Celebrating three decades of Film and Television at University of Birmingham

From its inception, the MA in Film and Television: Research and Production (formerly titled History, Film and Television) blended theory and practice, also integrating an industry work placement. It’s evolved from humble beginnings in the Arts Building to state-of-the-art facilities and a network of global alumni working in an array of creative professions, not least in our home city of Birmingham. Over 80 staff, current students, alumni and industry friends came together to network, reflect on successes and look ahead to exciting new initiatives.

Dr Richard Langley - an early alumnus of the programme, its convenor for over a decade, and outgoing Head of the Department of Film and Creative Writing - spoke warmly of his time as a student in the early 2000s and the pride he and colleagues share in the ‘FTV Family’ of alumni, students and industry partners. This sense of community was echoed by alumni Sarah Learmonth (2014) and Bhulla Beghal (2016), who spoke together about their respective careers and friendship since graduating, including how their paths first crossed at Zebra Digital, where Sarah was already working when Bhulla undertook a placement there during his MA year. Sarah is now a production manager at Birmingham-based Full Fat TV and was recently named a ‘Broadcast Hot Shot’, while Bhulla is an award-winning filmmaker and was announced as a recipient of the Netflix Documentary Talent Fund last month.

While some alumni had travelled from as far as Newcastle and Kent to join the event, others were unfortunately impeded by the heatwave, with London trains particularly affected - the irony of holding a celebration under the Helios installation was certainly not lost on attendees! Nonetheless, we know they were with us in spirit and it was lovely to share some videos from other former students sharing their achievements, including one clip from Barbados and another from Argentina. A compilation video edited by Ella Wright showcased the variety of student work produced across the decades, rightfully receiving its own round of applause.

Jemma Penny, who has managed the MA placement module for over a decade, reflected on the importance of care across our professional work and thanked placement hosts and guest speakers for their ongoing support, before Nina Jones (CAL Head of Technical Operations) introduced the new MA Documentary Incubator and alumnus Alex Taylor (2024) gave an exciting insight into its pilot project; a film he is directing about poet and author Michael Rosen. Dr Chris Nunn, current programme convenor and incoming head of what will be a new Department of Creative Industries, concluded the speeches with reflections on joining the team in 2022, and how the University of Birmingham is now acting as a co-production partner in feature-length projects, sharing a trailer for forthcoming folk horror film ‘Wrath of the Gods’.

As alumna Charlene Haylett (2020) commented, ‘The event was so lovely, and it was great to see you all again. I had some inspiring and insightful conversations with alumni across different cohorts and others in the industry.’ It was indeed a joyful evening, full of positive connections (and reconnections), as well as firm friendships and a genuine sense of embedded creative collaboration. As the Department of Creative Industries looks ahead to the launch of its BA Film and Television this September, the future of these disciplines at Birmingham, and their associated networks both internally and externally, is undoubtedly building on firm foundations.