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BAFTA To Host Inaugural 'BAFTA Brits to Watch' in Los Angeles

15 June 2011
HRH Prince William talks to film fans on the Orange British Academy Film Awards red carpet (BAFTA/Richard Kendal).BAFTA/Richard Kendal

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) is delighted to announce its inaugural ‘BAFTA Brits to Watch’ event, to take place on Saturday 9 July at the Belasco Theater, Los Angeles.

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BAFTA’s President, HRH The Duke of Cambridge, and HRH The Duchess of Cambridge will attend the event as part of their visit to California, helping highlight the incredible depth and range of great British talent currently emerging in film, television and video games.

‘BAFTA Brits to Watch in partnership with Audi’ will be supported by leading film, television and video game companies who will personally host tables at the black-tie evening event, and invite leading creative practitioners both in front of and behind the camera to join them. The ‘BAFTA Brits to Watch’, hand-picked emerging British talent, will join them at their tables for dinner to make what could be the most important introductions of their careers so far, as well as having the chance to meet Their Royal Highnesses. Examples of their work will be showcased throughout the evening and distributed to the attendees afterwards.

The forty two emerging Brits have been selected by an expert BAFTA panel based on a number of criteria. They will generally not be complete beginners in their industry, and will have already begun to show real promise. BAFTA will announce the names of those attending prior to the event.

Part of BAFTA’s charitable remit is to support people with an interest in the moving image industries, helping them identify and pursue careers and giving them the skills with which to do so. ‘BAFTA Brits to Watch’ takes this one step further, showcasing the work of some of the finest emerging British talent to the most influential people in California, bringing them to their attention and allowing them to find inspiration from amongst the greatest creative practitioners working in the business today.

The event, with the support of the British Consulate-General in Los Angeles, will deepen and strengthen UK-US partnerships across all areas of production, encouraging investment in UK talent and the UK’s production infrastructure, thereby creating one of the most important events in the industry calendar to date.

BAFTA is delighted to be partnering with Audi as the event’s principle partner. British Airways is supporting the event by providing flights for the emerging British talent. Both companies believe in celebrating and fostering creative talent and are therefore the perfect partners for this event.

Tim Corrie, BAFTA Chairman, said: “We are incredibly excited by the prospect of bringing some of the most talented emerging Brits in film, television and video games to the attention of arguably the most important people in the moving image industries today. We hope this will be only the first of a number of amazing opportunities for us to champion our very finest on-screen talent and behind-the-camera practitioners to the leading names in California.”

Nigel Lythgoe, Chairman of BAFTA in Los Angeles, said: “This very special event is an excellent extension of BAFTA’s charitable work in Los Angeles, and around the world. Promoting the individual and collective achievements of our most promising emerging British talent is such an important part of our remit, whilst encouraging goodwill for the UK and opening further opportunities for UK-US collaboration. Being given the opportunity of meeting Hollywood's elite will provide a highly significant and beneficial moment for them, especially at such a formative stage of their careers.”

Profits from the event will be used as part of the event’s legacy to continue to promote and support emerging British talent in Los Angeles through future events, scholarships and mentoring schemes.

Press Release Bafta Brits To Watch July 2011 (77 KB)


For further information, please contact:

Caroline Preston, Freud Communications
T +44 20 3003 6544
E [email protected]

Mark Pogachefsky, President, MPRM Communications
T +1 (323) 933 3399
E [email protected]

For press accreditation and enquiries about TRH The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s visit to California:

Katharine Keith, Communications Officer, British Consulate-General Los Angeles
T +1 310 996 3028
E [email protected]

About BAFTA

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts is an independent charity that supports, develops and promotes the art forms of the moving image by identifying and rewarding excellence, inspiring practitioners and benefiting the public. In addition to its Awards ceremonies, BAFTA has a year-round Learning & Events programme that offers unique access to some of the world’s most inspiring talent through workshops, masterclasses, lectures and mentoring schemes, connecting with audiences of all ages and backgrounds across the UK, Los Angeles and New York. BAFTA relies on income from membership subscriptions, individual donations, trusts, foundations and corporate partnerships to support its ongoing outreach work. For further information, visit www.bafta.org.

About Audi

Audi of America, Inc. and its U.S. dealers offer a full line of German-engineered luxury vehicles. AUDI AG is among the most successful luxury automotive brands globally. During 2010 Audi was the top performing luxury brand in Europe, and broke all-time company sales records in the U.S. Over the next few years, AUDI AG will invest nearly $16 billion on new products and technologies. Visit www.audiusa.com or www.audiusanews.com for more information regarding Audi vehicle and business issues.

About British Airways

British Airways is the Official Airline partner of BAFTA. Through the partnership, the airline is helping British talent to take off, by providing flights for emerging talent. Since the partnership launched in February 2010, the airline has supported a number of BAFTA events, and continues to work with BAFTA on in-flight entertainment and other opportunities.

About the Belasco Theater

Located in downtown Los Angeles, the Belasco Theater is a world-class multi-purpose event and entertainment complex. Thanks to a $12 million restoration, this 40,000 square foot venue retains most of its original architecture and design – including dramatic interior detailing – meshed with distinctly modern flair. These elements combine seamlessly for a truly one-of-a-kind special event destination.