Jay Hunt Named British Film Institute Chair

Georg Szalai
·2 min read
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Jay Hunt, the creative director for Apple TV+ in Europe, has been named chair of the British Film Institute for a term of four years starting on Feb. 16, the organization and the U.K. government said on Wednesday.

She has been a governor of the BFI since 2020 and served on the board of the government’s Culture Recovery Fund. Before joining Apple, Hunt served as chief creative officer of British broadcaster Channel 4. “She is the only person to have run three terrestrial broadcast channels, also serving as controller of BBC One and director of programs at Channel 5,” the BFI said.

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Her commissions have included such global hits as Bad Sisters, Slow Horses, Luther, Sherlock, Black Mirror, and Catastrophe. She started her career at BBC News. In 2023, she was named one of the Top 20 Most Powerful Women in Global Entertainment by The Hollywood Reporter.

“Film is at the heart of the U.K.’s thriving creative industries, and the BFI plays an important role maximizing the potential of our world-leading screen sectors,” said U.K. Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer. “Jay’s wealth of experience championing British content makes her an exceptional chair to lead the BFI in the years ahead.”

Said Hunt: “The BFI plays such a vital role in supporting great British storytellers, and I’m delighted I’ll be chairing the organization at such an exciting and challenging time. I’m passionate about the quality and range of film and TV we produce in the U.K. and look forward to championing it on the world stage.”

Added BFI CEO Ben Roberts: “As a BFI governor, Jay has been a passionate advocate for both the BFI and the U.K. film sector. With her incredible breadth of experience in leadership across broadcasting and global streaming, she steps into this role with a very rare combination of an innate understanding of the power and potential of what public service organizations can deliver as well as being acutely commercial. I’m really looking forward to working with her and am confident she will take us boldly into the future.”

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