The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTA Awards, is 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 2007 to 2016. From 2017 to 2022, the ceremony was held at the Royal Albert Hall in London before moving to the Royal Festival Hall for the 2023 ceremony. The statue awarded to recipients depicts a theatrical mask.
The first BAFTA Awards ceremony was held in 1949, and the ceremony was first broadcast on the BBC in 1956 with Vivien Leigh as the host. The ceremony was initially held in April or May; since 2001, it typically takes place in February.
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.[4]
Annual 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.
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.
Broadcast
The Awards ceremony has been historically delayed broadcast on British television the same evening, and across the world. The first broadcast was on the BBC in 1956, with Vivien Leigh (who would present an award to her husband Sir Laurence Olivier) as the host.[5] It has been broadcast in colour since 1970. In the US it is broadcast on BBC America. In 2023, the BAFTA Film Awards included a live telecast for its major award categories during the culmination of the ceremony.[6]
Location
The award ceremony is held in London. From 2000 to 2007, the ceremonies took place at the flagship Odeon Leicester 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 up to the 75th Awards in 2022, were held at the Royal Albert Hall.[7][8]
Until 2012, the mobile telephone network Orange sponsored the awards. Orange's parent company, EE, took over the sponsorship of the event from 2013.[10]
Michael Caine was the first actor to receive dual nominations in the same category in a single year.
The only ceremony with multiple actors to receive dual nominations in the same year was the 57th, with Sean Penn and Scarlett Johansson. Penn became the first actor to win neither nomination, while Johansson became the first (and remains the only) to have neither performance nominated for the corresponding Oscar.
Kate Winslet is the only actor to receive dual nominations on multiple occasions, doing so twice.