Dirigo Film Festival
News
BSU educational partner hosts international film festival
Thursday, 30 January, 2025One of Bath Spa University's educational partners, University Centre Weston (UCW), is hosting its annual international film festival this month, the Dirigo Film Festival.
Run by students studying on the BA Film & Media Arts Production degree, a course accredited by BSU, the festival was hosted at Arnolfini in Bristol on Wednesday 29 January 2025.
The festival aims to showcase the best that UK and international student filmmakers have to offer, with a range of nuanced and epic tales on show. As ever, the festival was open to submissions and gave a glimpse into the future of cinema.
As stated on the festival’s website:
“This festival aims to inspire and showcase the creativity of student filmmakers worldwide. It is an open festival with no set boundaries; we actively encourage new styles, voices and direction.”
Now in its eleventh year, the festival started out as a showcase for students on the course in 2015. The Dirigo Film Festival now boasts a proud reputation that reflects the passion and skill of the students.
The BA Film and Media Arts Production degree is a practical, project-based course that offers students the opportunity to develop their creative, technical and professional skills specialising in a range of practices across Film, Photography, Audio and Media Arts.
UCW is one of the institutions that BSU partners with to support students with kick starting their careers, providing the opportunity to access higher education, realise their talent and thrive.
Professor Simon Haslett, Bath Spa University Pro Vice-Chancellor (Partnerships) said:
“We believe that anyone who has the ability and determination to learn should have the opportunity to access higher education, for their own benefit and of the wider good. The creativity and talent on show at this festival is spectacular and a true reflection of the wider BSU community, we are so proud of all our learners who have worked so hard to produce such incredible work.”
Reflecting the opportunities that partnership courses like this provide, 2024 graduate on the BA Film and Media Arts Production course, Kam Stevens received the UCW Inspirational Journey Award at his graduation. This recognised his achievements as someone who overcame the highest odds against them, to gain incredible success through hard work and perseverance.
On receiving the award, Kam said:
“I’m very lucky and privileged that UCW gave me the opportunity to change my life around when so many other establishments told me no. I think about where my life would be right now if UCW hadn’t given me that opportunity.
“Today I’m a proud father, I’m a role model, I’m a citizen of this country which is doing great things, and it’s all thanks to UCW for giving me that one opportunity, to change the narrative to my own story”.
Bath Spa University is partnered with seventeen further education and other institutions and has been working in partnerships in communities both in the UK and overseas for over two decades.
Professor Simon Haslett added:
“We welcome and value a broad and diverse range of students to our growing learning community - whether this is as an undergraduate or postgraduate at our university campuses in Bath or at our centre in London, learning with one of our educational partners across the UK or overseas, or accessing our Bath Spa University accredited online Continuing Professional Development or other short courses.”
Find out more about BSU’s Centre for Educational Partnerships on our website.