Westminster alumna wins Best Sound award at Royal Television Society London Student Awards

Paula‘s graduation film, After that, a Long Pause, is an animated short film that tells the story of the city of Sao Paulo and the people who live there. Interlaced by an organised chaos, the film explores what it means to be free nowadays.

A group of students from the Film and Television Production BA Honours were also nominated for their graduate film titled Two Tones, across both the Drama and Writing categories. Developed and supported by Senior Lecturer Ged Maguire, Two Tones is a multi-racial love story set amidst growing right-wing violence in the Ska revival in 1980s Coventry that threatened families, friendships, communities and love. The film was written by Joshua Brackley and Kira Sarria, produced by Joshua Brackley, directed by Melvyn Chow and edited by Jack List.

Film BA Honours student Matthew Wong was nominated for his project named Mycelial in the Camera category. This documentary-style film explores mushrooms and fungi and aims to educate audiences on the way that they can be beneficial to the ecosystem. The documentary includes contributions from foragers, scientists and a musician who uses plants as elements in electronic circuits to create musical performances.

The RTS London Student Awards encourage, nurture, support and reward the talent, potential and enthusiasm of students in colleges and universities for the creation of film and video content. The awards offer an opportunity for students to put their creative talents before the critical eye of professionals, win recognition for their skills and even audition for a first job in the television, media and film industry.

The awards ceremony was held at the Centre for the Magic Arts, London, on 31 March.

About the win, Paula said: “I am very thrilled to see my story up there. It’s a very personal narrative about my native city in Brazil. The Best Sound category win was a product of hard work and collaboration with my sound designer.”

Course Leader of Animation BA Honours Stephen Ryley said: “I’m thrilled that Paula has won Best Sound at the student awards this year. Audio plays a crucial role in the success of any animation project, yet it’s often overlooked, preventing a film from reaching its full potential. Paula collaborated closely with her sound design team to ensure her soundtrack complemented the film beautifully.”

Professor Lucy Brown, Head of Screen in the School of Media and Communications, added: “We are delighted to see students from across our Film, Television and Animation degrees recognised with RTS London nominations spanning drama, writing, camerawork and a win for sound craft. This is a fantastic achievement, and we are incredibly proud of our students and the academic and technical colleagues whose expertise and support help make this work possible. With nominations across our screen portfolio, this success reflects the creativity, talent and ambition within our community and reinforces Westminster’s position as one of the UK’s leading places to study screen practice.”

By equipping students with the creative, technical and professional support needed to produce industry‑standard work, the University directly contributes to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 4: Quality Education and 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth. 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.

Learn more about Art, Design and Visual Culture and Film and Television courses at the University of Westminster.