Students land US scholarships

Funding boost as Glasgow pair get set for courses in Boston and LA

TWO Glasgow students have been awarded Bafta scholarships to study in the US. Yvonne Zhang and Stuart Bramwell will receive $ 10,000 each – around £ 7800 – from Bafta and the Hunter Foundation.

Yvonne will study Directing at the American Film Institute in Los Angeles, while Stuart will study Scoring for Film, Television, and Video Games at the Berklee College of Music in Boston.

Yvonne, whose work has been exhibited at Glasgow’s Centre for the Contemporary Arts, said: “I am hugely appreciative of the support that Bafta and the Hunter Foundation are providing me, especially during this very tough and uncertain time.

“There are so few funding sources available to British students in the US, so the Bafta Scholarship program is truly a lifeline for filmmakers like myself.”

Stuart, a first- class honours graduate from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, said:

“Receiving such prestigious recognition from Bafta is an honour.

“I have no doubt their support will prove invaluable as I navigate my career as a film and TV composer, enabling me to deliver hair- raising music for the ‘ big screen’ and more.”

Yvonne and Stuart are two of 28 global recipients of Bafta’s 2020/ 21 scholarships programme, receiving more than £ 190,000 in financial aid to support the study of film, games and television courses in the UK and US.

Amanda Berry, chief executive at Bafta, said: “Our charitable activity sits at the heart of everything we do. For the last 18 years, Bafta Scholarships have played a vital role in providing financial support for students who would not otherwise be able to further their education in film, games or television.”

Previous Bafta scholars having worked on major, award- winning productions, such as visual effects artist Shivani Shah ( Avengers: Infinity War), make- up artist Alesha LedeatteWilliams ( No Time

To Die) and actor Jurrell Carter ( Kiri, Emmerdale).