BAFTA Contacts Members Over “Frustrating And Deeply Disappointing” Lack Of Diversity In Nominations

Tom Grater

BAFTA leadership has taken the unusual step of reaching out to the entire membership to express frustration over the lack of diversity in this year’s nominations.

There were no women up for Best Director for the seventh year in a row and there was another all-white set of acting nominees.

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In a correspondence seen by Deadline, chief executive Amanda Berry and film committee chair Marc Samuelson write that “the lack of diversity in these categories is frustrating and deeply disappointing for an organisation that sets itself the firm ambition of a more inclusive industry”.

The move comes after Deadline exclusively revealed yesterday a call from Brit group Directors UK for BAFTA to overhaul its voting system. BAFTA responded by affirming to us that it would conduct a “review of the entire voting process across all categories” this year.

It should be noted that reviews are not unusual for BAFTA. Every year after the awards, the org conducts an internal analysis of its process to see what can be improved. “This year will be no exception,” today’s letter states.

Since the nominations announcement on Tuesday, the org’s top brass have been unequivocal in voicing their disappointment over the lack of diversity.

Today’s letter also notes silver linings concerning inclusion. As we highlighted on Tuesday, Syrian doc For Sama, which was co-directed by female Syrian director Waad al-Kateab (with Edward Watts), scored a record number of nominations for a documentary.

“Alongside Parasite’s Bong Joon Ho, Waad al-Kateab and Edward Watts, For Sama’s directors, are the individuals with the most nominations this year,” reads the letter.

It continues, “We are also delighted to see 13 female directors receive nominations, including three in the Film Not in the English Language category. This is up from nine in 2019.

“Overall, nominations for women have risen from 42 to 67 in the last three years, which accounts for 36% of all nominees this year, up from 29% last year. Given the prevailing gender imbalance in the industry, this is an encouraging sign that our ambition of gender balance across all our nominations in the near future is achievable.

“However, there is still a long way to go to achieving diversity in all its forms, and this can only happen if we, as an entire industry, take action together. Our voting membership is constantly being reviewed, and this year is no exception. With each successive intake of new members, we are improving representation within our membership. We do this by prioritising individuals from underrepresented areas, and we do so in pursuit of an expert membership that reflects the industry as we want to see it,” the letter continues.

The org has said it will conduct a survey of the diversity of its membership this year for the first time since 2016, and will make those results public.

Last year, BAFTA also contacted its members about the Netflix ROMA controversy, following an open letter from Tim Richards, CEO of Vue International, in which the cinema chain boss called for the awards body to review its eligibility requirements regarding theatrically released films. In that letter, BAFTA assured its members that it would review those requirements, and Samuelson told us yesterday he believed that it had “improved immeasurably” this year.

You can read today’s letter in full below.

We are writing following the announcement of the nominations for the EE British Academy Film Awards in 2020 on Tuesday this week. First, we must offer huge congratulations to all the nominees.

Everyone will be aware that the announcement has been overshadowed by the lack of diversity in the performance and directing categories in particular. While we do not wish to take anything away from the fantastic achievements of everyone nominated, the lack of diversity in these categories is frustrating and deeply disappointing for an organisation that sets itself the firm ambition of a more inclusive industry, one which more accurately reflects the diversity of our society in general.

There is clearly a great deal more work to be done. Following the controversy regarding theatrical windows and qualification for the Awards last year, we engaged with the industry, considered the issues very carefully, and made meaningful changes. We review every element of our awards, every year, and this year will be no exception. We will review all aspects of our voting process, listen to all interested parties, and tackle what more needs to be done to address the root cause of underrepresentation in our nominations.

We also want to take a moment to highlight some positive news from this week’s announcement. For Sama becomes the most nominated documentary film ever, receiving nominations for Documentary, Film Not in the English Language, Outstanding British Film and Outstanding Debut. Alongside Parasite’s Bong Joon Ho, Waad al-Kateab and Edward Watts, For Sama’s directors, are the individuals with the most nominations this year.

We are also delighted to see 13 female directors receive nominations, including three in the Film Not in the English Language category. This is up from nine in 2019. Overall, nominations for women have risen from 42 to 67 in the last three years, which accounts for 36% of all nominees this year, up from 29% last year. Given the prevailing gender imbalance in the industry, this is an encouraging sign that our ambition of gender balance across all our nominations in the near future is achievable.

However, there is still a long way to go to achieving diversity in all its forms, and this can only happen if we, as an entire industry, take action together.

Our voting membership is constantly being reviewed, and this year is no exception. With each successive intake of new members, we are improving representation within our membership. We do this by prioritising individuals from underrepresented areas, and we do so in pursuit of an expert membership that reflects the industry as we want to see it.

Voting is now open for round two and closes earlier than usual, on Wednesday 29 January at 18:00 GMT, so please remember to cast your votes.

With best wishes

Amanda Berry OBE
Chief Executive

Marc Samuelson
Chair, Film Committee

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