Students from the University of Westminster’s Film BA Honours course have been nominated in the category for Best Undergraduate Factual – Long Form in this year’s national Royal Television Society (RTS) Student Awards for their film Simme Tutt'uno.
Across the 24 competitive categories, which honour the best audiovisual work produced by undergraduate and postgraduate students in the UK, 25 institutions were nominated. Among the nominees in the Factual - Long Form category was the Westminster film Simme Tutt'uno. Key students, now alumni, involved were Director Alice Franchi, Producer Yasmin Boxall and Director of Photography Freddie Logan.
Simme Tutt’uno is a documentary that focuses on educational inequalities that affect the area of Scampia, Naples, where historic cultural and financial rivalries have created a rich but volatile social climate. This educational documentary celebrates a community attempting to rise beyond the challenges of their collective past.
The RST Student Awards nurture, support and reward talent, potential and enthusiasm of students in colleges and universities for the creation of film and video content. They also offer students the opportunity to put their creative talents before the critical eye of professionals, win recognition for their skills and to take their first steps into the Television, Media and Film industry.
The film is nominated alongside two others and the winners will be crowned on 21 June at an awards ceremony hosted by rapper, author and broadcaster Guvna B.
This is not the first time the film and the team have seen success. Earlier this year Director of Photography Freddie Logan won the award for Best Camera for his work on the documentary at the London RTS Student Awards. It also picked up the Best Documentary award in the Higher Education category at the Learning on Screen Awards 2024.
From left to right: Yasmin Boxall, Alice Franchi and Alice Sacco at the Learning on Screen Awards 2024
Dr Laura Stephenson, Course Leader of Film BA Honours, said: "Screen are very proud that Simme Tutt'uno has been nominated for another Royal Television Award - we know it's a fantastic documentary but are so pleased it's being formally recognised at national level!"
Sinéad Rocks, Managing Director, Nations and Regions at Channel 4 and Chair of the RTS Student Television Awards, said: “It feels like every year, we are taken aback by the standard of work submitted to the RTS student awards - and this year is no exception. The new categories have opened up the awards to even more incredible projects from across the UK, demonstrating that the future of television production is looking very bright indeed. I look forward to celebrating this excellence alongside some of the key figures in our industry at this year’s awards ceremony in June.”
This film directly contributes to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 10: Reduced Inequalities as it puts a spotlight on educational inequalities that effect communities across the globe. Since 2019, the University of Westminster has used the SDGs holistically to frame strategic decisions to help students and colleagues fulfil their potential and contribute to a more sustainable, equitable and healthier society.
Find out more about Film and Television courses at the University of Westminster.
