Falmouth students win big at this year’s Royal Television Society Devon & Cornwall Awards
16 April 2026
Students and graduates from across Falmouth’s School of Film & Television have seen their films recognised at Devon and Cornwall’s Royal Television Society (RTS) awards ceremony.
Taking place at The Regal Theatre in Redruth last month, the event was hosted by Edward Rowe, aka ‘The Kernow King’, and was a celebration of the work of Falmouth’s current students and graduates.
Here are this year’s winners:
Beyond Me – Best Factual
Beyond Me is a collaboration between BA(Hons) Post Production & Visual Effects graduate Isaac Brain, who directed the film, and BA(Hons) Film graduate Luke Jenkins who acted as producer. Inspired by Isaac’s discovery of some lost home movies in the attic of his student house, Beyond Me is a short film that centres around memory and the family experience.
Luke shared with us: “I’m proud of everyone’s work and I think we are all very happy with the outcome, especially as we have made an impact in the family’s lives by returning something that was once lost to them, which has truly taught us the impact a film can have on someone’s life.”
He added: “It was an honour to be at the RTS Awards; it wouldn’t have been possible without the help of all our lecturers from both our film and postproduction courses.”
Beyond Me has since been selected for Short Form (Screen) at the Celtic Media Festival.
FINN – Best Drama
Created by BA(Hons) Film graduates Sully Tarrant and Sam Page, who directed and produced the drama, FINN follows Indy, an introverted child full of imagination who brings to life an epic monster movie starring his biggest fan and younger cousin, Finn.
Following its win at the RTS Awards, FINN has since been selected for Short Form (Screen) at the Celtic Media Festival and will be heading to the British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) as part of the Sunderland Shorts Film Festival selection in May.
You Look Like I Need A Pint – Best Entertainment & Comedy Drama
Directed by BA(Hons) Film graduate Zak Jackson and produced by Ethan Lee, a fellow BA(Hons) Film graduate who is now studying MA Feature Filmmaking at Falmouth, You Look Like I Need A Pint is a drama that follows Mae’s investigation of the disappearance of her longtime drinking buddy in a surreal world where commercials and reality blur.
Ethan is now producing the feature as part of his MA Feature Filmmaking course.
Night of the Living Fish – Best Animation
Created by BA(Hons) Animation students Taiah Hay and Faith Evans, with the support of 20 other students, Night of the Living Fish is a 2D animated film about how a boy’s plans to resurrect his beloved pet fish backfires.
Speaking of the idea behind the film, Taiah shared: “A lot of my ideas come from doodles or conversations with friends, and this one came from a chat I was having with Cerys, my assistant director, about where the best place to die would be so that your ghost was entertained. I said I’d want to be at an aquarium. From there we got chatting about ghost fish and thought it would be fun to make a film about them. The title is a not-so-smart play on Night of the Living Dead – it just got the point across quickly.”
The story explores themes of loss, friendship and a touch of the occult. Speaking on the themes of the animation, Taiah added: “For me, the main theme is struggling to let go. I was making this film in the last year of my degree and wasn’t ready to give it all up, so making it was a way of putting that anxiety to rest.”
Reflecting on working with 20 other students to bring the project to life, Taia added: “I was honoured so many people wanted to work with me. It was scary knowing people were relying on me, but my team was supportive and made learning how to be in a leadership role easier. The lecturers were encouraging, gave us regular feedback and helped keep our momentum going. They really pushed us to make the best film we could.”
See more about their project on Instagram.
Other award wins
Falmouth also saw a range of individual technical and craft award wins for students across Falmouth’s BA(Hons) Animation, BA(Hons) Film and BA(Hons) Television & Film Production courses in fields such as writing, production design, lighting and set build.
One of these awards has been won by current BA(Hons) Television & Film Production student, Lottie Kent, who took home a craft award for lighting on a production she worked on during her first year at Falmouth. She shared: “The production I worked on was called When Stars Collide, a second-year film produced by Daisy Millward and directed by Millie Clamp. The story was about a famous horror film director winning an award for a film production, but the audience learns that she takes a dark, twisted approach to get the shot and story she wants.
“Being a gaffer on the production meant I oversaw lighting and assisted the director of photography in bringing his vision to life. It was two very intense days, but two days I absolutely enjoyed, as it let me look into what I can expect from the second year. The first day was in a garage, and I got given lights and just started setting up what the director of photography and I had discussed in test shoots. Focusing on lighting made me really think more about how it can be seen visually, as lighting can also help tell the story.”
She added: “Next year, I am excited to be going for a producer role, as I want to make the most of trying all sorts of different roles at the University, which supports all students in trying different roles. I will hopefully be back at the RTS Devon and Cornwall student awards very soon.”
Speaking on Falmouth’s huge success at the awards, BA(Hons) Film Course Leader, Dr Laura Canning, commented: "We're always impressed by the range, quality and professionalism of our students' final year films, but this year the RTS Awards have been a particular joy. It's lovely to have reunited with them for this event as graduates, and it's been great for our current students to see the fantastic things they're all accomplishing. We'll be wishing them all the luck in the world at the National Awards."
The winning students are now preparing to go to the RTS National Student Television Awards in June later this year.
Photo credit: Lacy Jeffries, Tegan Spain, Jack Stevens and James Beniston from Cornwall College Camborne.
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