Netflix has announced a £1 million donation to the National Film and Television School (NFTS) to support its £21 million revamp and expansion plan.
The donation to the school’s Beaconsfield campus forms part of Netflix’s “Generation N” commitment to UK skills and talent.
The donation is set to launch a new space, named The Netflix Lounge at NFTS.
It will sit at the heart of the expanded campus and is planned to serve as a hub for collaboration, creativity and exchange between students, alumni and visiting filmmakers.
In April last year, NFTS submitted a proposal to Bucks Council for ground-floor, front and rear extensions, a lift shaft and a new entrance canopy at Grosvenor House, 7 Horseshoe Crescent, Beaconsfield.
The plans include nine new student residences.
Netflix donates £1m to National Film and Television School revamp (Image: NFTS/ Sorbon Estates/ Planning Portal)
It is part of the school’s campus expansion project, which is set to increase student capacity by 25 per cent.
Jon Wardle, Director of NFTS, said: “The UK’s film, TV and games industries depend on a constant flow of bold, original and highly skilled talent.
“Netflix’s investment in the NFTS is a powerful vote of confidence in that future.
“The Netflix Lounge will sit at the heart of our expanded campus – a vibrant, collaborative space where students can connect, share ideas and develop their creative voice.
“It reflects a shared commitment to nurturing the next generation and ensuring that opportunity continues to grow and remains accessible to all.”
The Netflix Lounge is part of Netflix’s broader, £30 million long-term investment in supporting new, emerging and mid-career creative talent in the UK.
Ted Sarandos, Co-CEO of Netflix, said: “We’re proud to have been part of the UK’s creative community for more than 12 years, and we remain deeply committed to supporting the next generation of storytellers.
“The Netflix Lounge at NFTS is a long-term investment in people, skills and ideas, and it builds on the wider work we’re doing across the UK through Generation N to help strengthen the talent pipeline that underpins one of the world’s great creative industries.”
Ted Sarandos, Barbara Broccoli, Jon Wardle, Sophie Turner Laing (Image: Tim Whitby/Supplied)
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said: “It’s fantastic to see Netflix stepping up to back this brilliant institution.
“When government and industry work together like this, we don’t just protect our creative industries, we grow them, creating opportunity, good jobs and stories that carry Britain’s voice to every corner of the globe.”
The government is also backing the school expansion project with a £10 million funding commitment as part of its Creative Industries Sector Plan.
Other contributors to the project include Banijay, Buckinghamshire Council, Channel 4, Dana and Albert R. Broccoli Foundation, Gareth Neame Foundation, ITV, John Gore Studios, Peppa Pig co-creator Mark Baker, Sky and Sony Pictures Television.
