Sunderland Film School

We've offered this opportunity exclusively to a select group of school and college partners, and only a maximum of 40 students can attend – if you’re reading this now, congratulations, it means you’ve been selected.

Why? Your teacher has nominated you because they believe you have something special: creativity, passion and the potential to go far in film.

Over five days, you’ll work with professional producer Craig Conway (Trash TV 2025, No Way Home 2023), get hands-on behind the camera, and bring your ideas to life in your very own short film. You’ll finish the week off in true style at an invite-only film premiere. So, are you ready to take your seat on set?

What happens at Sunderland Film School?

Over the five days, you'll be immersed in a hands-on short film production experience, guided by professional producer Craig Conway and supported by University of Sunderland students and staff.

The week will begin with expert-led sessions covering how to produce a short film, explore successful film genres, and work effectively with actors. We'll provide everything you need for filming and give you access to university equipment and facilities. Our Film School aims to give you insight into different areas of work within the film industry, so if you do have a keen interest in a specific area please let us know so we can look to explore that area further.

Filming will take place across a range of locations, including the Virtual Production studio, classrooms, corridors, and outdoor settings, offering a rich and varied backdrop for storytelling. The experience will continue with post-production workshops focused on editing, colour grading, and adding graphics and titles to enhance the final films.

Celebrate your film! A screening, featuring an industry talk from Craig Conway and guests, a showcase of student work, and a gathering of staff and supporters will give you the chance to celebrate the creativity and collaboration of everyone involved.

As part of the Film School experience, you'll also get the chance to explore what it’s like to study film at university, with exciting opportunities to discover the campus, connect with current students, and get a real taste of university life.

What do we need from you?

To show your enthusiasm and commitment to the event, you’ll need to be available all day for each day of Sunderland Film School.

The film school is free to attend and we’ll also provide lunch and snacks throughout each day. We can also work with you and your school/college to arrange your transport, which may be in the form of a pre-paid travel card or a prearranged minibus.

We ask that anyone attending the Film School is currently studying a film or media course and wants to continue into the film and media industry. However, we’re not expecting you to come with lots of experience in film making. The purpose of the Film School is for everyone to learn new skills together.

Sessions

Film School Unlocked

The official launch took place online on Wednesday 22 January 2026, 5–6pm, where our panel revealed further information about the Film School, answered your questions and revealed the film genre... Romantic Horror!

If you couldn’t make the launch or would like to watch it again, please watch our video for more information.

Round Table

Date: Wednesday 27 May 2026

Time: 12pm-3pm

The round table is an additional, optional event taking place on Wednesday 27 May 2026. This event is on campus and those attending will get a first look at the script, be involved in the process of any changes to the script and start planning for the Film School. The script will be written before the Film School due to the lengthy process involved with script writing.

It’s also a great chance to meet everyone involved for the first time, pick up your Film School t-shirt and become familiar with the campus. We're able to offer travel reimbursement for those attending the round table event.

The schedule for the roundtable event is as follows:

• 12-1pm: You'll participate in a meet and greet with other students taking part, Craig Conway and some of the academics running the Film School. We'll also provide food free of charge.
• 1-1:30pm: You'll read through the script for the first time and look at the film you'll be making in June.
• 1:30-3pm-: You'll participate in scriptwriting workshops, suggest changes to the script and look at what goes into writing for film and TV. Then, you'll work in groups to start looking in detail at the script and how you want each scene to look when filming.

Please RSVP to confirm your attendance. If you can't make this date, please contact student.recruitment@sunderland.ac.uk(opens in new tab) to let us know as soon as possible.