A short film produced by an alumna from Leeds Trinity University has won the award for Short Form Programme at the 2019 BAFTA TV Awards.
Missed Call is a short film based on real events and follows a son's journey to reconnect with his absent father through an exchange of text messages and phone calls. The film was produced by Leeds Trinity alumna Amanda Murphy, Executive Producer and Senior Teaching Fellow at Royal Holloway, University of London.
Amanda, who has worked in TV production for over 30 years, came to be involved in Missed Call after working with the film's director, Victoria Mapplebeck, in the Media Arts department at Royal Holloway. It is one of the first professional documentaries in the world to be filmed on the iPhone X.
Speaking of their recent success at the BAFTAs, Amanda said: "I am utterly over the moon. It is such an incredible accolade and pinnacle of a career in TV I have simply loved and thrown so much of myself into. I can't believe we won, over such great BBC comedy programmes, using a smartphone. It says so much for getting that device out your pocket and getting on with making the film you all have inside you!"
Amanda studied Communications and Cultural Studies at Leeds Trinity University and graduated in 1985. She started her career in television during her time at Leeds Trinity, following a professional work placement with film and television company Opix Films, who she then worked with after graduating.
Since then, Amanda has gone on to work as Executive Producer for Supernanny on Channel 4 and the American version for ABC, made several documentaries and was Senior Producer for the first UK Big Brother series in 2000.
Alongside her current role as Senior Teaching Fellow at Royal Holloway she is Executive Producer of Storyfutures, an initiative which helps to create and fund research and development projects with creative businesses through immersive storytelling.
Brett Arnall, Alumni Relations Officer at Leeds Trinity University, said: "Amanda has an incredible story and outstanding media CV but to win a BAFTA is something else. This is an incredible achievement and we are thrilled and so proud of her."
He added: "We really value the relationship we have with our alumni and the fact that they actively get in touch with us to share their news shows the special bond we have with them. I was so pleased to hear Amanda's news I couldn't help share it with anyone I bumped in to."
Reflecting on her time at the University, Amanda's advice to prospective students considering a course at Leeds Trinity would be: "Create opportunities, seize opportunities, be social, connect with others, collect contacts (buy a contact book immediately don't rely on your phone contacts), build your social media profile, be enthusiastic and offer to help out in all things of interest."
She added: "If you are entering the world of media, whether you are studying or working in the industry, be innovative, flexible and open to taking risks."
You can read more about Amanda's career on herAlumni profile, and find out more about our undergraduate courses here.
You can watch the BAFTA-winning short film Missed Callhere. ?