Bafta has announced a new prize for best children’s and family film, as well as some key eligibility changes for other awards.
The children’s and family award is the first new honour created by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts since a casting prize was introduced in 2020, and it will shortly also be introduced by the Academy Awards. The new award will “celebrate the very best films appealing to intergenerational audiences” and “profile the essential creative contributions of the children’s media sector”, Bafta said in a statement.
Meanwhile, entries for the category of outstanding British film will be subject to a new points system that includes criteria such as “nationality of the candidates for nomination, key department heads and cast, alongside collating information about co-productions, BFI cultural test, setting, source material and the new independent film fax credit.”
The victors in this category for the past three years – The Zone of Interest, The Banshees of Inisherin and Belfast – have all been set and filmed outside Britain, but made by primarily British production companies.
A total of 120 changes were brought in by Bafta in 2020 after a substantial internal audit was carried out in response to the #SoWhite backlash sparked by all 20 of the acting nominees that year being white.
Friday’s announcement phases out some of the measures introduced in that overhaul, including dropping nominating juries in the directing and performance categories – instead, the directing chapter and the acting chapter will entirely determine their category’s longlist and nominations. The directing longlist will also be capped at 11, in accordance with other major categories – it was previously 16.
Last year, Bafta raised eyebrows when it excluded from contention Killers of the Flower Moon star Lily Gladstone – who had just won a Golden Globe – and Andrew Scott of All of Us Strangers. However, overall the past few years of Bafta’s final choices have been widely applauded for both their taste and inclusivity. Earlier this year, the big winners were Oppenheimer, Poor Things and The Zone of Interest; in 2023, Edward Berger’s German-language All Quiet on the Western Front swept the board.
Insiders suggest that Bafta’s tweaks today reflect a feeling that the 2020 measures have sufficiently changed both the culture within their voting community and protocols that they are no longer required.
Theatrical requirements for best film have also been tightened post-Covid, with the mandated 10 screenings a day for seven days raised considerably to debuting on at least 50 screens for at least a week.
Other tweaks have been made to the definition of a documentary, and to the shortlisting process for animation films and those not in the English language, as well as the amount of credits that can be allowed as named nominees in the screenplay categories.
Bafta chair Sara Putt said: “Four years ago, we rolled out the most comprehensive set of awards interventions in Bafta’s history to level the playing field for talented creatives working in the screen arts. We’ve seen the impact of those changes in the four years of entry and voting data since – from more Bafta voters watching more films than ever before to more women directors being nominated in the last four years than in Bafta’s 77-year history.
“And our membership is now more diverse and better represents the talented people in our industry. There is still a long way to go. The mission we set out in the 2020 Bafta review continues to be at the heart of our annual rules, eligibility updates and membership advocacy – so that our awards remain relevant, that they encourage positive industry change, and continue to champion and celebrate the very best in film-making.”
Next year’s Baftas will take place on 16 February.
