University of Hertfordshire graduate wins prestigious Student Oscar

Mart Bira, a University of Hertfordshire graduate, was presented with a Gold Medal Student Academy Award by the The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences on 11 October at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills. She will also eligible to compete for this year’s Oscars in the Documentary Short Subject category.

Mart, who graduated from the University of Hertfordshire with a Masters in Film and TV Production last year, won the Documentary (International Film Schools) category with her entry, Nomadic Doctor, beating all film schools from outside the United States. The documentary follows a doctor who travels long, isolated distances, up to 100km in a single day, often in harsh weather conditions. She travels day or night, by horse, camel or car to provide medical care to nomadic families in the Gobi Desert in Mongolia. Although officially a paediatrician, she now covers every aspect of medical practice, including gynaecology, surgery and dentistry.

“It wasn’t easy to find a topic for my MA final major project and I had so many ideas in my head. I am originally from Mongolia and always wanted to introduce my culture to the world. My sister was a doctor there and she told me about the long distance travels and frequent walks or rides in the dark that she undertook to reach patients. Through my discussions with her, I began to formulate the idea of Nomadic Doctor. 

“My film has been so well received and I am delighted to win a Student Academy Award. It will also be an honour to be considered for The Academy Awards along with so many other amazing film-makers,” said Mart Bira.

The Student Academy Awards provides a platform for emerging global talent by creating opportunities within the industry to showcase their work. This year’s winners were chosen from 1,582 entries. Past recipients of the annual honours include Spike Lee, Robert Zemeckis, John Lasseter and Trey Parker, and winners have gone on to receive 59 Oscar nominations and won or shared 11 awards.

The University of Hertfordshire is a vibrant, inclusive, campus-based institution with a vision to be internationally renowned as the UK’s leading business-facing university. It is innovative and enterprising and challenges individuals and organisations to excel.  All courses are underpinned by industry insight and powerful research ensuring our student community of over 24,600 graduates are equipped with the skills and attributes for successful professional lives.  The University has excellent progression rates to employment – 96.5% of students are in employment or further study six months after graduating* – and its teaching expertise has recently been awarded the top gold ranking in the Government’s Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) 2018.  It is one of the top 150 universities in the world under 50 years old, according to the new Times Higher Education 150 under 50 rankings 2018.  

The University of Hertfordshire’s MA Film and Television Production is a practical and intensive study of filmmaking that encourages exploration of film/TV production techniques in industry and professional contexts, facilitating professional development. On a film school model, students work with up to date professional equipment and produce a major film project. It is delivered through a highly experienced team of industry professionals including directors, producers, scriptwriters and editors. Each one plays an active part in the British film and television industry and brings their own unique perspectives and insights to the course. The programme is supported by high-profile visiting speakers from the film and television industry.