Welcoming Greater Diversity in The British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA) 2021

By Parminder OBE

February 26, 2021

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The British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA) 2021 have been unlike any other I have experienced since I became a member in 2001! On 4th February, BAFTA announced a Round One longlisting of 98 films from over 220 which was introduced after BAFTA 2020 Review, with the aim of levelling the playing field and ensuring more films are fully considered for nominations.

The BAFTA 2020 Review introduced over 120 wide-ranging changes across voting, membership, and campaigning to address a lack of diversity in the 2020 Film Awards nominations.

Due to Covid19, for the very first time, all entered films were made available on BAFTA View, the online viewing portal. As voting members, we were able to access every entered film, allowing us to watch as many films as possible. This process has led to over 120,000 streams to date, according to BAFTA.

My total is 130 films viewed in all the categories including Outstanding British Film, Documentary, Film Not in the English Language and Animated Film. I also appreciated the access to the Q&As on the BAFTA portal.

As part of the new Round One voting, we were all assigned a randomly selected sample of 15 films as recommended viewing ahead of voting. I found this a helpful way to ensure all entered films were each individually watched and hope it encouraged voting members to consider a wider range of films.

BAFTA Film Committee Chair Marc Samuelson and a long-time industry friend said: “The longlists announced today reflect some of the key changes we’ve already begun to implement as part of our ongoing Review. A big thank you goes to our membership for embracing these changes so positively and quickly especially during this challenging time. BAFTA View is already helping level the playing field for all entrants this year and we’re really pleased that over 120,000 streams have taken place. I hope today’s longlists shows you that we remain committed to change in all aspects of the BAFTA’s awards on an ongoing basis.”

I welcome BAFTA’s initiatives to level the playing field. One thing I have missed is not being able to go to the screenings in the cinemas and the conversations with other members before and after the screenings. Instead, I hooked up my computer to the home screen and scheduled daily viewing, immersing myself to fully experience and appreciate the power of storytelling and the extraordinary craftsmanship of my industry.

Over the coming weeks, leading up to The British Academy Film Awards which will take place on Sunday 11th April 2021, I will share some of the amazing films I have had the privilege to watch in lockdown 2020 – 2021! Wishing all the participants best of luck with the awards and to celebrating greater diversity in the UK film industry.

About Parminder Vir OBE

Parminder Vir OBE has dedicated herself to positively impacting and transforming lives through a professional career spanning 40 years in philanthropy, entrepreneurship, film and television production, arts and culture, and investment funding. She is the co-founder of the Support4AfricaSMEs campaign and The African Farmers Stories, launched in 2020. She served as the CEO of the Tony Elumelu Foundation, based in Lagos, Nigeria from April 2014 to April 2019. Prior to joining the Foundation, Parminder has enjoyed a distinguished career as an awarding winning film and television producer and private equity investor in film and media.