BAFTA CEO Jane Millichip on why Royals still have a “positive” influence and “moving on” after Noel Clarke chapter

The royal family remain positive ambassadors for the British Film and Television Academy despite recent scandals and reports of internal strife, BAFTA CEO Jane Millichip told Deadline as she prepares for the arts charity’s 2023 film awards.

Sunday’s awards show will be the former Sky Studios executive’s first BAFTA as CEO after being appointed to the role last summer.

This year’s ceremony will see the Film Awards leave the Royal Albert Hall for a new home at the Royal Festival Hall at London’s Southbank Centre, while introducing a refreshed broadcast schedule featuring live segments for the first time in BAFTA history.

However, in a return to tradition, Prince William, the BAFTA president, and Kate Middleton will attend the awards after skipping the ceremony two years in a row.

Prince William has been BAFTA’s president since 2010, but this year’s ceremony marks his debut at the event as Prince of Wales, having inherited the throne from his father King Charles III after Queen Elizabeth II’s death in September. .

The Film Awards will be William and Kate’s first major public awards since the release of Prince Harry’s tell-all book. extra. The mega-selling memoir was the latest chapter in a series of recent public outbursts from the Duke of Sussex, which have included allegations of racism and exposed further conflicts within the establishment.

“He has been an incredible supporter of His Royal Highness Bafter since he began as President and Patron,” Millichip said of William. “We have bursaries in his name, and he takes a real interest in our leveling and development projects.”

Millichip went on to discuss what he described as BAFTA’s long-standing relationship with the royals, citing Queen Elizabeth II’s decision to gift royalties from Richard Couston’s fly-on-the-wall documentary to the Society of Film and Television Arts. BAFTA’s forerunner) in the early 1970s. The grant helped move the organization to its current headquarters at 195 Piccadilly, London.

Asked if the royal family was still appropriate for the awards body, Millichip concluded: “I think the royal family has had and continues to have an incredibly positive impact on BAFTA over the years.”

praise

Netflix’s German-language World War I drama leads this year’s film award nominations All is quiet on the Western Front, which has 14 nods including Best Picture, Director and Adapted Screenplay All Quiet’s Howl equals Ang Lee’s previous record Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon For the most nominations for a non-English language film in BAFTA history. all calm Also clocked the most BAFTA noms for an individual film King’s Speech In 2011, the number was 14.

Martin McDonagh’s latest tragicomedy, Banshees of InisharinAnd Everything everywhere at all times from A24, and Daniel Cowan and Daniel Scheinert lead the way with ten points each.

British costume designer Sandy Powell will be honored this year with the BAFTA Fellowship Award – the highest honor in arts charity.

Powell’s fellowship will be the first time the BAFTA Film Awards has awarded a non-competitive honor since the controversy surrounding its decision to award the Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema Award to actor Noel Clarke in 2021.

At the time, the charity was accused of sexual misconduct Bulletproof star, first reported by The Guardian newspaper. Clark strongly denied wrongdoing. BAFTA said it tried to verify the allegations but was unable to do so. The agency ultimately concluded that it would be “inappropriate” to discontinue the award.

Clarke’s BAFTA award and membership were later suspended. The actor filed a defamation suit against BAFTA and the Guardian Media Group in London’s High Court in 2022. BAFTA has since dropped out of the case and London’s Metropolitan Police closed their investigation into the actor last year due to a lack of evidence.

“We are moving forward,” Millichip said, when asked whether BAFTA would have to launch a separate investigation after the Clark saga.

Millichip would not be drawn on individual cases but added that the arts charity was going to be “very involved” in developing new guidelines for the arts around workplace bullying, harassment and best practice.

“This is an area where we continue to work, encouraging all companies and producers to incorporate those guidelines,” he said.

As previously announced, Mercury Prize-winning rapper Little Simz will perform at the Film Awards. Dame Helen Mirren will pay tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II and the TV broadcast will conclude with the live unveiling of the four categories: Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Film, and the EE Rising Star Award presented by Lashana Lynch.

In previous years, the event has been pre-recorded and broadcast on delay. The show will run Sunday evening from 7 – 9 p.m., with the switch to live broadcast around 8:30 p.m. thanks to what Millichip describes as a military-level schedule from the production team.

“The entertainment value of TV coverage is something we put a lot of thought into and we hope viewers enjoy it,” Millichip said.