Our story began over 75 years ago. As one of the first independent arts charities, we have a rich heritage of supporting, inspiring and celebrating storytellers in film, games and TV.
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Our story began over 75 years ago. As one of the first independent arts charities, we have a rich heritage of supporting, inspiring and celebrating storytellers in film, games and TV.
Our story began in 1947 when a group of well-known filmmakers, brought together by producer Sir Alexander Korda, formed the British Film Academy.
Their idea – to create an organisation that would “advance the art and technique of film". Director David Lean was appointed the Academy’s first Chair and the rest, as they say, is history. Explore the story of our iconic first Chair.
BAFTA is a membership organisation whose membership has grown from a little over 70 in 1947 to over 12,000 today.
Since the early days, our passion and ambition for supporting and progressing the creative industries has grown and grown.
Eleven years after we were first formed as the British Film Academy we joined forces with the Guild of Television Producers and Directors to become The Society of Film and Television Arts. Prince Phillip was our first President of the Academy – the post that Prince William now holds today.
Then we welcomed those working in games and interactive entertainment into our fold of members, launching the BAFTA Interactive Entertainment Awards in 1998 and then the Games Awards in 2004.
Today, we are known around the world as champions of creative talent. We host yearly celebrations of the achievements of those working in film, games and TV, and run well-established world-class learning and events programmes across the UK and North America.
In the early 1970s Her Majesty the Queen gifted the royalties from a Richard Cawston documentary to us. This would become a major turning point. Still known as The Society of Film and Television Arts at that time, the support enabled us to move from an office suite in Great Portland Street to create a home for members at 195 Piccadilly and embrace a new name at the same time.
The 1976 opening of our first permanent home for members, attended by Her Majesty, was when we officially became known as the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.
In the years since we opened our first home for members in London we have branched out to n to create offices in Glasgow, Cardiff and Los Angeles.
*On 4 April 2013 Queen Elizabeth was presented with an honorary award in recognition of her outstanding patronage of the film and television industries. Find out more about the honorary Award Presented to Queen Elizabeth. We were deeply saddened by the death of Queen Elizabeth, whose close association with the Academy spanned 50 years.
BAFTA has enjoyed a long history of involvement and support from the Royal Family dating back to 1959, when HRH Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh, was appointed its first President. The appointment came a year after The British Film Academy (founded 1947) and the Guild of Television Producers and Directors merged to create the Society of Film and Television Arts (‘SFTA’, a forerunner of BAFTA).
The Earl Mountbatten of Burma, The Duke of Edinburgh’s uncle, then took over the organisation’s presidency from 1966 to 1972. The Earl Mountbatten, a man who at the time was of significant national stature, and a man of cinema in his own right, is credited with bringing films to King George’s ships in the early 20s and designing the conversion system to turn all the ships’ projectors to take ‘talkies’ after the silent film era.
Then in 1972 Princess Anne became the organisation’s third president in its history, taking over from The Earl Mountbatten of Burma. In 1976, the year that the SFTA was renamed BAFTA, the first ‘BAFTA award’ – the bronze mask based on the original design by Mitzi Cunliffe – was presented by Princess Anne to Sir Charles Chaplin in honour of his Fellowship.
Over the course of her 30-year involvement with the Academy, Princess Anne helped increase the stature of the organisation in the UK and internationally at a time when film and television were not considered in the same spectrum as dance, theatre and opera. She represented BAFTA internationally. In 1985, she opened A Royal Day of Film and Television, held at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Los Angeles. In 2001, when she stepped down as president, BAFTA was an international organisation, with branches in New York and Los Angeles, as well as Scotland and Wales. The main cinema theatre at BAFTA’s headquarters, 195 Piccadilly, was renamed The Princess Anne Theatre in her honour.
Today, HRH Prince William, The Prince of Wales is our President. Since his appointment in February 2010, The Prince of Wales has supported BAFTA through attendance of its Awards and engaging in our learning and new talent activity.
Over the course of his presidency, the Prince of Wales has generously offered his time to help BAFTA raise awareness of our charitable activity. This has included setting up a scholarship. In 2013, at the official opening of the Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden, HRH The Prince of Wales announced the launch of Prince William Scholarships in Film, Television and Games, supported by BAFTA and Warner Bros.
“I’m extremely proud of the work BAFTA undertakes to provide opportunities and support for talented people to develop successful careers in games, film and television”
Following a major redevelopment project, in 2022 we re-opened BAFTA 195 Piccadilly as a state-of-the–art space to better serve our members and the next generation of film, games and TV talent.
We have been honouring the best British and international contributions to film since our first Awards ceremony held at the Odeon Leicester Square in 1949.
In 1949 just five awards were presented; Best film from any source (British or Foreign); Best British film; Best Documentary film; a Special Award and the United Nations Award.
The first live broadcast of the awards took place in 1956 , when actress Vivien Leigh presented the awards.
Since then we have also grown to recognise games and TV creatives too. Now we are proud to say we have awards for Film, Games, TV, TV Craft, and in Scotland and Wales.
So many people have helped to shape BAFTA over the years. Giving their time to help guide our activities and ensure our historical significance within the film, games, and television industries. This is our celebration of some BAFTA Greats.
Delve into a series of interviews below, reflecting on the life and careers of individuals, ranging from BAFTA Fellows to former Academy Chairs, that have helped to shape our organisation and activity.
Our heritage plays an important role in informing both the present and future of the Academy.
That’s why we are proud to say our membership draws a direct line from founding members Michael Balcon, Paul Rotha, Anthony Asquith, Thorold Dickinson, Frank Lauder, David lean, Michael Powell, Alexander Korda and Carol Reed, plus first female members Muriel Box, Mary Field and Clemence Dane, to the up-and-coming talent of today.