A budding actor and filmmaker from Truro has received a place on the National Youth Film Academy’s Introductory Course for 2014.

Former Falmouth School sixth form student Tabitha Westley fought off competition from thousands of young hopefuls to successfully be one of the 70 young filmmakers who were accepted.

The National Youth Film Academy is supported by the Directors Guild Trust and the Directors Guild of Great Britain, and was created to identify, develop and demonstrate the talents of gifted young filmmakers aged between 16 and 25.

Along with the other students Tabitha, 18, will work in teams to produce, write, act, direct and edit her own short films with the mentoring and instruction of industry professionals.

The films will then be showcased at the end of the program at an independent cinema with the opportunity for a selected few to be invited to become members of the NYFA.

Members of the NYFA have the option to be a part of events and productions that run throughout the year.

Artistic Director Rob Earnshaw: “2014 is going to be such a great year for the NYFA. We have more opportunities for young people to be involved with this exciting industry than ever before. The standard of applications has been at an all time high and I’m looking forward to seeing what Tabitha can do.”