A Bermudian student has taken first place in a British competition for her short film about National Hero Mary Prince.

A statement said Ari Kamara, a student at the University of Kent, took part in the British Art in Motion film-making programme with seven other film-makers.

Undergraduate students from across Britain pitch ideas for a five to seven-minute film about a piece of British art or architecture, and eight finalists are chosen to participate in the programme’s summer residency.

The statement said: “With a production budget of £500 and their newly acquired skills, participants then spend the rest of the summer researching, shooting and editing their films.

“This year’s programme was judged by Jyoti Mistry, Martin Myrone, Lynda Nead and Sarah Victoria Turner.”

The winning entry, This Woman Does Not Exist, was Ms Kamara’s first film and took months to make.

Ms Kamara said: “I made this film because I am interested in how we, as artists, Black folk and humans reckon with these dark parts of our history.

“I hope any of you who watch it come away with new understanding, questions and hopefully an impulse to learn more about the complex history of those who, like Mary Prince, resisted the Atlantic slave trade through their actions and their commitment to defining themselves for themselves.”

She thanked artist Kimathi Dokur, whose artwork inspired the film, along with Amiya Bean, who voices Mary Prince, the Bermuda Archives for assisting with research, and others.

Ms Kamara added: “A special thank you and acknowledgement to everyone at the Paul Mellon Centre for their support and guidance, together with my fellow student film-makers in the British Art in Motion programme.”