Arts, Bournemouth, Events & Entertainment | Posted on March 17th, 2026 | return to news

Oscars success for former Bournemouth University students

Two local university graduates, Fernando Morillo and Stephen Cullingford, contributed to Oscar-winning films.

With the showbiz talk being all about the 98th Academy Awards this week, there is cause for celebration at Bournemouth University as two former students contributed to Oscar-winning films.

Fernando Morillo, who graduated BU in 2014 with a Master’s in Visual Effects, was part of the team at Sony Pictures Imageworks that worked on ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ which won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature. Fernando said: “It’s surprising to see how much love all around the world the film has received and. It’s insane, I feel great.”

Fernando, who spent two years working on the film, added: “One of the most rewarding things about working in FX is that there’s always room to be creative. It’s always fun to explore unique ways to bring crazy visuals to life, whether it is destroying the Honmoon or making the environment turn pink for the Saja Boys. You never know what the brief will be. One of the most important lessons that I learned during my time at BU is that everything is a learning experience and it doesn’t matter how complex the task looks at first. The best way to solve any task is to break it down into small pieces and tackle it on at a time. Learn from each iteration and don’t be afraid to ask your colleagues for advice.”

Another Oscars win went to film ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ for Best Visual Effects. Former BU Computer Animation graduate, Stephen Cullingford, worked on ‘Avatar’ as part of the team at Weta FX. He said: “My time at BU gave me a strong foundation in both the artistic and technical aspects of visual effects. The course encouraged curiosity and problem solving, which are skills I’ve relied on throughout my career working on digital characters and facial performance in film. It’s great to see so many BU graduates contributing to major projects across visual effects.”

Professor Christos Gatzidis, pro-vice chancellor dean for BU’s Faculty of Media, Science and Technology, which includes The Media School and the National Centre for Computer Animation, said: “It is impressive to discover the breadth of graduate involvement in what are the biggest and most successful films of the year. We are proud to be developing graduates with the technical skills and creativity required to bring continued innovation to the media industry. The Oscars recognise exceptional talent and every one of those nominated should be justifiably proud of their achievements. We wish them every success.”