The National Film and Television School (NFTS) is establishing a new national hub in Wales.
The NFTS Wales will be located at BBC Cymru Wales’ new HQ at Central Square in the centre of Cardiff.
For nearly half a century, the charitable status NFTS has developed some of the 海角视频 and the world’s leading creative talent.
Its alumni have gone on to win 13 Oscars and 145 BAFTAs with graduates including double Oscar winning cinematographer Roger Deakins (1917) creator of global Netflix hit Sex Education Laurie Nunn and BAFTA winning director Lynne Ramsay (You Were Never Really Here).
As well as backing from BBC Wales, the new hub has secured financial backing from the Welsh Government's creative industry support body, Creative Wales.
Following the opening of hubs in Glasgow and Leeds, in addition to its main site in Beaconsfield, NFTS Wales will focus its activity on supporting very recent graduates to acquire the skills required to either pursue postgraduate study or to successfully transition into the creative industries.
The new national training centre for Wales will also support emerging talent, as well as strengthen skills development.
It will become operational next April with enrolment for the first intake of courses starting in the summer. It is expected to work with around 400 young people per year when at full capacity.
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Courses covered will include production accounting, script editing and factual development.
The hub will create three new jobs.
Jon Wardle, NFTS director said: “We are thrilled to announce our expansion into Wales. The success of our other hubs, NFTS Scotland and NFTS Leeds have clearly demonstrated the demand for bespoke training and education in the nations and regions.
“With the creative industries across Wales thriving, as the 海角视频’s National Film and Television School a key part of our strategy is to support the growth of film and television production outside of London.
NFTS Wales will actively seek out and develop Welsh talent and provide students with a clear pathway into jobs within the industry.”
And in a separate development, BBC Three is partnering with BBC Wales and Creative Wales in a new collaboration designed to discover new and innovative programme formats.
The partnership will invite independent production companies based in Wales to pitch new ideas for programmes that reflect the life experiences of 16-24 year olds.
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The initiative aims to develop Wales-based companies, strengthen the supply of programmes from Welsh producers to BBC Three, and reflect the 'real-life' experiences of 16-24 year olds in Wales and the rest of the 海角视频.
This will be done via a guaranteed series commission that will be available to watch on both BBC iPlayer and BBC One Wales.
BBC Three is already committed to running at least one creative partnership in each nation or region as part of BBC Content’s package of activity to support the sector outside London during the pandemic and has already launched partnerships with Northern Ireland, Scotland and England.
Welcoming the collaborations, the director-general of the BBC, Tim Davie, said: “The BBC Central Square broadcast centre - right in the heart of Cardiff - is proving to be a great new addition to the broadcast sector in Wales. I am delighted that it is now home to the new NFTS hub.
“It’s a great place to do business. The latest BBC Three collaboration – following those announced in Scotland, England and Northern Ireland – is about throwing open the doors to programme makers in Wales for new, innovative programme ideas, with portrayal at its heart.”
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First Minister Mark Drakeford said: “Creative industries in Wales have seen a real boom in recent years, but we’re well aware of the impact that the pandemic is having on the sector. I’m especially delighted therefore to welcome world-renowned National Film and Television School to Wales, whose first class training will help grow a burgeoning workforce here.
“This sits alongside our new collaboration through Creative Wales, with BBC Three and BBC Wales, in boosting Wales-based content for our young people. In tandem these new developments will strengthen the screen industry here, harness talent and provide new opportunities for Wales based production companies and workers.”