27/04/2015 - Executive will be responsible for institute’s diversity agenda and Three Ticks initiative

The British Film Institute (BFI) has appointed Deborah Williams to the new role of Diversity Manager. Williams, who will report directly to Film Fund Director Ben Roberts, will manage the BFI’s diversity agenda and also support BFI-backed productions to achieve the most positive result through the Three Ticks diversity initiative that came into being last year. Williams joins from Arts Council England where she was Senior Officer, Policy and Research, Equality and Diversity. She will commence her BFI role from June 1.

Developed by the BFI and backed by UK producers’ association Pact, Three Ticks requires all recipients of BFI film production funding to demonstrate commitment to encouraging diverse representation across their workforces, creating opportunities for training and skills development and on-going career progression, and advancing the portrayal of under-represented stories and groups on screen.  

Williams said, “The BFI has set the tone and shown real leadership around diversity in the industry and it is a pleasure to be joining them at this pivotal moment. Developing the Three Ticks, working with partners and supporting the industry as it rethinks and re-imagines the world around us on film is an opportunity that I relish and am greatly looking forward to embracing.” 

Since being introduced in September 2014, all of the feature film productions supported by the BFI, including Andrea Arnold’s American Honey, Pete Travis’ City of Tiny Lights [+see also:
trailer
film profile] and Andrew Steggall’s Departure, have met the Three Ticks guidelines.