London Film School is delighted to celebrate the success of alumnus Swarnim Gawade, who has been awarded Best Cinematography in a Postgraduate Student Film at the British Society of Cinematographers (BSC) Short Film Awards 2026 for his work on Sugar Apples in Monsoon.
The award follows a highly competitive year for the BSC Short Film Awards, which received more than 110 submissions from 25 institutions across the UK. Swarnim was one of three nominees shortlisted in the Postgraduate Student category and went on to secure the top prize for his outstanding cinematography.
The School is particularly proud that London Film School graduates accounted for two of the three nominations in the Postgraduate Student category. Alongside Swarnim, fellow LFS graduate Vaibhav Sanghavi was nominated for his cinematography on the graduation film Shuck.
Swarnim Gawade collected the best cinematography for a postgraduate film at the BSC short film awards 2026
Vaibhav Shangavi, nominated for his work on Shuck
Sugar Apples in Monsoon (dir: Mriganka Goswami)
The nominations themselves were a significant achievement. Announced by the British Society of Cinematographers in September, the shortlist recognised exceptional emerging talent in cinematography and highlighted the strength of work being produced by postgraduate filmmakers across the UK.
For London Film School, having two graduates recognised among just three nominees in the category is a testament to the creative ambition, technical excellence and collaborative spirit that define the School’s filmmaking community. Swarnim’s win further underlines the calibre of cinematographers emerging from LFS and the impact that its graduates continue to make within the industry.
Everyone at London Film School extends their congratulations to Swarnim on this well-deserved achievement, and to Vaibhav on his nomination. We look forward to following their future careers and celebrating the continued success of our alumni community.
