Met Film School

Overview

A private film school operating inside Ealing Studios in west London, with additional campuses in Berlin, Birmingham, Brighton, Leeds, and Manchester. Founded in 2003, Met Film School offers undergraduate and postgraduate programs in filmmaking, screenwriting, post-production, and screen business. The BA (Hons) Practical Filmmaking (2-year) costs 49,500 GBP for UK students and 51,500 GBP for international students at the London campus.

Since 2024, the school is part of the BIMM Group, and from the 2025/26 academic year all courses are validated by BIMM University. Ealing Studios has been producing films since 1902 and is the oldest continuously working film studio in the world. Met Film School students use studios, screening rooms, and post-production facilities within a working production complex.

The school is part of the Met Film group, which also includes Met Film Production and Met Film Sales, connecting education with commercial production and distribution. The Berlin campus offers lower tuition rates and significantly lower cost of living than London.

History

Met Film School was founded in 2003, operating inside Ealing Studios in west London. The school expanded to additional UK campuses in Birmingham, Brighton, Leeds, and Manchester, plus a Berlin campus.

Key milestones include the BIMM Group acquisition in 2024, which brought Met Film School courses and former BIMM University Screen and Film School courses into a single Film Faculty under the Met Film School brand. From the 2025/26 academic year, all courses are validated by BIMM University, replacing the previous validation arrangement with the University of West London. The school now operates in 6 cities, giving students options for location and cost. Met Film Distribution continues to release films, including Lady (2026), directed by Samuel Abrahams.

Programs Offered

Undergraduate (BA Hons)

• Practical Filmmaking (2-year or 3-year) - covers screenwriting, producing, directing, camera and lighting, and editing. Available in London and Berlin.
• Content, Media and Film Production - broader media production program
• Film and Screen Business - combines production with business skills
• Screen Acting - performance for screen (London, 11,750 GBP/year)
• Production Design for Screen and Film - design and art direction
• Hair and Make-up for Screen and Film - specialized make-up training
• Digital Film Practice - digital-first production workflow
• Acting for Stage, Screen and Digital Media - Berlin campus, 16,950 EUR/year
• CertHE Screen and Film - certificate of higher education

Postgraduate (MA)

• MA Film and Television Production, MA Producing, MA Screen Acting, MA Screen and Film Production, MA Directing, MA Cinematography, MA Screenwriting, MA Documentary and Factual Filmmaking, MA Post-Production

The BA (Hons) Practical Filmmaking (2-year accelerated) is the most competitive program, attracting the largest applicant pool due to its intensive format and industry-focused curriculum.

Notable Alumni and What They've Made

Met Film School alumni work across British and European film and television:

• Che Grant - Writer-director, Love Possibly (2018, multiple festival awards), How to Make Her Leave (2024, Best International Feature at Catalina Film Festival)
• Jonathan Petts - Co-founder of The Night Factory, credits include Paddington 2 (2017), Transformers: The Last Knight (2017), Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017)
• Callum Burn - Writer-director, Landship (Raindance Film Festival premiere), Lancaster Skies, Battle Over Britain
• Aladdin Alisic - Writer-director-producer, The Forsaken (multiple festival awards including Best Fantasy at Geek Short Film Festival)
• Rene Lorraine - Director, One Piece of the Puzzle (longlisted for 8 film festivals), researcher on BBC 2's Great British Menu

Met Film Distribution, part of the same group, released Lady (2026) directed by Samuel Abrahams, starring Sian Clifford, connecting the school's network to active distribution.

Acceptance Rate

Met Film School does not publish a formal acceptance rate. As a private institution, admission is based on application review rather than a competitive entrance examination. UK campus applicants apply through UCAS. Berlin campus applicants apply directly through the Met Film School website.

The BA (Hons) Practical Filmmaking (2-year accelerated) is the most competitive program due to its intensive format. MA programs are typically 1 year, making them shorter and less expensive than 2-year MA programs at schools like LFS or NFTS, but also attracting a different applicant pool.

Standout Faculty

Met Film School employs working industry professionals as instructors:

• Samuel Abrahams - Director of Lady (2026, Met Film Distribution), teaching directing and screenwriting. His film blends mockumentary and magical realism, starring Sian Clifford.
• Jonny Persey - Executive Producer on Lady (2026) and CEO of the Met Film group, connecting education with commercial production and distribution.
• Industry guest lecturers from Met Film Production and Met Film Sales provide regular masterclasses and mentorship.

Faculty maintain active industry careers, bringing current production experience into the classroom. The school's location at Ealing Studios means students and faculty share facilities with working professional crews.

Tuition / Aid Reality

London Campus

Berlin Campus

Berlin campus offers an automatic 5,000 EUR/year discount for EU, EEA, UK, and Swiss passport holders. International students from outside the EU/EEA can save 2,000 EUR/year by accepting their offer and paying a deposit by June 15, 2026.

UK students may be eligible for student loans through Student Finance England, as courses are validated by BIMM University. All fees listed are provisional and under review as of 2026.

Facilities and Equipment

The Ealing Studios location is the school's primary differentiator. Facilities include:

• Studios where films have been shot since 1902, including the Ealing comedies of the 1940s and 1950s
• Screening rooms and post-production facilities within a working production complex
• Professional productions continue to use the studios, and students share facilities with working crews
• Berlin campus provides additional facilities at lower cost

The school's connection to Met Film Production and Met Film Sales gives students exposure to commercial production and distribution workflows. Student graduation films earn BAFTA-qualifying festival selections, win awards, and help graduates secure first industry jobs.

Student Film Examples

Met Film School student films regularly earn festival selections and awards:

• BA Graduation Showreel 2023 - Featured student work from the London campus, available on the school's website and YouTube
• MA Graduation Showreel 2024 - Postgraduate student work across directing, producing, screenwriting, and documentary
• Student films have earned BAFTA-qualifying festival selections and won awards at international festivals
• ScreenSpace students were commissioned to create videos for MTV about VidCon 2019

The school reports that graduation films act as calling cards for what students can achieve, helping them secure their first jobs in the industry.

What Filmmakers Should Know

The Ealing Studios location is the school's primary differentiator. Students work in studios where films have been shot since 1902. Professional productions continue to use the studios, and students share facilities with working crews. This normalizes the professional production environment in a way that classroom-based film schools cannot replicate.

The BIMM Group acquisition in 2024 brought significant changes. The school now operates in 6 cities, giving students options for location and cost. Berlin's cost of living is substantially lower than London's, making it a more affordable option for students who want a European film school experience without London rents.

MA programs are typically 1 year, making them shorter and less expensive than 2-year MA programs at LFS or NFTS. However, the shorter duration means less time for skill development and portfolio building. Tuition at the London campus is higher than at most UK public universities (which charge 9,250 GBP/year for UK students) but lower than at LFS or American film schools. The key trade-off: professional studio environment and industry connections in exchange for higher tuition than public alternatives and shorter program duration.

Watch

See Also

For comparing film school ROI against self-taught paths, see Film School vs Self-Taught. To estimate total education costs including living expenses, use the Indie Film Budget Calculator. For industry placement rates at top film schools, see Best Industry Placement Rates.