NFTS Animation ‘Mum’s Spaghetti’ Enjoys A Rap-turous Reception With Win At 2023 Student Academy Awards!
Recent NFTS graduate film Mum’s Spaghetti has been crowned a winner in the best animation category at this year’s 50th Student Academy Awards!
From 2,443 film entries submitted from 720 colleges and universities around the world, Mum’s Spaghetti has been selected as one of just 14 student winners.
The brainchild of Directing Animation alumni Lisa Kenney and her team who all graduated from the NFTS in February 2023, the 10 minute short is a heartfelt blend of heart and humour.
Meet Poppy, a young dreamer who aspires to become the world’s next great rapper alongside her beatboxing dog and best friend, Snoop. Straight A’s and bubble baths are their way of life – but when confronted by an older crew en-route to her first day at school, Poppy quickly changes her tune.
This remarkable achievement at the annual Student Academy Awards is testament to the Mum’s Spaghetti team's exceptional talent and dedication to the craft of animation and model making, with these prestigious awards celebrating the best and brightest emerging filmmakers on a global stage. With this accolade, the film is now eligible to compete for the 2024 Oscars in the coveted Animated Short Film category. The talented team behind Mum’s Spaghetti will now proudly join the ranks of past Student Academy Award luminaries including the likes of Spike Lee, Robert Zemeckis, Pete Docter, Patricia Cardoso and Patricia Riggen.
Reflecting on being the recipient of a Student Academy Award, director Lisa Kenney who is currently working on a number of upcoming projects including her first live action short in partnership with the NFTS and BBC Film, said: "Winning the Student Academy Award is surreal. It's the kind of thing you joke about with your mates growing up. I'm over the moon that people are enjoying the film as much as we enjoyed making it – but more than that, I feel so proud of the team who worked on it. Everyone poured so much love and passion and heart into the project, so to be able to share this achievement with them and celebrate their hard work is something else."
Fun fact: if the title of Mum’s Spaghetti sounds vaguely familiar, it’s a lyric from Lose Yourself, by US rapper Eminem which he composed and wrote for the soundtrack of the semi autobiographical film, 8 Mile. Speaking about the inspiration for the title, Lisa said: “Calling the film Mum's Spaghetti felt like the perfect way to put our stamp on the typical rap film. To me, it feels hilariously British. The people who like it, love it – and those who don't always seem a bit confused by it, but I don't mind that. I'm glad we stuck to our guns!”
The National Film and Television School takes immense pride in celebrating the boundless creativity and talent of our alumni, who continue to raise the bar with their exceptional contributions to the world of filmmaking.
We look forward to seeing Lisa and the Mum’s Spaghetti crew fly the flag for UK filmmakers at the Student Academy Awards in LA on 24th October when they will learn if the film will pick up a medal placement of gold, silver or bronze.
Watch the trailer for Mum's Spaghetti below:
- MUM'S SPAGHETTI
- MEET THE MUM'S SPAGHETTI CREW
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Director: Lisa Kenney
Producer: Emma Grazette
Associate Producer: Martina Buendia Silva
Writers: Jack Maraghy, Lisa Kenney
Cinematographer: Toby Lloyd
Production Designer: Luke Stronach
Composer: Hannah Barnett
Editor: Harry Foster
Sound Designer: Luke Barnfather
PMs: Sophie Foxley, Gemma Wilks
Colourist: Mara Ciorba
VFX Supervisor/Compositing Lead: Daniel Peoples
Lead Model Makers: Eve Bannister, Aodhan Moyne
Post-production coordinator: Jen Smith
Applications to join the NFTS in January 2024 are still open! To follow in the footsteps of our talented alumni take a look at the places available page: nfts.co.uk/places-available