Herts students triumph at Royal Television Society East Student Awards

In the latest of a string of high-profile successes for its Creative Arts School, students from the University of Hertfordshire have won five out of the eight awards at the prestigious annual Royal Television Society (RTS) East Student Awards.

Competing against 32 other universities and colleges from across Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk, the Herts students - who study the BA (Hons) Film and Television and BA (Hons) Animation courses in the Screen Department at Herts - learned of their success at an awards ceremony held at Old Divinity School in Cambridge last Friday (7 March).

Drama Amuse-Bouche - a sparkling comedy that follows the staff of a small but crowded bistro as they struggle to provide yuletide cheer on a chaotic Christmas Eve - was the most successful production, winning three awards: best camerawork, best editing, and best drama, making it the overall standout film of the night.

Reflecting on the achievement, writer and director of Amuse Bouche Matthew Turner said:

"It's a huge honour for us to be recognised in this way. We really didn't expect this, and we are hugely grateful to the University, our tutors, the team who made the film, and to RTS and the judges for these three amazing awards."

Amuse Bouche will now go on to compete at the RTS National Student Awards later in the year.

Meanwhile, film As We Were - the heart-wrenching story of two children who face a stark choice - claimed the award for best writing, further highlighting the exceptional storytelling talent among the students.

The success extended beyond live-action filmmaking, with Herts BA (Hons) Animation students also celebrating a victory. Their film Smorgasbord - a humorous and moving contemplation on the meaning of food - won best production design, showcasing the university’s strength across multiple disciplines in the screen industries.

Herts’ output also included the documentary A New Leaf - which explores the highly controversial practise of prescribing medical cannabis for children and adults. It was nominated for best cinematography, demonstrating the high standard of visual storytelling. The animation Rebirth, a visual effects tour de force that follows the efforts of a priestess in an arcane ritual to restore the youth of an injured rhino, was recognised with an extra “highly commended” certificate in the category of best animation.

Stephen Partridge, Dean of Creative Arts at the University of Hertfordshire, said:

“It’s great to see our students and staff receiving such richly deserved and prestigious accolades. As our curriculum aligns increasingly with the needs of a buoyant film sector in Hertfordshire, we look forward to following the successful careers of these award winners and of future UH graduates.”

Daniel Bell, Programme Leader of the BA (Hons) Film and Television degree, added:

"We are immensely proud of this achievement, which recognises the high quality of our student work. It is a testament to the high quality of teaching and skills our lecturers and technical staff equip our students with, and to the hard work, dedication, and talent of our students. We are delighted that the judges at the RTS joined us in recognising the outstanding quality of these films."

This sweeping success at the RTS East Awards is a testament to the university’s commitment to nurturing the next generation of filmmakers, animators, writers, cinematographers, and editors.

The success is latest in string of accolades for University’s Creative Arts School. It was recently ranked the best creative school in the UK in the 2024 Rookies Global School Rankings and ranked within the top 20 places to study creative arts in the world. It was ranked as the best 2D Animation School in Europe and the UK’s best for 3D Animation, best Concept Art School and best VFX School in the UK, while its VFX Production Excellence was ranked second in the world. This year the World Brand Design Society Awards ranked Herts’ graphic design course best in the UK and fifth in the world.

For more details about the winning films and our Film and Television programme, visit https://www.herts.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/film-and-television-production