Acclaimed professionals from across the film, television and games industries met at the headquarters of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) at 195 Piccadilly in London last night, to select this year’s BAFTA Breakthrough Brits, in partnership with Burberry. The chosen talented newcomers will be announced at an event at the global Burberry flagship, 121 Regent Street, on Tuesday 10 November.
Actress Natalie Dormer (Game of Thrones, The Hunger Games), BAFTA-nominated actor James Norton (Happy Valley, Mr Turner), and game writer and narrative designer Rhianna Pratchett (Tomb Raider, Heavenly Sword) joined fellow jury members to decide the honourees.
BAFTA and Burberry share a vision of celebrating British talent and giving them the tools to develop their skills at the start of their careers, wherever they are in the world. The annual Breakthrough Brits initiative, which was launched in partnership with Burberry in 2013, celebrates and supports the UK’s future stars of film, television and games. Honourees receive one-to-one mentoring, guidance sessions and networking opportunities, as well as free access to BAFTA events, for 12 months.
Previous Breakthrough Brits have gone on to be recognised at BAFTA’s awards ceremonies, including four BAFTA winners: games producer Daniel Gray and game designer Rex Crowle (as part of the development teams for Monument Valley and Tearaway respectively), screenwriter Dominic Mitchell (In The Flesh), and producer Marc Williamson (The Last Chance School).
This year’s jury is comprised of leading figures in film, television and games, including multiple BAFTA winners and nominees: producer Simon Chinn (Searching for Sugar Man, Man on Wire); screenwriter Chris Chibnall (Doctor Who, Broadchurch); Ian Livingstone, former Executive Chairman of Edios plc (Lara Croft: Tomb Raider); Sara Putt, talent agent and producer (Tattoo); producer Marc Samuelson (Tom & Viv, Wilde); production designer Eve Stewart (Topsy-Turvy, Les Misérables); and BAFTA Orange Rising Star Award winner Noel Clarke (Kidulthood, Doctor Who).
The jury also includes: Sam Bickley, Creative Director, BBC Production; Jamal Edwards MBE, founder of SBTV; Siobhan Reddy, co-founder and studio director at Media Molecule (LittleBigPlanet, Tearaway); Tim Hincks, President of Endemol Shine Group; Emma Morgan, documentary producer (Edwardian Insects on Film, Hotel of Mum & Dad); Lee Schuneman, Studio Head at Microsoft’s Lift London (Kinect Sports, Diddy Kong Racing); Maxine Watson, BBC Commissioning Editor, Documentaries; and cinematographer Haris Zambarloukos (Thor, Cinderella).
Reprising his role as Breakthrough Brits Jury Chair, John Willis, former Chair of BAFTA, said: “Every year we’re incredibly impressed by the strength and breadth of talent we see coming up through the UK film, television and games industries. It’s always a joy to view their brilliant work and to help to bring them to wider public attention. The Breakthrough Brits initiative garners fantastic industry support through jury members and mentors, and we’re thrilled to share the names of this year’s honourees at the reception in November.”
Industry mentors that supported Breakthrough Brits in 2014 included: Richard Ayoade (The IT Crowd, Submarine); Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire, Trainspotting); Barbara Broccoli (Skyfall, Casino Royale); Olivia Colman (Broadchurch, Twenty Twelve); Ricky Gervais (The Office, Extras); Abi Morgan (Sex Traffic, The Iron Lady); Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead, Star Trek); Jade Raymond (Assassin's Creed, Watch Dogs); and Sally Wainwright (Happy Valley, Last Tango in Halifax).
This year’s initiative is also supported by Rosewood London.
For more information about BAFTA Breakthrough Brits, in partnership with Burberry, go to: http://bit.ly/Breakthrough-Brits.
Full list of jurors in 2015:
· John Willis (Jury Chair) – Chief Executive of Mentorn Media, Group Creative Director of Tinopolis plc, and former Chair of BAFTA
· Lee Schuneman (Games Sub-Committee Chair) – Studio Head of Microsoft’s Lift London
· Emma Morgan (Film and TV Sub-Committee Co-Chair) – Producer and Deputy Chair of BAFTA Television Committee
· Marc Samuelson (Film and TV Sub-Committee Co-Chair) – Producer, owner of Samuelson Productions and Deputy Chair of BAFTA Film Committee
· Sam Bickley – Creative Director, BBC Production
· Chris Chibnell – Screenwriter
· Simon Chinn – Producer, founder of Red Box Films and co-founder of Lightbox
· Noel Clarke – Actor, writer and director
· Natalie Dormer – Actress
· Jamal Edwards MBE – Founder of SBTV
· Tim Hincks – President of Endemol Shine Group
· Ian Livingstone CBE – Creative Industries Champion at Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, and former Executive Chairman of Edios plc
· James Norton – Actor
· Rhianna Pratchett – Game writer and narrative designer
· Sara Putt – Agent, Managing Director of Sara Putt Associates, and Chair of BAFTA’s Learning & New Talent Committee
· Siobhan Reddy – Co-founder and studio director at Media Molecule
· Eve Stewart – Production designer
· Maxine Watson – BBC Commissioning Editor, Documentaries
· Haris Zambarloukos – Cinematographer
