Stars to shine at BAFTAs
With the Golden Globes reduced to a news conference and the Academy Awards under threat due to the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike, the BAFTAs (February 10) are fast emerging as the frontrunner in this year’s awards stakes. Hollywood stars are expected to turn up in strength, thus further boosting the image of the UK’s top film awards.
BAFTA CEO Amanda Berry said, “We have always enjoyed a healthy level of support from the studios, with an average of over 80% of nominees attending in recent years. The tangible difference this year was that inquiries about the ceremony came well ahead of our nominations announcement, so, earlier than usual. It’s not a sudden interest. The awards’ profile has risen in recent years domestically and internationally, particularly since the date change in 2001 brought the ceremony before the Oscars.”
“We have an encouraging number of confirmations thus far. We continue to work with the studios to free up nominees’ schedules, enabling them to attend right up to the day of the ceremony,” she added.
The likelihood of a more than usual glittering array of stars from across the Atlantic attending is bound to boost broadcast ratings. The event will be beamed to 58 million households in the UK on the BBC network and 60 million homes in the US on BBC America. In addition, E!’s Live From the (BAFTAs) Red Carpet is expected to reach 165 million households worldwide.
Further, BAFTA title sponsor Orange will webcast the red carpet action live. Orange CEO Tom Alexander said, “We are proud to be involved with BAFTA and the British film industry and we hope that by continuing our support, celebrating new talent and increasing accessibility to all, we're ensuring that the future of UK film remains bright.”
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