NFTS scores clean sweep at CILECT

The National Film & Television School (NFTS) has made history by winning all three CILECT awards, the film school equivalent of the Oscars.

Every year, the International Association of Film and Television Schools (CILECT) organises the awards to find the world’s best student films and the NFTS clean sweep is the first time it has happened in CILECT’s 58-year history.

Timothy Reckart’s Head Over Heels [pictured] won the animation award.

Lukasz Konopa’s After scooped the documentary award and the fiction award went to Gabriel Gauchet’s The Mass of Men.

Collectively, the films have screened at 160 festivals worldwide and won more than 60 awards.

The three films will be shown at the CILECT Conference in Buenos Aires, Brazil, where the prizes will be awarded.

CILECT executive director Stanislav Semerdjiev commented: “I am astonished. For the first time in the history of the competition we have a situation that until now was considered only a theoretical possibility. In all three categories, CILECT members have voted for films entered by the same school.

“I would like to extend my sincerest congratulations to our friend and colleague Nik Powell (NFTS Director) and to the whole team, staff and students of NFTS and to wish them the very best in all their future endeavours.”

Powell added: “This is a fantastic achievement for the students involved and another phenomenal first for the NFTS. To win all three categories by an overwhelming majority of the globe’s major film schools is unprecedented.”