London, 27 October: The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) today announced the 18 talented newcomers chosen by members of the film, television and games industries as the 2014 BAFTA Breakthrough Brits, in partnership with Burberry. The honourees were revealed this evening at a reception hosted by BBC Radio 1 presenter Greg James at the global Burberry flagship store, 121 Regent Street, in London.
The Breakthrough Brits were chosen by a jury of industry experts after a UK-wide open call for applications and nominations. At the reception, actors Douglas Booth, Sam Claflin, Olivia Colman and George Mackay introduced the successful honourees as: writers Jonathan Asser and Chris Lunt; producer/directors Mike Brett & Steve Jamison, and Marc Williamson; games producers Charu Desodt and Daniel Gray; directors Destiny Ekaragha and Sarah Walker; composer Tandis Jenhudson; presenter Ashley Kendall; actors Katie Leung, Stacy Martin and Callum Turner; game developer Reece Millidge; actor/producer Ray Panthaki; game designer William Pugh; and producer AJ Riach. More details about the honourees can be found at: http://bit.ly/Breakthrough-Brits.
The event was attended by influential industry figures, all keen to meet and interact with the creative stars of tomorrow, including commissioners, agents, and games studio heads. Also in attendance were the inaugural Breakthrough Brits from 2013, and rising stars from other creative fields. Guests included: Amanda Berry OBE, Chief Executive of BAFTA, Burberry Chief Creative and Chief Executive Officer Christopher Bailey, film producers Duncan Kenworthy OBE (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill) and David Parfitt (Shakespeare in Love, My Week with Marilyn); director Mike Newell (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Four Weddings and a Funeral); Christine Langan, Head of BBC Films; and actor Jamie Campbell Bower (The Twilight Saga, The Mortal Instruments).
During the evening, Burberry Acoustic musician Billie Marten performed a live set.
Amanda Berry OBE, Chief Executive of BAFTA, said: “Breakthrough Brits, launched last year in partnership with Burberry, is BAFTA’s flagship initiative to showcase and support new talent, allowing us to shine a spotlight on outstanding individuals across film, television and games. Our inaugural Breakthrough Brits have enjoyed a truly extraordinary year and now include multi-BAFTA and industry award winners and nominees, and across-the-board success stories.
“BAFTA and Burberry believe passionately in supporting new British talent, and this year’s BAFTA Breakthrough Brits are 18 supremely talented individuals with great futures ahead of them. Over the next year, thanks to the outstanding support of our legacy mentors and partners, they will have the chance to meet with and learn from some of the most renowned names in the film, television and games industries.”
Christopher Bailey, Burberry Chief Creative and Chief Executive Officer, said: “This partnership marks the start of some incredibly exciting journeys for 18 very talented people. At Burberry we believe passionately in discovering and championing the next generation of British creative talent so it really is a great honour to be supporting the BAFTA Breakthrough Brits for a second year.”
BAFTA Breakthrough Brits, which was launched in conjunction with Burberry in 2013, is now in its second year. The initiative celebrates and supports the UK’s future stars of film, television and games through a bespoke career development programme of mentoring, guidance sessions and networking opportunities, as well as free access to BAFTA events, over 12 months. ‘Friends of BAFTA Breakthrough Brits’, who have offered to lend their support to the initiative, include Edith Bowman, Douglas Booth, Miranda Hart, Emma Freud, Paul Greengrass, Blake Harrison, Toby Jones, Ian Livingstone CBE, Simon Pegg, Sheridan Smith, and Fiona Sperry.
Burberry and BAFTA have a shared 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. As part of its partnership with BAFTA Los Angeles, Burberry will be supporting the 2014 Britannia Awards on 30 October by honouring Emma Watson with The Britannia Award for British Artist of the Year presented by Burberry. This award pays tribute to a talented British artist whose outstanding performances have demonstrated the high quality of their craftsmanship.
Full list of BAFTA Breakthrough Brits in 2014:
- Jonathan Asser – Writer
- Mike Brett & Steve Jamison – Producer/Directors
- Charu Desodt – Games producer
- Destiny Ekaragha – Director
- Daniel Gray – Games producer
- Tandis Jenhudson – Composer
- Ashley Kendall – Presenter
- Katie Leung – Actress
- Chris Lunt – Writer
- Stacy Martin – Actress
- Reece Millidge – Game developer
- Ray Panthaki – Actor/Producer
- William Pugh – Game designer
- AJ Riach – Producer
- Callum Turner – Actor
- Sarah Walker – Director
- Marc Williamson – Producer/Director
BAFTA Breakthrough Brits jury members:
- John Willis (Jury Chair) – Chief Executive of Mentorn Media, Group Creative Director of Tinopolis plc, and Deputy Chairman of BAFTA
- Georg Backer (Games Sub-Committee Chair) – Game developer
- Hilary Bevan Jones (Film and TV Sub-Committee Co-Chair) – Producer
- James Dean (Film and TV Sub-Committee Co-Chair) – Producer
- Richard Ayoade – Actor
- Ronan Bennett – Screenwriter
- Barbara Broccoli OBE – Producer
- Charles Cecil MBE – Co-Founder of Revolution Software
- Olivia Colman – Actor
- Tim Corrie – Agent
- Molly Dineen – Documentary director, cinematographer and producer
- Anne Dudley – Composer
- Nina Kristensen – Game developer
- Polly Leys – Producer
- Mike Newell – Director
- Jack O’Connell – Actor
- Ula Pontikos – Cinematographer
- Lee Schuneman – Studio Head at Microsoft’s Lift London
- Piers Wenger – Head of Drama at Channel 4 and E4
More Information
For more information about BAFTA Breakthrough Brits, in partnership with Burberry, go to the Breakthrough Brtis page on this website >
This year’s initiative is also supported by Rosewood London and Audi.
Notes to Editors:
Biographies of the Breakthrough Brits are available at: http://bit.ly/BreakthroughBrits-bios-2014
Portraiture of all Breakthrough Brits is available through Camera Press: www.camerapress.com
For further information, please contact Vicky Grayson at freuds on:
T +44 20 3003 6327 | E [email protected]
