Ealing Filmmaker's BAFTA Hopes

William Boyd from MetFilm School has already won two prizes for 'The Trespasser'

 
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An Ealing filmmaker who's already won two awards could now be in with a chance of winning a BAFTA.

William’s Boyd's short film “The Trespasser” has met with critical acclaim at America’s National Film Festival for Talented Youth (NFFTY) and the Screentest Award at the UK’s National Student Film Festival.

William, 23, was born in the UK and raised in Nigeria, and returned when he was 16-years-old to complete his education at Bede’s school in Sussex. After completing his A-levels, he joined Ealing's MetFilm School based at Ealing Studios to study a BA Filmmaking and then did an MA in Directing.

Set in a British city, ‘The Trespasser’ is the story of a young man dealing with the passing of his grandmother, and is intertwined with an African folktale.

William said: “I am a Catholic and my faith does play a large part in my film, it’s one of the reasons I used the rosary as a symbol depicting the strong bond between a grandmother and her grandson.

“That kind of bond is a powerful thing, like my relationship with religion.”

At school William was all set to become an architect. He said: “Even though I’d planned my future, I was also investigating ways to do what I really love and make a living - I really love film. And, after visiting MetFilm School for the first time, I understood that if you’re good enough, and have a little luck, you can thrive.”

Reflecting on his arrival back into the UK, William said:  “When I came back to London to stay, I experienced a massive culture shock, I have never considered myself a minority, and my upbringing prepared me to disregard the term, and helped me to overcome barriers.

“My family is very proud and confident which has taught me that I know who I am, where I come from and what I can do.”

The Trespasser’ was screened at the British Film Industry’s (BFI) Soul Screen: Connect event and it's entered into the 2019 London Short Film Festival; important because the next step could see the film entered into the BAFTA’s.

December 11th 2018

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