Murray Edwards President Dorothy Byrne has been appointed to the board of directors of Watersprite, the UK’s largest student film festival.

The 2020 edition celebrated 38 student films from 24 different countries. Watersprite will return to Cambridge for the thirteenth time in March 2022 for a weekend of events, networking and short film screenings to celebrate the future of film. The judges will seek to narrow down more than 1,400 submissions, the highest number the festival has ever received.

Before being elected President of Murray Edwards, Byrne was Editor-at-Large of Channel 4, a role specially created for her after she had held the position of Head of News and Current Affairs for over 15 years. Her programmes have won various awards, including BAFTA, Royal Television and Emmy awards.

The Watersprite festival has a long tradition of widening participation and this year they will offer international filmmakers bursaries to travel to Cambridge. They will also provide young people with free access to screenings, workshops, mentorship schemes and Q&As with industry experts.

On her appointment Byrne said: “The festival inspires and empowers young film talent and I have always been a strong supporter of providing broader access for young people to enter the world of film and television. I’m looking forward to seeing the new talent and voices emerging.”

Board President Hilary Bevan Jones commented: “We are now seeing the first generations of Watersprite become Bafta and Oscar nominees and winners - a wonderful journey to observe.”

Shortly after becoming Medwards President in September 2021, Byrne got embroiled in a spat over female fertility in only the second week of the academic year.

At the time, Byrne said: “We are teaching about consent, we are teaching about harassment but we are not teaching them the facts about their own fertility. It is a woman’s right to choose to have a baby.”

After her intention to introduce formal seminars on the topic was reported in The Times, Byrne was forced to scrap her plans after some students and alumni voiced their opposition, although others lent their support.