AFTRS Update (5) - Industry manpower

Its back to endless statistics for the next AFTRS tranche of info. This question lodged with a Senate Estimates Committee by Senator Catryna Bilyk (ALP, Tasmania) was  I believe intended to winkle out whether AFTRS was now, unlike in the past, graduating huge numbers and whether any of them went on to work at the elite levels, or indeed any level, of the film industry. Judge for yourself.

Question: The AFTRS now graduates up to 250 students a year. Please supply statistics on the number who found
(a) permanent full time employment,
(b) regular part-time employment, 
(c) some casual employment and 
(d) no employment in the film and associated industries over the last five years. 


If these figures are not available how does AFTRS judge that it is providing services and personnel needed to sustain the film and associated industries?

Answer

In 2015, AFTRS graduated 205 students; in 2014, 237 students.

In 2011, the Ipsos Social Research Institute was commissioned to conduct research into AFTRS screen (not radio) graduates. The report contains data based on 1658 graduates; 89 percent reported employment in the industry. It is noted that the industry operates substantially on a freelance basis which was reflected in the data obtained. The answers have been correlated as closely as possible to the questions asked:

(a) Permanent full time employment
42% reported that they were currently employed wholly in their chosen field.

(b) Regular part-time employment

20% stated that they were employed part of the time in their chosen field.

18% stated that they were mainly, but not always, working in their chosen field

9% reported that they were not employed at all in their chosen field, but were working in the industry.

(c) Some casual employment and n/a.

(d) No employment in the film and associated industries over the last five years.

9% indicated not being at all employed in the industry.

AFTRS collates information against other measures against which judge the provision of services and personnel needed to sustain the film and associated industries.

International Awards Success: Four alumni have won Academy Awards for a feature film category and five alumni have been nominated for an Academy Award for a feature film category.

Editor’s Note All these are graduates from before 2003 which was the point of the question studiously ignored by whomever has prepared the answer.

Three AFTRS student films have been nominated for Academy Awards in the student film category; and one has been nominated for the Student Academy Awards. One alumna has won a BAFTA for a feature film category, and three alumni have received nominations for television and new media categories. One alumnus has won a Primetime Emmy for main title design, and nominated twice for main title design.

Editor’s Note: Actually, two of these student films made at AFTRS were nominated for Best Live Action Short Film in the Academy Awards and the third for Best Animated Short Film.

International Film Festivals: AFTRS graduates have had their work selected for screening at the world’s most prestigious international film festivals, and have also won awards at these festivals. This is an objective measure of global success. This is list of the number of AFTRS graduates that have been winners or competitors at the following international festivals:

·  Cannes Film Festival, France: 26 graduates; 


·  Berlinale, Germany: 23 graduates; 


·  Sundance Film Festival, USA: 25 graduates; 


·  Venice International Film Festival, Italy: 10 graduates; 


·  Toronto International Film Festival: 31 graduates. 


Top International Film School rating: for three separate years (2012, 2014, and 2015), industry journal The Hollywood Reporter has ranked AFTRS as one of the world’s top international film schools.