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British Academy Film Awards
71st British Academy Film Awards
Awarded for	The best in film
Country	United Kingdom
First awarded	29 May 1949; 69 years ago (1949-05-29)
Website	bafta.org

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts or BAFTA Film Awards are presented in an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to film. The ceremonies were initially held at the flagship Odeon cinema in Leicester Square in London, before being held at the Royal Opera House from 2008 to 2016. Since 2017, the ceremony has been held at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

History

British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) was founded in 1947 as The British Film Academy, by David Lean, Alexander Korda, Carol Reed, Charles Laughton, Roger Manvell and others. In 1958, the Academy merged with The Guild of Television Producers and Directors to form The Society of Film and Television, which eventually became The British Academy of Film and Television Arts in 1976.

The stated charitable purpose of BAFTA is to "support, develop and promote the art forms of the moving image, by identifying and rewarding excellence, inspiring practitioners, and benefiting the public". In addition to high-profile awards ceremonies, BAFTA runs a year-round programme of educational events, including film screenings and tribute evenings. BAFTA is supported by a membership of about 6,000 people from the film, television, and video game industries.

The Academy's awards are in the form of a theatrical mask designed by American sculptor Mitzi Cunliffe, in response to a commission from the Guild of Television Producers in 1955.

Annual ceremony

The location for the 2008 ceremony.

The ceremony previously took place in April or May, but since 2001 it has been held in February in order to precede the Academy Awards. Most of the awards are open to all nationalities, though there are awards for Outstanding British Film and Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Producer or Director. Only UK films are eligible for the categories of The British Short Film and British Short Animation awards.

The Awards ceremony is delayed broadcast on British television the same evening (usually on BBC One), and across the world. In the United States it is shown on BBC America. It has been broadcast in colour since 1970.

During each annual ceremony, BAFTA pauses in memoriam to pay tribute to those in the industry who have died over the past 12 months, showcasing a montage of images accompanied by music.

Location

The award ceremony is held in London. From 2000 to 2007, the ceremonies took place at the flagship Odeon cinema in Leicester Square. Between 2008 and 2016, the ceremonies took place at the Royal Opera House. The 70th Awards in 2017, and subsequent ceremonies, were held at the Royal Albert Hall.

Sponsorship

Until 2012, the mobile telephone network Orange sponsored the awards. Orange's parent company, EE, took over the sponsorship of the event from 2013.

Award categories

Retired awards

• 
  BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles (awarded 1952–1984)


• 
  BAFTA Award for Best Screenplay (awarded 1969–1983)


• 
  BAFTA Award for Best British Screenplay (awarded 1955–1968)


• 
  BAFTA Award for Best British Actor (awarded 1952–1967)


• 
  BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Actor (awarded 1952–1967)


• 
  BAFTA Award for Best British Actress (awarded 1952–1967)


• 
  BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Actress (awarded 1952–1967)


• 
  BAFTA United Nations Award (awarded 1949–1976).

Special awards

• 
  BAFTA Fellowship (since 1971)


• The Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema Award (known as the Michael Balcon Award from 1979 to 2006)^[1]
  

Ceremonies

See also

• British Academy of Film and Television Arts


• British Academy Television Awards

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to BAFTA Awards.

• Official website


• BAFTA Awards database


• Museum of Broadcast Communications: BAFTA


• IMDB: BAFTA