Introducing Brighton campus patron, Michele D’Acosta

Our Brighton campus was thrilled to announce our new patron, Michele D’Acosta, at our recent industry networking event.

Michele is best known as producer of the award-winning documentary Biggie & Tupac, which has been acknowledged as one of the 50 most important documentary films of the past 25 years. She was also co-executive producer of the music documentary, No Distance Left to Run, which was nominated for Best Long Form Music Video for the 53rd Grammy Awards. She has worked as a producer at HBO, BBC, and Channel 4.

Michele studied Russian, German, and International Relations at the University of West London before completing her postgraduate work at UCLA, in the screenwriting programme. She won Best Musical screenplay for The Prince of Hip Hop.

As director, editor, and animator, her short film Cooking the Earth – a surreal vision of climate change – won Best Animation at the Moondance International Film Festival. She has twice been nominated as Best Director for the UK Film Council’s Breakthrough Brits Awards. She is currently working on a slate of diversity-themed film and TV projects, including a documentary feature about reparations, inspired by the feature film Selma by Ava DuVernay.

Diversity empowerment group, The TV Collective, recognised Michele D’Acosta as one of the 50 Most Influential People of Colour in British Television.

Michele shared her advice for our students taking their first steps in the industry:

“Believe in yourself and don’t give up at the first hurdle. Trust your instincts and listen to your inner voice. To succeed in this industry, you need to find a way to stand out. Develop your personal voice, have strong ethics, and don’t settle for mediocrity. Do things no one else is willing to do. When someone says it can’t be done, or that it is impossible… that’s the moment to step up and go to the next level.”

What excites Michele about being involved with the film school?

“I feel part of a family and a community of filmmakers and pioneers with the ethos and vision to use the medium of film as a catalyst for positive social change. Another initiative to highlight is the school’s five-year guarantee to the alumni community. This commitment helps graduates to stay in touch with an extensive network of industry contacts, and to receive career support from the school’s dedicated Industry Liaison team. I know from personal experience how challenging it can be to leave the rarefied world of film school and enter the real world!”