Citizen Khan star Adil hands scholarship to Yonatan, 20
A young film-maker from the West Midlands is to receive a helping hand with his career from television star Adil Ray after he secured a scholarship at a new Birmingham college.
The star announced that 20-year-old Yonatan Tiruneh from Ladywood would be the first recipient of the Birmingham Film and Screen School's Adil Ray scholarship.
Ray, best known as the creator and star of the hit sitcom Citizen Khan, was personally selected by the star, who said he was impressed by the way Yonatan had overcome hardship in his quest for a career in broadcasting.
The scholarship will cover the tuition fees for his three-year undergraduate degree, worth nearly £30,000, and Yonatan will also receive personal support and mentoring from the TV star.
Ray, who has recently appeared as a guest presenter on Good Morning Britain, is patron of the new college which opens next month.
He chose Yonatan from a shortlist of six, after 60 per cent of the college's first intake of students applied for the scheme.
Ray said he chose Yonatan as he thought he was the one he could best support as a mentor.
But he said he was so impressed by the other applicants that he has offered to act as a mentor to two more, Anna Piggott-Reeves and Fehad Rehman.
He said: "Yonatan is a fantastic young man with an incredibly personal story which hopefully he will get to tell one day with this scholarship.
"The promise he shows is incredible, and it's an absolute honour to be working with him and supporting him to tell his story.
"Anna is a complete all-rounder for her age. She is capable of filmmaking, scriptwriting, pitching and presenting – just incredible.
"Fehad is very confident, and you can see he has a real vision through his work."
Yonatan's scholarship application captured the hearts of the panel. He described the hardship his family has faced and detailed how his career goal is to one day work in the industry as a freelance cinematographer and set up his own production company to create investigative documentaries about world affairs.
He said he was amazed when his name was announced, and was looking forward to telling his mother who was in Ethiopia.
"I applied for the Scholarship because it was an opportunity for me to feel reassured that my choice of pursuing a career in the film industry was right and for my parents," he said.
"I can now sleep happily knowing I'm doing well."
