From next year, men and women will have equal chances to win prizes at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Awards.
In an attempt to address gender inequality in the film industry, BAFTA has introduced seven new categories featuring nominees for achievement in directing, original screenplay, cinematography, production design, costume design, makeup and hairstyling, and editing. The makeup and hairstyling category was added to celebrate films that not only used cinematographic techniques to embellish the existing roles of women in cinema but used makeup and hair to showcase their complex identities.
Participating films may include men and women, transgender and non-binary individuals, as well as sex workers, minorities, and those who identify as pansexual.
“The British film industry is in the midst of a remarkable period of development, and in this climate it is essential that the opportunities created and the awards we bestow are open and accessible to all,” BAFTA Chief Executive Amanda Berry said in a statement. “This new system brings BAFTA in line with other top-tier awards bodies and is the first step on a path that aims to be future-proofed for the future, to reflect the evolution of our industry and our industry’s evolution.”
The move comes a month after the Hollywood Reporter revealed that nominations for the Academy Awards had declined by 6 percent to 7 percent between 2015 and 2017, and that the number of women Oscar winners was at its lowest level since the 1974 film, All the President’s Men.
Read the full story at The Telegraph.
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