The British Association of Film, Television and Screen Studies (BAFTSS) recently hosted its 2025 annual academic conference at the University of Warwick, UK. This year’s conference theme focused on the dynamic interplay between aesthetic forms of audiovisual media and global cultural evolution, as well as exploring various interpretations of these terms both on and off-screen. As one of the key platforms for global film and screen research and practice, the conference brought together scholars and practitioners from around the world to showcase cutting-edge developments and reveal the winners of the prestigious 2025 Practice Research Awards.
The BAFTSS Practice Research Awards were selected by an expert jury panel from a wide range of global doctoral projects, ultimately identifying three works of outstanding academic merit and artistic expression, awarded as the Winner, Runner-up, and Honourable Mention.
Zen’s Faraway Verse, directed by Queen’s University Belfast doctoral candidate Tianpeng Yao, received the Runner-up Award for Doctoral Practice Research. Tianpeng Yao is currently pursuing his PhD in Film Studies at Queen’s University Belfast, specializing in audiovisual representations of Eastern philosophical symbolism. Additionally, Tianpeng is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and curator supported by the Queen’s Annual Fund, with works showcased at the Independent Days International Film Festival in Germany, Shanghai International Film Festival. Filmed in Northern Ireland in collaboration with performance artist Vikki Hanling Cao, Zen’s Faraway Verse centers on the audiovisual therapeutic representation of Zen Buddhism, innovatively exploring cinematic language to express Eastern philosophical symbolism.
Panel comments:
“An exploration of the embodiment of zen through cinema, this short film offers stunning cinematography and skilful application of ‘slow cinema’ to evoke the sense of peacefulness and balance.”
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