BAFTA to conduct ‘review’ after diversity row in nominations
Best film and best director saw no women making it into the last five.
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) will conduct a "careful and detailed review" of its voting process, days after it was criticised for the lack of diversity in nominations for its annual film awards.
Talking to Variety, Marc Samuelson, chair of BAFTA's film committee, the review will be done "within and outside the membership".
He further said that all the voices will be heard and any changes agreed upon will be in place in time for voting for the 2021 awards. "There is absolute openness to change, and the organization made clear its position on the noms and that it was not satisfied. Change is required – what that is, is complex and needs calm, careful thought," he added.
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Samuelson had previously said the lack of diversity in the nominations is "infuriating" but blamed the film industry for not bridging this gap. "Infuriating lack of diversity in the acting noms. It's just a frustration that the industry is not moving as fast as certainly the whole BAFTA team would like it to be," he had said.
The nominations, which were announced on Tuesday, have been led by male players of the industry with categories such as best film and best director saw no women making it into the last five. Greta Gerwig and Lulu Wang, who have received critical acclaim for their films Little Women and The Farewell, were snubbed by the BAFTAs. Gerwig, however, managed to get a nod in best adapted screenplay.
The film body also received backlash on social media and soon after #BAFTAsoWhite was trending on Twitter. The hashtag was inspired from the #OscarsSoWhite movement that started in 2017 after the Academy Awards turned out to be an all-white affair.
