The Academy of Film (AF) at Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) will offer its Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours) in Acting for Global Screen programme starting in the 2020/21 academic year. The course seeks to be the most competitive undergraduate programme in acting performance available, with cross-cultural and global enrichments that fully meet the needs of stage acting, acting with the aid of media technology, acting for the screen and social media in film industries.

Professor Eva Man, Director of AF said, “The Academy of Film strives to nurture talents with thorough academic knowledge and professional skills in the creation and production of films and TV programmes. Based on our rich teaching experience, the new programme will groom more rising stars with a global perspective for the industry.”

Professor Michael Bray, Professor of Practice of AF and Director of the Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours) in Acting for Global Screen programme, said, “The integration of interdisciplinary knowledge is one of the highlights of this unique programme. In addition to acting training and performance studies, our curriculum also puts emphasis on understanding technology and contemporary cultural reflection.”

Professor Eva Man (right), Director of the Academy of Film, and Professor Michael Bray, Director of the Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours) in Acting for Global Screen programme. Courtesy of HKBU.

Professor Bray, who joined HKBU recently, is an experienced acting educator, veteran actor, and stage and film director. Before joining AF, he was the course leader of the postgraduate screen acting course at the Drama Centre, Central Saint Martins, at the University of Arts London.

The Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours) in Acting for Global Screen is a four-year programme. Its core subjects include Introduction to Performing Arts, Voice and Speech, Movement, Fundamentals of Directing, Script Analysis and Acting, Acting on Stage, Acting on Screen and with Technology, Individual Enhancement Workshop, and so forth. The programme offers an intake quota of 16 places each year targeting local and non-local students.

The programme emphasises both theory and practice and encourages students to go global for exchange experiences. The programme will connect with local and overseas performing art organisations to provide internship opportunities for students.

The programme has special English proficiency requirements for applicants. They need to obtain level 5 or above in English Language of the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination, or an overall band score of 7.0 or above in IELTS. Applicants also have to submit a portfolio of their background in acting training, performing experience and prize received. Shortlisted applicants will be invited to attend an audition/interview. The performance of applicants in the audition/interview will be taken into consideration as part of the application process.

To support potential talents, scholarships will be provided to the selected applicants who demonstrate an overall excellent performance in the admission exercise. Scholarships for local, non-local, and ethnic minority students will be available.