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'Proper lovely' film wins top prize at RTS Awards

ARU student Lidia Bieniarz wins Sir Lenny Henry Award for A Film About My Dad

Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) student Lidia Bieniarz has won the top prize – the Sir Lenny Henry Award – at the Royal Television Society’s Midlands Student Television Awards, for a film the actor and comedian described as “proper lovely”.

Lidia, a second year BA (Hons) Film Production student at ARU, received the award from Sir Lenny for A Film About My Dad, and also collected the best Short Form film prize during the online RTS awards ceremony, sponsored by BBC Birmingham.



The films entered in this year’s competition were made under a backdrop of Covid-19 lockdown restrictions, making the final work even more impressive.

Lidia said:

“At first, having to drop all the plans I had made and instead spend the summer with my parents at home in rural Poland was rather disappointing.  But then I started seeing the beauty in simple things, observing everyday activities, and noticing something that has always been right there, my Dad, and this became my film.”

In awarding the top prize, Sir Lenny described Lidia’s film as “proper lovely” and “really moving”, and that it resonates in his heart as it captures the complex role of being a father.

Fellow ARU second year BA (Hons) Film Production student Agata Kazmierczak was also the recipient of a prestigious RTS award, winning the prize for Editing, as well as being nominated in the Camera and Short Form film categories.

Agata’s film Colourblind is a short documentary that explores colour sight issues, and it was also shaped by the lockdown.



Agata took advantage of our new enthusiasm for connecting with each other virtually and tapped into an international community of people with colour sight variations. She recorded audio interviews with contributors from all over the world and combined these with images captured close to home.

Sophie Jackson, Course Leader and Senior Lecturer in Film Production at ARU said:

“Rather than being defeated by the lockdown, our students found ways of making the most of our new circumstances. Both Lidia and Agata have created really special films, not in spite of Covid-19 restrictions, but because of them.”