founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi in 1932 as the "Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica", the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island of the...
, Kolkata
Kolkata Film Festival
The Kolkata Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Kolkata, India, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1995, it is second oldest international film festival in India. The festival is organized by West Bengal Film Centre under...
, Tribeca
Tribeca Film Festival
The Tribeca Film Festival is a film festival founded in 2002 by Jane Rosenthal, Robert De Niro and Craig Hatkoff in a response to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the consequent loss of vitality in the TriBeCa neighborhood in Lower Manhattan.The mission of the festival...
and Beijing
Beijing Film Academy
Beijing Film Academy is a coeducational state-run higher education institution in Beijing, China. The film school is the largest institution specialised in the tertiary education for film and television production in Asia...
.
Students or graduates of the Academy have won the Page Screenwriting Awards Gold Prize for Short Film in three of the past four years, the most recent winner being Amy Rich in 2010. Michael Cumes took the Gold Prize in 2009 with The Romance Class. In 2007, David Bishop won with Danny’s Toy’s.
In addition to offering a range of degree programmes the Academy also hosts professional summerschools such as 'The Soundtrack', in partnership with industry training partners such as The School of Sound, its journalism programmes are accredited by the Broadcast Journalism Training Council (BJTC).
In 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 the Academy was awarded funding by the EU MEDIA programme for its international writer, director and producer development programme ENGAGE which is a collaboration with the National Film School of Ireland, the Baltic Film and Media School, Tallinn, Estonia and Aalto University
Aalto University
Aalto University is a Finnish university established on January 1, 2010, by the merger of the Helsinki University of Technology, the Helsinki School of Economics, and the University of Art and Design Helsinki....
in Finland. The programme runs on an annual basis with workshops in each of the partner countries. In 2011 the ENGAGE partnership was awarded EU MEDIA MUNDUS funding to extend its programme to include non-EU countries including Canada, China and India.