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CLASS OF 2023: Award winning graduate accepts Honorary Award for creative achievements

19/09/2023

An award-winning University of Wolverhampton graduate has been awarded an Honorary Doctor of Arts in recognition of his outstanding creative achievements. 

Manolo Mantero is a Visual Effects Supervisor based at DNeg's London studio with over 20 years’ experience in the VFX industry. He is currently working on Lionsgate’s Borderlands. 

Honorary awards are presented by the University of Wolverhampton to people who have made a significant contribution to their field of expertise. 

A portrait of Manolo Mantero holding his Honorary Award

His most recent work includes Netflix ‘Stranger Things’ Season 4, for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award Nomination for ‘Outstanding Visual Effects in a Season’, Denis Villeneuve’s highly acclaimed ‘Dune’, which won an Oscar and a Bafta for Best Visual Effects and ‘Death on the Nile’ which was nominated for Outstanding Visual Effects by the Visual Effects Society. 

His expertise in both 2D and CG allowed him to quickly rise through the VFX ranks, working on renowned projects such as ‘Men in Black: International’, ‘Rim of The World’, Ridley Scott’s ‘Alien: Covenant’, ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’ and Bryan Singer’s ‘X-Men: Apocalypse’; just to name a few.  

Before entering the world of film, Manolo was a VFX Supervisor working in the advertising industry for many years where he acquired extensive on-set experience. 

Manolo said: “It is a privilege for me to stand before graduates with a deep sense of gratitude for the education I received here and the values I carry with me and I’m inspired by the remarkable innovation I see here now. I express my heartfelt thanks for this Honorary Award and my wish is for every one of you to find the same inspiration and strength that I found here and embark on a beautiful journey full of adventures doing the things you love and the things that make you proud. 

“The University has changed so much, adapting to the times with new VFX facilities and giving the students the tools they need to succeed. But there is one thing that hasn’t changed, the core values I learned here, that enabled me to hit the ground running and embark on a successful career. I find myself using the knowledge I learned here every day in industry and I do believe that I had some of the best times of my life when I was studying in Wolverhampton.” 

The University’s graduation ceremonies take place at the Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton, from Thursday 14 September to Friday 22 September 2023. 

Graduates are encouraged to keep in touch with the Alumni team and take advantage of a range of benefits and support on offer to them including a discount for Postgraduate study and opportunities to benefit from mentoring, volunteering and career advice.   

For information about courses to study at the University visit the website. 

ENDS 

For more information please contact the Corporate Communications Team.

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