A University of the West of Scotland (UWS) graduate has been named among the UK’s most promising new filmmakers after securing one of only six BAFTA Scholarships awarded across the country this year.

Daniel Kelly, who has returned to UWS to complete his MA in Filmmaking, will now receive financial support and mentoring and industry access through the prestigious BAFTA UK Scholarship Programme. The scheme is designed to break down financial barriers for emerging creatives and give them a direct pathway into the screen industries.

The announcement was made at BAFTA’s London headquarters in Piccadilly, where the 2025 recipients of the UK Scholarship Programme and the Prince William BAFTA Bursary Fund were revealed at a special event featuring actor and director Peter Capaldi.

 

To be selected as one of just six BAFTA scholars in the UK this year is an incredible honour. Throughout my time as an undergraduate, UWS was instrumental in giving me the chance to experiment, collaborate and grow as a filmmaker. The support I’ll now receive through BAFTA, the financial backing, the mentoring and the access to industry networks, will make a huge difference as I develop new work on the MA Filmmaking programme. I can’t wait to see where this journey will take me and the kinds of stories I’ll be able to tell next.

Daniel Kelly, BAFTA scholar

 

Daniel is no stranger to recognition. His undergraduate film Gas & Electricity won Best Undergraduate Drama at both the RTS Scotland Awards and the national RTS Student Television Awards – one of the UK’s most competitive student film prizes.

Professor Nick Higgins, Director of the UWS Creative Media Academy, said: “This is an extraordinary achievement. Daniel’s talent and ambition have been clear since his undergraduate work, and this BAFTA scholarship is both a recognition of that and an investment in his future.

“At UWS, we are committed to supporting the next generation of filmmakers by ensuring that financial barriers don’t get in the way of creativity. To see one of our graduates recognised at this level shows the strength of that approach.”

The BAFTA UK Scholarship Programme is part of BAFTA’s mission to level the playing field in film, television and games by giving talented individuals the opportunity to develop their careers regardless of background. For Daniel, it represents a major step as he embarks on his Master’s studies, with support from both BAFTA and UWS.

 

This achievement also reflects UWS’s commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 4: Quality Education and Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities.