East End drama school founder Anna Fiorentini wins British Empire Medal for empowering young people
Anna Fiorentini, founder of the Anna Fiorentini Theatre & Film School, is on the King’s Birthday Honours list for making the arts accessible, with locations in Isle of Dogs, Hackney, Greenwich and Stratford.
A British Empire Medal (BEM) has been awarded to Anna Fiorentini, founder of the Anna Fiorentini Theatre & Film School, as part of the King’s Birthday Honours for empowering young people through the performing arts.
Announced last week, the BEM is an honour awarded to those who’ve made a difference in their local community.
As someone who grew up in a council tower block in Hackney and struggled to fund her education as an actress, Fiorentini’s aim has always been to open up the arts to all children, regardless of their financial background.
‘My parents didn’t have much money.’ Fiorentini said, ‘But there was lots of love and lots of nurturing. And they gave me a thirst for learning. And I think that’s something I really, really wanted to give back to my school.’
Fiorentini launched the school in 2001 in her home borough of Hackney as a Prince’s Trust business, a scheme set up by the then Prince Charles to promote confidence in young people from disadvantaged communities.
Since then, new branches have emerged, including in the Isle of Dogs at St Lukes CE Primary School. There are more branches in Stratford, Greenwich and Camden, with a new school in Loughton opening this September.
A charitable arm of the organisation, the Anna Fiorentini Foundation, was launched 15 years ago to give opportunities to children facing challenges such as lack of finances, bullying, bereavement, or chronic health conditions.
‘I’m very passionate that if children can’t afford to come, they should still be able to get professional training,’ Fiorentini said.
Fiorentini was secretly put forward for the medal by her trustees without her knowledge two years ago. When she first received the letter announcing what she’d won, she didn’t believe it.
‘When I got the letter I thought I was going to prison,’ Fioretini said, ‘I thought, have I accidentally knocked somebody over in my car and not realised? I really wasn’t expecting it at all.’
Fiorentini is set to receive the medal officially at a royal garden party at some point in the future, and is so far in the dark as to which royal she’ll be collecting it from.
2026 marks the school’s 25th anniversary, and it will be holding a showcase at the Hackney Empire in March next year to celebrate.
The school has produced a few recognisable names, including EastEnders actors Belinda Owusu and Charlie Jones, and Jermain Jackman, who won season three of The Voice UK, shortly after winning the school’s ‘Fiorentini’s Got Talent’ competition.
Humbly, Fiorentini credits her staff for the school’s success. ‘As much as it’s been great to be honoured with a BEM it’s a team effort,’ Fiorentini said, ‘I feel honoured that I’ve managed to get so many supporters over the years and seeing some of my students who are now adults.
‘Many have made a career in the industry that they might not otherwise have been able to make.’
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