Cardiff, 22 September 2016: The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) in Wales, BAFTA Cymru, has announced that Siân Grigg, the BAFTA-winning and Oscar-nominated make-up artist will become the 12th recipient of the Siân Phillips Award at the British Academy Cymru Awards on 2 October 2016, as announced at last night’s BAFTA Cymru Nominees Party.

Grigg is being honoured with the award – sponsored by Ken Picton – as a Welsh person who has made a significant contribution to international feature filmmaking. The Siân Phillips Award, selected by the BAFTA Cymru Committee, has previously been awarded to director Euros Lyn, actor Rhys Ifans, writer Russel T Davies, actor Michael Sheen, actor Ioan Gruffudd, writer/actress/producer Ruth Jones, actor Rob Brydon, actor Matthew Rhys, actor Robert Pugh, producer Julie Gardner and journalist Jeremy Bowen. This will be the first time that a make-up artist has received the special award.

Siân Grigg said: “I was so surprised to be contacted by BAFTA Cymru as the recipient of the Sian Phillips Award! What a huge honour to be considered and so lovely for one of the creative arts to be recognised in such a way. Make-up often goes unnoticed as it a tool to help tell a story and should usually fade into the film, so it is lovely that it is being noted in such a way.”  

BAFTA Cymru also announced that the BAFTA Special Award for Outstanding Contribution to Film and Television will be presented to BAFTA-nominated actor, writer and director Terry Jones. Known to many as one of the Pythons, Terry Jones, was born in Colwyn Bay and has gone on to write and direct drama, present documentaries, compose operas and write short stories.

Hannah Raybould, Director of BAFTA Cymru, said: “The BAFTA Cymru Committee recognises Sian’s talents and her huge contribution to such an array of films including Titanic, The Aviator, for which she won the BAFTA for Make-up and Hair in 2005, and more recently, The Revenant for which she also received a BAFTA nomination. We are also very much looking forward to celebrating the work of Terry Jones during the ceremony with a look back at his work from 1969 to the present day.”

A representative of Terry Jones commented on the award, and on Terry’s recent ill health: “Terry has been diagnosed with Primary Progressive Aphasia, a variant of Frontotemporal Dementia.  This illness affects his ability to communicate and he is no longer able to give interviews. Terry is proud and honoured to be recognised in this way and is looking forward to the celebrations.”

The BAFTA Cymru Nominees Party, at which the announcement was made, celebrates the nominees for the upcoming British Academy Cymru Awards across Welsh film and television production, craft and performance categories.

Individuals and companies representing the nominated productions gathered at the BAFTA Cymru Nominees Party, hosted at the Sherman Cymru and sponsored by Mad Dog Casting. Guests were treated to food from award-wining Spiros Fine Dining, beer from local producers Tomos a Lilford as well as champagne from BAFTA partner Champagne Taittinger.

BAFTA Cymru Nominees Party Guests in attendance included Actress nominees Amanda Mealing, Catherine Ayers and Mali Harries; Actor Mark Lewis Jones; Directors Lee Haven Jones (35 Diwrnod) and Molly Anna Woods (Swansea Sparkle, A Transgender Story); Presenter Will Millard; Sherlock designer Arwel Wyn Jones; Just Jim actor/director/writer Craig Roberts.

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the British Academy Cymru Awards, members of the public are invited to join nominees and special guests at this year’s awards. Awards tickets are available for the Champagne reception, ceremony and after party priced at £90, which include a limited-edition Awards brochure and offers for local bars and clubs. Details of the nominees and guests attending will be announced on the 24 September.

The British Academy Cymru Awards are supported by AB Acoustics; Aberystwyth University; Audi; BBC Cymru Wales; Bluestone; Buzz Magazine; Capital Law; Cardiff and Vale College; Cardiff Wales Airport; Cuebox; Deloitte; Da Mihle Gin; Denmaur; DW Design; ELP; Ethos; Genero; Glyndwr University; Gorilla; HMV; Holiday Inn Express; Hotel Chocolat; Ken Picton; Mad Dog Casting; Premiere Travel; Princes Gate; Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama; S4C; Sony Technology; St David’s Hotel; Sugar Creative; Champagne Taittinger; Trosol; University of South Wales; University of Wales Trinity Saint David; Villa Maria and Working Word.

Tickets can be purchased from the St David’s Hall Box Office
029 20 878444 / www.stdavidshallcardiff.co.uk

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Notes to editors:

Siân Grigg biography:

Siân Grigg is a BAFTA-winning and Oscar-nominated make-up artist.

Grigg attended Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Glantaf comprehensive school in Cardiff before enrolling at Cardiff Art College, followed by The London College of Fashion studying make-up and hair for film and television. Her credits include Orlando (1992), Saving Private Ryan (1998) and Titanic (1997).

In recent years Grigg has worked as personal make-up artist for the likes of Tobey Maguire, Kate Hudson and Leonardo Di Caprio and has also designed make-up for films such as Ex Machina (2015), Suffragette (2015) and Far From The Madding Crowd (2015).

Leonardo DiCaprio said of Siân Grigg in his Golden Globe acceptance speech: “My makeup artist, Siân Grigg – you are an unbelievable talent. Thank you for all the genius you brought to this movie.”

During her career, Siân has won a BAFTA for her work on The Aviator (2004), was nominated for two Guilds Awards for work on Ex Machina, as well as receiving BAFTA and Oscar nominations for The Revenant (2015) this year.

Terry Jones biography:

Terence Jones is a BAFTA-nominated Welsh comedian, screenwriter, actor, film director, historian and author. He is best known as a member of the Monty Python comedy troupe.

Terry Jones was born in Colwyn Bay, North Wales, and read English Literature at Oxford University.

Jones and the other Pythons got together in 1969 and wrote and performed Monty Python’s Flying Circus until 1974. Jones co-directed the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) and directed Monty Python’s Life of Brian (1979) and Monty Python’s Meaning of Life (1981), for which he received a BAFTA nomination for Original Song Written for a Film in 1984. He directed Personal Services (1987) and in 1989 wrote and directed Erik The Viking. He wrote, directed and played Toad in The Wind In The Willows (1995) and also wrote the screenplay for Jim Henson’s Labyrinth.  He co-wrote and directed Absolutely Anything (2015).

He has presented numerous TV documentaries and his first foray into the world of opera, Evil Machines, based on a collection of his short stories, premiered in Lisbon in 2008 and a crowd-funded publication of the book was later released.