Leading figures across the film, games and television industries met at the headquarters of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) at 195 Piccadilly in London this evening, 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 Wednesday 25 October.

Jury members include: BAFTA EE Rising Star Will Poulter (Detroit, The Revenant); BAFTA-winning actress Vicky McClure (This is England, Line of Duty); BAFTA Cymru-nominated actress Jenna Coleman (Victoria, Doctor Who); game designer and BAFTA Special Award recipient Brenda Romero (Ghost Recon, Dungeons & Dragons); factual presenter and writer Reggie Yates (Extreme Russia, Extreme South Africa); and BAFTA-nominated director Tom Harper (War & Peace, Peaky Blinders). 

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, games and television. Honourees receive one-to-one mentoring, guidance sessions and networking opportunities, as well as free access to BAFTA events, for 12 months.

Breakthrough Brits Jury Chair, and former Chair of BAFTA, Anne Morrison, said: “Initiatives like Breakthrough Brits demonstrate the huge number of talented individuals who are beginning to make an impact on the creative industries, and it’s hugely exciting to see this first hand through the jury process. Each year, Breakthrough Brits receives an overwhelming amount of support from some of the industry’s leading figures – both through our jury members and our mentors who give their time throughout the year – allowing BAFTA to nurture and celebrate the next generation of creative talent in film, games and television.” 

Since the launch of the initiative in 2013, 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). Games sound designer and 2015 Breakthrough Brit Jessica Saunders also worked on the BAFTA-winning Batman: Arkham Knight (British Game in 2016).

Writer Vinay Patel, who was named a Breakthrough Brit in 2016, received two BAFTA nominations for Murdered by my Father earlier this year. In addition, actor Tom Holland, who was named a Breakthrough Brit in 2013, received the EE Rising Star Award at this year’s British Academy Film Awards. 

Full list of jurors in 2017:

  • Anne Morrison (Jury Chair) – former Director of the BBC Academy and former Deputy Chair of BAFTA
  • Ade Rawcliffe (Film and TV Sub-Committee Co-Chair) – Head of Diversity, ITV
  • Rosie Alison (Film and TV Sub-Committee Co-Chair) – Head of Development, Heyday Films
  • Carolin Krenzer (Games Sub-Committee Chair) – Games Developer
  • Brenda Romero – BAFTA Special Award Recipient and Game Designer
  • Dave Ranyard – CEO & Founder, Dream Reality Interactive
  • Harvey Elliot – CEO & Founder, Playstack
  • Jenna Coleman –  BAFTA Cymru-nominated actress (Victoria, Doctor Who)
  • Jennifer Majka – BAFTA-winning screenwriter (The Bigger Picture)
  • Matt Gray – DOP (Three Girls, Apple Tree Yard)
  • Reggie Yates – Factual presenter and writer (Extreme Russia, Extreme South Africa)
  • Shaheen Baig – Casting Director
  • Stephen Woolley – BAFTA-winning producer, Number 9 Films (Carol, Made in Dagenham)
  • Tom Harper – BAFTA-nominated director (War & Peace, Peaky Blinders)
  • Vicky McClure – BAFTA-winning actress (This is England, Line of Duty)
  • Will Poulter – Actor and BAFTA EE Rising Star (Detroit, The Revenant)

Figures who have given support to Breakthrough Brits in the past year include: screenwriter Abi Morgan (The Iron Lady, Shame); actor-writer Amy Schumer (Inside Amy Schumer, Trainwreck); director Barry Jenkins (Moonlight); actor David Oyelowo (A United Kingdom, Selma); editor Dody Dorn (Memento, Terminator 2); Ian Livingstone CBE, co-founder of Games Workshop; producer Jeremy Kleiner (The Big Short, 12 Years a Slave); Ukie CEO Jo Twist; actress Julie Walters (Billy Elliot, Educating Rita); actress Kim Cattrall (Sex and the City); screenwriter Lucinda Coxon (The Danish Girl, The Heart of Me); producer Marc Samuelson (Arlington Road, Wilde); actor Mark Strong (Kingsman: The Secret Service, The Imitation Game); actor-writer Meera Syal (The Kumars at No. 42); game designer Mike Bithell (Thomas was Alone, Monstermind); producer Rebecca O’Brien (I, Daniel Blake, The Wind That Shakes the Barley); games writer Rob Yescombe (The Division, Alien: Isolation); director Robert Eggers (The Witch); actor-writers, Sharon Horgan (Catastrophe, Pulling); cinematographer Sharone Meir (Whiplash, Coach Carter); journalist Stacey Dooley (Stacey Dooley Investigates); game designer Tim Schafer (Broken Age, Psychonauts); and cinematographer Urszula Pontikos (Marcella, Humans).

For more information about BAFTA Breakthrough Brits, in partnership with Burberry, go to: http://bit.ly/Breakthrough-Brits.

For further information, please contact:

Kerry McGlone at freuds
T: +44 (0) 203 003 6648                                                             
E: [email protected]