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Coventry University film graduate scoops five awards during film festival season
Harry Tatem at the NAHEMI Film Festival
University news / Student news
Thursday 05 December 2024
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A Coventry University graduate has walked away with an amazing five awards from university film festivals.
Harry Tatem scooped four of the accolades at the National Association for Higher Education in the Moving Image (NAHEMI) screening held at the British Film Institute.
He completed his five-star success with a win at The Guild of Television Camera Professionals Bill Vinten University Awards.
Harry, a Film Production graduate originally from Portsmouth, picked up the awards for Best Film in Screening, Best Editing, Cinematography and the Audience Choice Award at the NAHEMI film festival for his poetic documentary about the Hillfields area in Coventry.
I didn't expect to win as many as I did but I think the best one was the fact that the audience liked it as well. The audience award means the most to be honest.
Harry Tatem
The 10-minute film, which is shot in black and white and focuses on Tee Demba, a youth worker, model and musician who works at Positive Youth Foundation, a charity on the estate, also won the Guild of Television Camera Professionals university awards with the judges describing it as “a class above everything else that was entered”.
Presented in a 4x3 aspect ratio, the film strips away colour to lay bare the unfiltered reality of life in one of the West Midlands' most deprived estates. At its heart is the story of a young youth worker, born and raised in the estate, whose experiences offer an intimate and moving portrait of resilience, community, and the challenges of growing up in Hillfields. Along with a trophy, Harry won a year’s membership in the Guild as well as a paid work experience.
Since I came to Coventry I was always cycling around, just going out and exploring the city on my bike and I came across Hillfields. I hadn’t seen architecture like it anywhere else in the city, so I just kept going back and taking photos. I ended up getting familiar with the environment and getting to know people from the estate which inspired the film.
Harry Tatem
Harry graduated from Coventry University in June this year and is part of the first cohort of students to graduate from the BA Film Production course.
Course director Sanna Wicks was with Harry at the film festival at BFI, Southbank in London.
NAHEMI is one of the industry's main bodies for education in film and television so we’re very proud that Harry won so many awards. I wasn't surprised though; I was fully expecting Harry’s final year work to win some awards.
Harry is a talented, emerging filmmaker, who worked hard all the way through his degree. The course enabled him to produce high-quality work which fits with up-to-date trends in the industry. This was another standout piece of work from Harry - we are very proud of his achievements.
Sanna Wicks, Course Director for BA (Hons) Film Production
Harry is now working freelance as a director and has successfully released three music videos since he graduated.
The course is very much a practical course where the students learn industry-best practices. As it was only launched three years ago, we have some amazing up-to-date equipment which the students have access to and love to use. The next cohort of graduates are industry-ready already and we’ve even had some working on a paid project for Warwickshire County Council.
Sanna Wicks, Course Director for BA (Hons) Film Production
Coventry University came second overall in the Guild of Television Camera Professionals university awards.
Find out more about our Film Production BA (Hons) course.
