Seven student film projects from UWS have been shortlisted for this year’s RTS Scotland Student Television Awards, with nominations spanning Drama, Entertainment & Comedy Drama, Journalism and Saving the Planet.

The UWS-nominated productions are Be Honest! in Drama; Locked Oot (or the importance of cartwheels) in Entertainment & Comedy Drama; A Prettier Portrait – The Importance of Arts in Inverclyde and Hatched in Fire in Journalism; and Return of the Reindeer, Rooks to Roots and Nature’s Diamond in Saving the Planet. UWS has a particularly strong presence in the environmental category, with three shortlisted films.

All but one of the shortlisted films were created by students or recent graduates from UWS’s BA Filmmaking & Screenwriting programme.

The nominations reflect the breadth of work being produced across UWS’s creative programmes, from second-year documentary projects to third-year drama work and honours-level productions, including films from the University’s Wildlife Media option.

 

To receive seven nominations in this year’s RTS Scotland Student Television Awards is a fantastic result for UWS and everyone involved in these productions. What is particularly encouraging is the range of work recognised which shows the depth of talent we have across the programme. These nominations are a tribute to the commitment of our students and the creative community they are part of.

Dr Gill Jamieson, Senior Lecturer and Programme Leader for BA Filmmaking at UWS

 

Among the shortlisted productions, Locked Oot (or the importance of cartwheels) was written and directed by Rhys Garner, produced by Alexander Douglas and edited by Ainsley White – all now studying on the MA Filmmaking programme. The nominated team also includes Dominic Rafferty, James Halliday, Katelyn Baxter, Robert Lithgow, Ryan Csur and Lauren C. Moore. Meanwhile, Be Honest! is a third-year BA Filmmaking & Screenwriting production from the 2025 Digital Filmmaking module, with the RTS shortlist naming Alice Harper, Charlie Grove, Aaron Kerr, Daisy Moran, Evan Hutchinson, Pacey Galbraith and Elliot McQueen. The film also features comedian, writer and broadcaster Josie Long in the role of Host in Be Honest!, adding a familiar face to the production.

In the Journalism category, Callum Lindsay is shortlisted for A Prettier Portrait – The Importance of Arts in Inverclyde, alongside fellow UWS-nominated production Hatched in Fire. In Saving the Planet, UWS is represented by Thomas McGillivray for Return of the Reindeer, Grzegorz Gawron for Rooks to Roots, and Alexander Douglas, Dominic Rafferty and Katelyn Baxter for Nature’s Diamond.

Speaking on behalf of the shortlisted team behind Be Honest!, Producer and Writer Charlie Grove said: “We’re honoured to be nominated for this RTS Scotland award. This film has been on a wonderful journey and we’re so excited to share it with you all.”


I’m incredibly excited to have been nominated for the RTS Student Awards alongside other UWS Filmmaking & Script Writing (FMSW) students. The Wildlife Media Module gave me the perfect opportunity to create this film. I’m really grateful for the support and guidance from the lecturers throughout the process and it means a lot to have my work recognised in this way.

Thomas McGillivray reflecting on his nomination for Return of the Reindeer in the Saving the Planet category

 

These nominations underline UWS’s growing reputation in student filmmaking and storytelling and offer another major platform for students and graduates to showcase their work to industry professionals.

 

These nominations are a tribute to the creativity and practical skills of all our students, whose works span a diverse range of genres here at the UWS Arts and Media Division. I'm pleased that the Wildlife Media module is producing such thoughtful, environmentally focused films for the Saving the Planet category, and I hope this will encourage other universities to do the same.

Bettina Talbot, Lecturer in Documentary & Wildlife Media

 

The awards ceremony will take place at Saint Luke’s & The Winged Ox, Glasgow, on Thursday 26 March.