Aspire to Achieve: New & Emerging Talent and BAFTA

ASPIRE TO ACHIEVE

BAFTA’S SUPPORT OF NEW AND EMERGING TALENT COMES IN MANY FORMS, BUT ALL WITH THE SAME GOAL: TO PROVIDE A STRONG, INSPIRATIONAL AND NURTURING PLATFORM – UNFETTERED BY BARRIERS – FOR ASPIRING CREATIVES TO REALISE THEIR DREAMS. HERE ARE JUST A FEW OF THEIR STORIES.

Words by Toby Weidmann

While films are all about telling stories – wonderful, entertaining, engaging, sometimes provocative stories – the actual filmmaking process and, indeed, the journey to get to that point, can also be inspirational tales in themselves. The passion and drive to make significant art and the necessary nous needed to overcome the many obstacles and pitfalls that lie in wait cannot be underestimated.

Many of BAFTA’s charitable activities seek to give talented new and emerging creatives the opportunity to thrive and establish themselves in an often unforgiving industry. This can take the form of our internationally-recognised Awards, where we can help bring public and professional attention to aspiring practitioners through our various debut categories. Or it can be more practical; our international Learning & New Talent events, programmes and initiatives provide unprecedented access to some of the world’s most inspiring talent, and offer everything from direct mentorship to financial support.

“It’s still a little bizarre when anyone refers to me as a BAFTA winner,” says actor Will Poulter, who won the EE Rising Star category at the 2014 Film Awards. “It’s not something I think about regularly, because I honestly don’t want it to put myself at risk of resting on my laurels, but I’ve undoubtedly benefitted from that support from BAFTA.

Will Poulter with his EE Rising Star Award in 2014, flanked by citation readers Eddie Redmayne and Alicia Vikander

BAFTA/Richard Kendall

“I’m so grateful to have been recognised by an organisation that I’m very proud to say I’m affiliated with. BAFTA does so much work in the interest of recognising underrepresented people and helping them gain entry into the industry. I was lucky: I had a really supportive experience at home and at school, but I realise that is not something everyone is gifted. I love that BAFTA dedicates so much time and effort to helping people who don’t necessarily come from that same kind of privilege. To have their support is amazing.”

SUPPORTING TALENT

This is a sentiment repeated time and again by the recipients of our initiatives. These include, among others (see box outs), our flagship emerging talent programme, Breakthrough Brits, and our annual scholarships, which provide financial support to students on a post-graduate course related to a career in film, games or television.

In 2018, Gagandeep Kalirai was given a scholarship to study an MA in Directing Animation at the National Film and Television School (NFTS). She is receiving BAFTA mentorship from award-winning director Philippa Lowthorpe. “I thought BAFTA was something unobtainable,” she notes, “but when I got the scholarship, it really felt that it was a place that I could reach. It’s been so valuable... The relationship I have with Philippa is special. There’s nothing quite like sitting down with someone who has so much experience and knowledge in filmmaking. In animation, you become so used to sitting at your computer drawing, you forget that you’re also a director and filmmaker as well, and there’s a lot you need to learn and think about. The scholarship has been exactly what I needed to get myself out of a certain headspace.”

Many of our scholars have gone on to have a rewarding career in their chosen profession. Cinematographer Craig Dean Devine, for instance, a scholar in 2012, was director of photography on Pili, which has been nominated this year in the Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer category.

In 2013, Rienkje Attoh received one of only three annual Prince William Scholarships in Film, Games and Television, supported by BAFTA and Warner Bros. After finishing her MA in Producing at the NFTS and setting up her own production company, So&So, she became a fully-fledged member of BAFTA in 2018. “Having an academy such as BAFTA support you and say that actually you’re a talent they want to nurture is truly a big deal,” she states. “It’s helped my career and given me confidence and belief in myself. I’ve benefitted from the masterclasses greatly and I’ve met some amazing people. One job tends to lead to another, and the contacts and friendships I’ve made since my scholarship and film school is basically what’s kept me going as an independent filmmaker.”

Rienkje Attoh meets BAFTA president HRH The Duke of Cambridge, with her fellow Prince William Scholars at the launch of BAFTA's Give Something Back campaign

BAFTA/Jonathan Birch

About her recent membership, she adds: “It’s very important to have an academy that reflects the world that I see. As a female of African heritage, I wanted to be part of that drive to support [women and diversity]. It’s really important. BAFTA did so much for me, so if I can mentor someone or help in any way, I want to do that. It’s important to be part of the Academy as a community. I’ve got nothing but praise for everything it’s doing to up representation.”

“BAFTA is one of the most recognised film organisations in the world,” notes 2018 Breakthrough Brit recipient, Michael Pearce, who is now a four-time BAFTA nominated director, having had two shorts nominated in 2011 and 2014 (Rite and Keeping Up with the Joneses, respectively) before notching up two nominations for his debut feature, Beast, this year. “It was great to get that recognition from BAFTA and it kind of validates all the hard work that you put into it. It appeases some of your self-doubt and encourages you to keep working. It’s been a great experience.”

FINDING INSPIRATION

While these four have all taken different routes into the business, they all share the common experience of being inspired by a film or person when they were younger. For Pearce, the moment came when he saw Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai for the first time. “I was 17 when I watched it,” he says. “I thought, ‘I want to do what this guy does’. It really was from one moment to the next. That was two decades ago. I instantly changed my mind from wanting to be a painter to being a film director.

“What dawned on me when I watched that film was how multifaceted the medium is. It incorporated so many things I was interested in. There was literature, theatre, performance, painting and music and this extra concept of time and editing. I wanted to be the person involved in every single aspect of filmmaking.”

Michael Pearce (centre) at a Short Sighted event at BAFTA 195

BAFTA/Danny Cozens

For Kalirai, watching Bollywood movies provided her early inspiration. “Being part of the Punjabi community, that’s what I watched all the time. We watched Disney films as well, but there was something about watching Indian films. It was the only way I could watch something and see my culture in it... Initially, I never really thought about film as a career. It was more about the art side, because I always wanted to draw. I asked my teacher what job I could do where I could draw every day and he mentioned animation... There’s a film called Tekkonkinkreet, by Michael Arias and Studio 4˚C, too. It was the first animation film that got to me emotionally. I was really moved by it, so a lot of my inspiration comes from that film.”

Attoh’s fire was sparked by her mother. “She used to come home with films and say to me, ‘I want you to watch this and write about it.’ I was around eight or nine years old... Willow was one that was watched quite a bit, and The Five Heartbeats, the Robert Townsend film.” She throws Steven Spielberg, Woody Allen, Meryl Streep, Spike Lee and John Singleton into the mix, adding, “We watched a lot of films as a family... I remember going with my family to see Inception and being blown away by it. I came out of the cinema and told my mum, ‘That’s it, I’m going to be a producer.’”

The late, great Robin Williams was one of Poulter’s main inspirations: “I’ve had a few and probably too many to mention them all. As a comedian and a dramatic artist, I thought Robin Williams was exceptional and one of the best. Hook was one of the first films I remember seeing as a kid that really impacted on me in a very emotional way and also sparked, perhaps subconsciously, a desire to perform and do both drama and comedy.”

TAKING THE NEXT STEP

Being inspired is only part of the story, naturally, then it’s about finding the motivation within yourself to commit to the future. Poulter is a more established actor now, having appeared in some high profile films, but he is conscious he still has a lot to learn. “If there is one goal it’s not to lapse in terms of concentration and always have a conscientious attitude towards work,” he says. “I never want to take what I do for granted... I’m 100 per cent still learning. That’s one of the things that really excites me looking forward, the potential to learn. I’ve come into contact with some amazing people as a result of being in this business, and I look forward to more of the same.”

Pearce’s enthusiasm for directing comes from a fascination with human behaviour. “It’s like the fascination an alien would have if they landed on planet Earth,” he notes. “They would find such a strange and varied species, capable of some of the most beautiful, generous and altruistic acts, but also capable of extreme cruelty. Making a film is an attempt to explore those very human questions and invite the audience on that journey.”

“I’d like to do more documentaries in animation,” states Kalirai, who has an interest in addressing cultural issues that perhaps are largely unknown to a western audience. “I grew up in a culture where a lot of our issues and problems were buried, which I think comes from a place of being scared that other people won’t understand them. I want to give the audience a new perspective about other cultures and their issues... I definitely want to push animation as a serious filmmaking tool. A lot of people think animation is quite jokey or only used for cartoons, but I’ve found it to be a great tool for hitting home a message without people realising that’s what it’s doing.”

Gagandeep Kalirai on set with her BAFTA mentor Philippa Lowthorpe

Gagandeep Kalirai

For Attoh, it’s all about her love for storytelling. “There’s nothing better than when I see a film that makes the hairs on my arm stand up or brings me to tears. I want to be able to tell stories that give other people those same emotions... As I get older, it’s the stories that I don’t necessarily get to hear that interest me, and they can be from anywhere in the world. There are so many amazing human beings out there, who are doing incredible things. It’s about being able to tell those unique stories, and the power of connection, understanding and empathy. These stories must have a heart, have meaning and be able to resonate.”

And BAFTA must be there too, to ensure talent like Poulter, Pearce, Attoh and Kalirai have the opportunity to tell these stories to as wide an audience as possible. We’ll leave the last word to Kalirai who is still very much in the early stages of developing her talent and career.

“I guess I’d just like to say thank you to BAFTA,” she concludes. “I really appreciate everything that’s been given to me, all the advice, all the events and talks. It’s a new world for me still, it’s all so surreal, but it’s made me realise I can do what I set out to do now. I can reach where I’ve always wanted to go. Having the opportunity of being able to go somewhere and meet people in the industry, it’s something I’ve never had before. I’m really holding that experience close to my chest right now.” •