BAFTA Breakthrough Brits 2014

AJ RiachAshley KendallCallum TurnerCharu Desodt

Chris LuntDaniel Gray

Destiny EkaraghaJonathan Asser

Katie LeungMarc Williamson

Mike Brett Ray Panthaki

Reece MillidgeSarah WalkerStacy Martin

Steve JamisonTandis Jenhudson

William Pugh

BAFTA BREAKTHROUGH BRITS 2014

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kenneth Branaghactor, f i lmmaker andfour-time Bafta winner

Practise, practise,

practise.And make the best of the talent you have.

www.bafta.org/guru

Watch, Listen, Read, Explore.Get insights, advice and more at BAFTA Guru.

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ContentsSPECIAL FEATURES

2 A Message from HRH The Duke of Cambridge kg, President of the Academy 3 A Message from Anne Morrison, Chair of the Academy 14 Breakthrough Brits: One Year In

INTRODUCING THE BREAKTHROUGH BRITS 2014

6 AJ Riach 7 Ashley Kendall 8 Callum Turner 9 Charu Desodt 10 Chris Lunt 11 Daniel Gray 12 Destiny Ekaragha 13 Jonathan Asser 18 Katie Leung 19 Marc Williamson 20 Mike Brett & Steve Jamison 21 Ray Panthaki 22 Reece Millidge 23 Sarah Walker 24 Stacy Martin 25 Tandis Jenhudson 26 William Pugh

28 Contact Details

30 Thanks & Credits

The Breakthrough Brits initiative selects the UK’s brightest emerging stars from across the film, television and games industries. Following a meticulous and competitive selection process, by expert panels of celebrated industry professionals, each Breakthrough Brit was chosen for their outstanding talent after making a significant creative contribution in a leading role. The future of our industries relies upon original creative ideas being allowed to blossom, and this scheme aims to help our Breakthrough Brits turn their early promise into a lasting legacy.


HRH The Duke of CamBridge kg President of the Academy



Support. Promote. Develop.

Anne MorrisonChair of the Academy

Follow our Breakthrough Brits activity throughout the year:

bafta.org/BAFTA

@BAFTA #BreakthroughBrits

T hese are the three key maxims at the heart of all of BAFTA’s activities. For six decades, we have been identifying, encouraging and rewarding excellence, and this is perhaps nowhere better

exemplified than in our year-round programme of learning events, scholarships and initiatives to nurture new talent. We have a passion for unearthing the stars of the future and bringing them to your attention.

Breakthrough Brits is unique among these initiatives, however, because it places the spotlight specifically on emerging talent. This year’s selection have already contributed creatively to their respective industries – some may even be familiar to you – but we believe that they are deserving of an extra boost to ensure their undoubted talent reaches its full potential. Handpicked by a select committee of experienced artists, craftspeople and industry practitioners, the Breakthrough Brits represent the best and brightest talents in the UK.

We know this initiative works. Launched last October, I’m thrilled to have witnessed first-hand some of the achievements of our inaugural Breakthrough Brits over the past year. Highlights include seeing writer Dominic Mitchell and game developer Rex Crowle become multi-BAFTA winners less than a

year after being selected. These are spectacular achievements in anyone’s career, let alone relative newcomers. But Dominic and Rex aren’t the only Breakthrough Brits to be moving swiftly up the career ladder, with a little help from our network of contacts who have diligently mentored and guided them.

In partnership with Burberry, Breakthrough Brits is supported by luminaries including Danny Boyle, Victoria Wood and Sir Kenneth Branagh. Connecting the next generation of talent to the people who have already reached the top, including those who have most inspired them, is fundamental to this scheme and its success, and I hope you agree, we do it well.

You can read more about the legacy of the initiative elsewhere in this brochure, but more importantly you will find everything you need to know about this year’s crop of Breakthrough Brits. Included are profiles on each one, featuring their past achievements and hopes for the future, and crucially their contact details too. I hope you’ll keep it close at hand.

The names contained in this brochure are genuinely ones to watch. They are our personal recommendation to you. I encourage you to think of them for your next project.

Thank you for your support.

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INTRODUCING THE

BREAKTHROUGH BRITS 2014

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A JRiachProducer

L ife for Andrew James Riach, aka ‘AJ’, could have been very different if he hadn’t made a clear decision in his youth. An avid fan of the theatre, Riach came to the conclusion that actually treading

the boards wasn’t the path he was destined for.“I realised I was better at making stuff,” he explains.

“I was good at getting things together and making things happen.”

With those kind of attributes, a career as a film producer was almost inevitable. He’s certainly shown he has the right drive: in just four years he has gone from a runner on a critically-acclaimed documentary (One Night in Turin) for New Black Films to a producer of his first feature film via his own company, Mad As Birds Films. Said movie, Set Fire to the Stars, a biopic about poet

Dylan Thomas’s later life, came about through Riach’s dogged determination. It was a chance

encounter with Welsh actor Celyn Jones, in which he revealed he’d always wanted to play the poet, which set Riach on his path.

Not only did he fight to keep Jones (who co-wrote the film) as the star with its investors, he also managed to convince some major talent to join the cast, including Elijah Wood and Kelly Reilly. The film made its debut at the Edinburgh International Film Festival and was nominated for both the Micheal Powell Award for Best British Feature Film and the Audience Award.

“I just want to make great films,” he says. “I’d like to create a legacy of films that people can watch and enjoy.”


AshleyKendallPresenter


Christina Rossetti to life. It’s the first time poetry has ever been translated into BSL – not easy given that not all English words have a BSL equivalent – and Kendall has been at the heart of the work. It’s his hope that Magic Hands not only entertains and

informs but also helps normalise disability with hearing children.“Being named a Breakthrough Brit really means a lot to me,” he

says. “I’ve been through a lot of barriers in my life because of my disability, so having something like this just shows that a deaf person can break through to the mainstream. My main aim is to progress my career and grow my involvement with the hearing community.”

P resenter Ashley Kendall found himself drawn to performing while attending the Royal School for the Deaf in Derby.

His natural charm and charisma and an expressive talent for British Sign Language (BSL) landed him a job at Remark!, the UK’s largest Deaf run media production company.

Kendall was soon appearing on the Community Channel’s Punk Chef and Let’s Go Wild, CBBC’s My Life: Signing Off and the BBC’s See Hear. However, his crowning achievement must be fronting CBeebies’ ground-breaking Magic Hands. This wonderful children’s series provides a joyful mix of sign language, spoken word, music and animation to bring poems by the likes of Robert Louis Stevenson and


CallumTurnerActor


Frankenstein story with James McAvoy, Daniel Radcliffe and Mark Gatiss. He also has a leading role in a new E4 series called Glue, from BAFTA-winning writer Jack Thorne.

“It’s quite a horrible feeling once you finish a job,” says Turner. “It goes out into the world, you have no control over it anymore and then people judge you. So it’s brilliant to have people say they like what you’re doing. It gives you confidence. You need that as an actor. Confidence is key in all things. It gives you that extra push and you take more risks.”

W hen someone of the calibre of John Boorman describes a young actor as “a natural”, it’s time to sit up and take notice. The

director picked fresh-faced Callum Turner from 40 other young hopefuls to star as the lead in his 2014 war drama Queen and Country, opposite the likes of David Thewlis, Richard E Grant and David Hayman.

Turner’s propensity for acting is matched only by his model good looks, and it is perhaps no surprise that his first performances in front of the camera were as a fashion model. But acting is his first love and despite no formal training, he has been lighting up the small screen since bursting onto the scene in ITV’s Leaving, opposite Helen McCrory. He followed that up with equally strong performances in ITV’s The Town, The Borgias for Sky Atlantic and the BBC’s Ripper Street, and he will soon be seen in Paul McGuigan’s new adaptation of the


CharuDesodtGames Producer


I f we were to say Charu Desodt created a unique sound analysis prototype to compare pitch and timing data sung into a microphone

with a pre-processed file, crafting all aspects of the game from USB driver through to the user interface, you would probably look at us blankly. However, if we were to say Charu Desodt engineered the technology behind the hugely successful SingStar franchise for Sony PlayStation, we bet you would know exactly what we’re talking about and are itching to pick up the mic and challenge your friends to a round of ‘Livin’ la Vida Loca’.

The first female engineer hired by Sony’s London Studio, Desodt moved up to become a producer on its Wonderbook: Book of Spells. This augmented reality game was developed in conjunction with bestselling author JK Rowling and set in the Harry Potter universe. It was nominated for a BAFTA in Game Innovation in 2013.

A senior producer at Microsoft’s Lift London studio since 2012, where she helps create character-centric tablet and mobile games, Desodt’s credit list already totals almost 80 games, including recent puzzler Secrets and Treasure: The Lost Cities.

“You never feel like you’ve reached your potential,” says Desodt, assessing her career to date. “I always feel like there’s more to do. I am always inspired by other people and what they’re doing… Being named a Breakthrough Brit has made me reassess what I might be able to achieve and how I could help the industry evolve.”


ChrisLuntWriter


T he problem with being a writer is you do spend a lot of time working on your own in complete isolation,”

Chris Lunt smiles. “You often wonder whether you are going in the right direction or doing the right thing, so it’s wonderful to be recognised by such a prestigious organisation as BAFTA. It lets you know that you’re doing something right.”

The success of his hit ITV miniseries Prey is demonstrative proof that the writer is not only doing something right, but doing it very well. April saw an average of 5.5 million Brits nervously tuning in to this three-part cop-on-the-run thriller, starring John Simm and Rosie Cavaliero. It’s a firm pat on the back for the 43-year-old Lunt, who admits he came to his chosen profession rather late. Prey may represent Lunt’s first broadcast credit, but he admits he must have pitched more than 80 projects before he got his big break.

“I was still making a living at writing, a treatment here, a script commission there,” explains Lunt, who set up his company, Dodge The Draft, in 2010. “But my struggle has been quite long. I was 39 before I turned professional. I’d like to inspire people who are in that battle themselves, to let them know that it does happen and it doesn’t matter how old you are. You just have to work at it and keep going.”

Lunt is currently working on a reboot of classic British icon The Saint, among other projects.

“


DanielGray


Games Producer

“We took a lot of risks making Monument Valley,” Gray notes. “Everything we were told you should do when you make mobile games – like make it free, put adverts in it, add in leaderboards – we went the complete opposite direction. We focused on the artistry of it, the visuals and the music.”

Gray is no stranger to mixing eye-candy visuals with original narratives having previously worked on the acclaimed Fable II and III for Lionhead Studios. Then, as a producer at Hello Games, he helped bring fun racing platformer Joe Danger to the market, before finding his current place at Ustwo.

“There are still a lot of things we want to achieve as a team,” he adds. “We want to redefine how people think about mobile entertainment. We want mobile games to be seen as something that people can go to for an enriching and moving experience.”

E nigmatic, intricate and delightful are just some of the adjectives that have been used to describe the innovative mobile game Monument Valley, produced by Daniel Gray and his small team at Ustwo.

It is as much an experience as it is a game, melding hypnotic music and stunning visuals (influenced by MC Escher) with a user-friendly game mechanic to tell a subtle story. Described by the Guardian as a beautiful game that “begged to be framed and hung”, it went on to win an Apple Design Award. Gamers voted with their thumbs, downloading more than 1.3 million copies.


DestinyEkaraghaDirector


October 2014 will be a month to remember for director Destiny Ekaragha: not only is her

first feature film, Gone Too Far!, hitting UK cinemas, following its premiere at the BFI London Film Festival (LFF) in 2013, but she’s also been named as one of BAFTA’s Breakthrough Brits. That they should both come along at once seems almost like fate.

“October is a crazy month for me,” she laughs. “It’s a little overwhelming. Getting my film made was a milestone, so to get distribution is incredible. It’s on 20 screens, so I’m really happy. Making your first film isn’t the hardest part, it’s getting that second one done. So knowing BAFTA will be there to support me this year is a huge sigh of relief. It’s an incredible initiative. I’m humbled to be a part of it.”

Three years in the making, Gone Too Far! is only the fourth British film directed by a black woman to be released in cinemas. Adapted from Bola Agbaje’s stageplay, Ekaragha’s comedy focuses on the nature of identity and ethnicity in modern multicultural London. She was nominated for Best British Newcomer at the LFF, and won the Emerging Talent award at the Screen Nation Awards (both in 2013). The film picked up further awards at the London Comedy Film Festival and Screen Nation Awards in 2014.

Not a bad haul for a debut film and its director, but then if the name fits…


JonathanAsser


Writer

The film drew on Asser’s own experience of working within the prison system, where he developed a new therapeutic way to help violent criminals called Shame/Violence Intervention. With the script taking around six years to write, it’s clear that penning this original take on the prison system was something of a cathartic experience

for the first-time writer.“Writing is a great way of expressing and

exploring things in a way that feels safe. It’s a great healing gift to be able to write,” he states. “Empathy is a key human resource I feel, and drama possibly has a role in enabling us to step into other people’s shoes and connect with how life may be for them. Making a connection with people who we may not normally connect with, and in so doing broadening the sphere of empathy that can enfold us all as human beings, is probably what my writing is about.”

I enjoy the healing aspect of writing,” says Jonathan Asser, whose first ever script became 2013’s powerful and visceral prison drama, Starred Up. This articulate, bold and

authentic script touched a nerve with critics and cinemagoers alike, and led to the film receiving eight nominations at the British Independent Film Awards in 2013, winning Ben Mendelsohn the Best Supporting Actor honour. Asser himself was nominated in the Best Screenplay category, having already collected the Best British Newcomer award at the 2013 BFI London Film Festival.

“


B reakthrough Brits is BAFTA’s flagship emerging talent initiative. It’s much more than a mentoring scheme for individuals who have taken their first steps into the film, television and games industries. It’s about championing these new talents to the industry

in a way that only BAFTA can; it’s about giving them every opportunity to plant a firm foothold in a hyper

competitive business; and it’s about supporting them each step of the way to ensure their creativity and individuality are nurtured into a lasting legacy.

As such, this year’s Breakthrough Brits have quite a year ahead of them. Just ask the first group of 17 stars chosen to launch the BAFTA initiative in October 2013. A mere 12 months on, this select group already includes BAFTA award winners and nominees, industry award winners

and across-the-board success stories.Dominic Mitchell, for

instance, found himself with two BAFTAs: one

for Writer – Drama at the Television

Craft Awards in 2014 and one for In the Flesh (in the Mini Series category) at the Television Awards in 2014. Game developer Rex Crowle went one better, collecting three BAFTAs for his work on Media Molecule’s enchanting Tearaway at the Games Awards in 2014 (it was also nominated for a further five awards). Elsewhere, actress Chloe Pirrie won the Most Promising Newcomer award at the British Independent Film Awards (BIFAs) in December, and Ollie Clarke’s games development company, Modern Dream, was nominated in the New Studio category at the Develop Awards.

It’s been a busy year all round. Elsewhere, producer Nisha Parti’s first feature film, Honour, starring Paddy Considine and Aiysha Hart, was released in March; Sophia George completed a six-month tenure as the first game designer in residence at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum; and actor Paul Brannigan established a youth organisation in Glasgow with the

R I S ES H I N E

A YEAR IN THE LIVES OF THE BREAKTHROUGH BRITS

Over the past 12 months, BAFTA has been pulling out all the stops to help ensure that the inaugural

Breakthrough Brits’ unique voices have been heard.


aim of empowering disadvantaged teens through film and produced his first short film with them, called Dreamers. Each of the Class of 2013 can tell a similar success story.

The Breakthrough Brits initiative, which launched, and continues its partnership this year, with Burberry, fast-tracks the pick of the UK’s talent pool into the spotlight. The film, television and games industries are notoriously competitive and it can be difficult to make your voice heard. That’s where BAFTA can help. All of the Breakthrough Brits are given access to the benefits ordinarily only afforded to BAFTA members, allowing them to network with our unparallelled circle of industry experts and luminaries at events throughout the year. They also have free use of our meeting spaces at our London headquarters at BAFTA 195 Piccadilly.

“It’s not easy to stick your head up above the parapet,” says Rex Crowle, “so it’s good to have this way of recognising talented people that have put themselves out there for the first time. Plus, it’s a programme that’s very focused on that person, and how they can be helped to continue what they are doing, and hopefully take it even further.”

BAFTA works very hard to match each Breakthrough Brit with inspirational stars and established professionals who can provide sage advice and guidance as they secure themselves a footing in the industry. Throughout the year, BAFTA arranges mentoring sessions with expert practitioners, meet and greets with established craftspeople and networking opportunities with fellow professionals, providing an unparalleled opportunity for the next generation to pick the brains of some of the very best working in the film, television and games industries.

Actor James Floyd did just that with BAFTA winners Sir Kenneth Branagh and Amma Asante (also a BAFTA Brit to Watch); Victoria Wood and Olivia Colman (who have seven BAFTAs between them)

discussed their careers with actress Sharon Rooney; Mitu Khandaker met her game development hero (and BAFTA Fellow), Will Wright; Tom Holland sat down with Cillian Murphy and David Heyman, producer of the BAFTA-winning Gravity; a meeting between Dan Pearce and Mastertronic chairman Andy Payne led to the company releasing his most recent game, 10 Second Ninja; and actor Ade Oyefeso, most recently seen in BBC drama Our Girl, met up with 2014’s EE Rising Star award winner Will Poulter. The list goes on…

Writer-director Zam Salim notes: “There have been a few highlights from the year, but the

Breakthrough Brits is a programme that’s very focused on that person.

rex crowle game developer

Above: The Breakthrough Brits Class of 2013: (top row, l–r) Rex Crowle, Ed Barratt, Paul Brannigan, Nisha Parti, Rowan Athale, Dan Pearce, James Floyd, Sharon Rooney, Zam Salim, Mitu Khandaker, Ade Oyefeso, Dominic Mitchell; (bottom row, l–r) Oliver Clarke, Chloe Pirrie, BAFTA CEO Amanda Berry OBE, former BAFTA Chairman John Willis, Arthur Williams and Sophia George. Opposite: Dominic Mitchell collects his BAFTA for Writer – Drama


best so far has been meeting folk I’ve long admired, like Danny Boyle. Being able to talk things through in an honest, unguarded manner has given me a real insight into how things work.”

Director Rowan Athale, who was also mentored by Boyle and Mike Newell, adds: “Your agents and the producers you work with are fonts of knowledge, but there is no substitute for discussing your

career and receiving advice from fellow directors, particularly those you admire… It’s been great to have the opportunity to hear other filmmakers’ experiences and how they relate to my own.”

Producer Ed Barratt, who has become a BAFTA mentor in his own right, highlights a key reason why Breakthrough Brits is so important: “The great thing about this initiative is the power of the BAFTA brand and that it works across film, television and games. Crossover from the different disciplines is so important and this is such a joined-up initiative in that regard.”

Supporting emerging talent from across the creative industries is an aim shared by Burberry, our continued partners on the initiative. From its campaign cast and roster of Burberry Acoustic

musicians to design students across the UK, the British brand is no stranger to discovering and nurturing the next generation of creatives. Burberry and BAFTA partner together with the joint vision of supporting and celebrating talent; inspiring those across film, television and games and giving them the tools to develop their skills as they begin their exciting journeys.

Burberry also provided the beautiful backdrop for the Breakthrough Brits’ inaugural evening reception at its London flagship store at 121 Regent Street, on 21 October 2013.

Among the guests at the event were such luminaries as Josh Berger, Sophie Turner Laing, David Parfitt and Rebecca O’Brien, as well as actors Joseph Mawle and Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, rapper Tinie Tempah

There is no substitute for discussing your career and receiving advice from

fellow directors, particularly those you admire.rowan athale

di r ector

Above: Sophia George presents an award at the British Academy Games Awards in 2014. Right: Rex Crowle with one of his three BAFTAs for Tearaway. Opposite, from top: Will Poulter meets Ade Oyefeso; James Floyd with Amma Asante; Mike Newell and Rowan Athale; Cillian Murphy meets Tom Holland; Olivia Colman and Sharon Rooney


and the multi-talented writer-director-producer-actor Dexter Fletcher.

We hope that this year’s alumni enjoy their night, just as their predecessors did before them; it’s the start of something very special. As broadcaster Arthur Williams says: “Being recognised for your work is an amazing feeling. It makes you feel successful. All that time you spend pursuing something that you have no idea will come to anything is hard, but when BAFTA gives you the nod, it acknowledges you’re doing the right thing, it boosts your confidence tenfold and it gives you more drive.”

“Experiences like this come along once in a lifetime,” concludes Sharon Rooney. “I’m so grateful I got to be a part of it.”

This year’s additions to the Breakthrough Brits legacy have already made it through a rigorous selection process. We believe that their stars have already begun to sparkle, but we can ensure they shine forever brightly.

If you would like to help make that happen, contact: [email protected]

THE BREAKTHROUGH BRITS 2013A reminder of the stars selected last year…

Ade Oyefeso ActorArthur Williams PresenterChloe Pirrie ActressDan Pearce Game DeveloperDominic Mitchell WriterEd Barratt ProducerJames Floyd ActorMitu Khandaker Game DeveloperNisha Parti ProducerOliver Clarke Game DeveloperPaul Brannigan ActorRex Crowle Game DeveloperRowan Athale Writer-DirectorSharon Rooney ActressSophia George Game DesignerTom Holland ActorZam Salim Writer-Director


KatieLeungActress


K atie Leung will be instantly recognisable to any fan of the Harry Potter films, having broken many a teenage girls’

hearts by playing the young wizard’s first love interest, Cho Chang.

Many young actresses would have wilted under the intense spotlight, but Leung is clearly made of sterner stuff (must be her Scottish upbringing – she was born in Motherwell). She has taken on leading roles in television and theatre, including Poirot and Father Brown. In 2011, she was one of the leads in Channel 4’s acclaimed drama Run, and she has earned rave reviews for her recent stage performance in the National Theatre’s The World of Extreme Happiness. Next up is a new two-part BBC drama One Child, written by the BAFTA-winning Guy Hibbert.

Having been plucked out of obscurity for Harry Potter, Leung decided to take on some formal training: she is now two-thirds of the way through a BA in Acting at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

“I can’t really believe it,” she says of her Breakthrough Brits selection. “As an Asian actor it’s very difficult to get work… I came really close to giving it all up. I don’t come from a family of actors, which makes it difficult to get feedback. But to know that BAFTA is backing me and that my work is being appreciated just means the world.”


MarcWilliamson


Producer/Director

directors. However, Williamson wanted to reshoot the film – essentially making it from scratch – and convinced the broadcaster to let him and his student crew return to Muntham House to make The Last Chance School.

This 60-minute film was watched by 1.2 million viewers on broadcast and earned Williamson another Grierson nomination.

Since then, he has directed episodes of Royal Marines Commando School, Posh Pawn and Our World War. He is also one of two directors working on a new Channel 4 series called NHS: The Cost of Living.

“I’ve only been able to make the films I’ve made so far by people taking a chance on me,” Williamson says, “so I’m really grateful to BAFTA. I’m hoping it will open more doors for me, so I can keep making the kind of films I like to make.”

M arc Williamson has the documentary film bug. Just a few minutes into a conversation with

Williamson, a recent graduate from the National Film and Television School (NFTS), and it becomes clear he has a deep passion for this artform.

Williamson developed a show-and-not-tell style, eschewing talking head footage to allow the onscreen action to tell the story, which he used on his graduation film, Boys. Shot at Muntham House School, a boarding school for boys with behavioural difficulties, the film was nominated for a Grierson Trust British Documentary Award and won the Student Doc award at Sheffield Doc/Fest in 2013.

The film so impressed Channel 4, it commissioned Boys as part of its key First Cut documentary strand, which showcases films by new and exciting

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MikeBrett

Steve Jamison

working between them as teachers, a film journalist, an ad agency scriptwriter and an artist, before making the decision to go into business together and setting up their production company, Archer’s Mark, in 2008. As well as directing their own films, both factual and fictional, they are also

keen to support other new filmmakers with the production and release of their features.

“We’ve forged our identity without external pressure,” says Brett, “but now is the time to connect with the rest of the industry… It’s slightly unusual to finance, produce and direct your first movie and it’s very easy to live in a bubble if you do that. BAFTA is the nexus where talented people meet, and we’d love to take advantage of that.”

“We’d like to be more ambitious in the stories we’re able to tell as filmmakers,” adds Jamison. “As producers, we’d like to think we’re able to help other young filmmakers tread the same path we’re on now. We want to help them execute what they want to make. We want to be more ambitious and we want to help other people be more ambitious, too.”

F ootball fans (and lovers of pub quizzes) can probably tell you what the worst defeat ever recorded is: Australia 31-0

American Samoa in 2001. What they may not be able to tell you – unless they have seen co-director-producer duo Mike Brett and Steve Jamison’s excellent debut documentary feature, Next Goal Wins – is what happened next. To say the pair captured lightning in a bottle, on their first attempt, is an understatement.

Brett and Jamison have taken a circuitous route into filmmaking,


Producer/Director

Producer/Director


RayPanthaki


Actor/Producer I f Ray Panthaki has a face you think you’ve seen before, that’s because he has and you did. Like many British actors, Panthaki cut his

teeth on television, and starred in a variety of one-shot dramas and long-running serials over the last decade or so. But a turning point came in 2006 with Kidulthood, which Panthaki not only acted in but also co-produced.

Since then, Panthaki has been carving out a career on the other side of the camera. The most recent addition is 2014’s Convenience, a smart and riotous comedy in which he stars alongside Adeel Akhtar and Vicky McClure. He has also acted in Amit Gupta’s One Crazy Thing, and is due to star in Fortunate Sons, a film about honour killings, later this year.

Panthaki is particularly proud of a short film he wrote, directed and produced last year called Life Sentence. A fictional story about inner city knife crime, it won several awards and is being used for educational purposes in schools and young offender institutions across the UK.

“Knife crime is very personal to me,” explains Panthaki. “I’m so proud of what we achieved with Life Sentence and it has given me the desire to direct more. It’s having an impact on people and that’s very fulfilling.

“But it’s been a long hard graft getting to this point. I took a decision to earn my stripes and I’ve made many sacrifices in my life over the past 10 years to get here. I feel that all the artistic sacrifices I’ve made have been worth it.”


ReeceMillidgeGame Developer

more than 70 projects for Nexus Productions – gave him the tools with which to create his stunning visions. While the gameplay is different in each game, both are inventive, whimsical and engaging, and all delivered with a very British sensibility that appeals across the generations.

“The best email I ever received was from a grandparent who had been playing it with his grandchild,” the Brighton-based developer says. “That meant more than any award. Kids pick up games really quickly, but when you

hear grandparents like it as well, that’s fantastic. That’s what I was aiming for.

“BAFTA’s support has come at a really good time,” he adds. “I’ve been working alone for the last four years or so and it’s got to the point where the games are bigger than me. I need to know the best practices of expansion and I need help in business, writing and games strategies.”

T here’s something a little bit wonderful about Reece Millidge, from the name of his own micro-studio, Damp Gnat, to the charm of his two award-winning browser

and mobile games, Wonderputt and Icycle: On Thin Ice. That both games are solely the fruit of Millidge’s own hard work, and were self-funded, makes them all the more impressive.

Millidge’s background in art – he’s a Royal College of Art graduate – and animation – he was head of animation and compositing on



SarahWalker S arah Walker was born to

direct. A childhood of making home movies starring the family dog soon led to a

career in direction. Her credits now include numerous high profile television shows, from Hollyoaks and Dates (for Channel 4) to Waterloo Road, The Cut and The Crash (for the BBC). The latter really thrust Walker into the spotlight and saw her nominated for a BAFTA Scotland award in 2013. She has also set up her own company, Underdog Productions.

Despite all of this, she was still surprised to hear she’d been named a Breakthrough Brit. “When they told me I actually said, ‘Are you serious?’” Walker laughs. “Girls don’t tend to win these things very much, particularly girl directors, so I was very surprised and honoured.”

Up until now she’s predominantly directed television, but Walker’s ambition is to work across both this medium and film, where her professional career started as third assistant director on Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. She currently has a television show (Summer Blues) and film (New Year’s Kiss) both in development.

“I’ve always seen myself as a storyteller and I’m inspired by people like Joss Whedon and Kathryn Bigelow,” Walker notes. “In a perfect world, I’d like to make New Year’s Kiss next year, but Summer Blues has also had some interest… I’d love to meet an amazing producer and exec who really understand and click with my work. I know they’re out there, but I haven’t met many yet.”


Director


StacyMartinActress


I f you are going to announce yourself onto the world stage, then a lead role in a Lars von Trier film is a good way to do it. Stacy Martin’s provocative

yet sensitive performance in the auteur’s Nymphomaniac, in which she plays the younger version of Charlotte Gainsbourg’s titular character, made for a remarkable debut.

Like her fellow Breakthrough Brit Callum Turner, the young actress turned to modelling before her acting career started to blossom. This past year has seen her shoot three films: The Tale of Tales for Gomorrah director, Matteo Garrone, alongside Vincent Cassel and John C Reilly; Ben Wheatley’s new film, High Rise, based on the JG Ballard novel; and French film La Dame dans l’auto avec des lunettes et un fusil, directed by Joann Sfar. Martin is fluent in French and is also due to shoot Taj Mahal, with writer-director Nicolas Saada. She will soon appear in The Childhood of a Leader, co-starring Robert Pattinson, Tim Roth and Bérénice Bejo.

“To be recognised by BAFTA is a massive deal for someone who enters this world in an unconventional way like me,” Martin says. “I didn’t do the ‘three years at drama school’ path. I’ve had to find my own way of working, my own way of breaking into the industry. It can be very competitive and you can feel lonely at times, because you’re always compared with other people.

“I hope to find a sense of community among creatives and artists, where we can all respect our work and have insightful conversations about what we love and the films we love. I know it exists.”


Tandis JenhudsonComposer


for a BAFTA Cymru Award in 2005, it became clear that Jenhudson would have to sacrifice one of his interests and, fortunately for the industry, music won out. His faith in his musical career bore fruit in 2013 when he received his first television broadcast credit for the BBC’s documentary Martin Luther King and the March on Washington, which received

a BAFTA nomination at this year’s Television Awards.“Breakthrough Brits provides a source of publicity

within the industry that you just can’t generate yourself,” says the composer, who has also taught himself percussion, guitar, bass and synthesisers. “Self-promotion and self-marketing are all well and good, but to get the backing of BAFTA is amazing. I’d like to work with a wider range of people… but even if I get only one new collaborator from this, it will be wonderful.”

L ike many of this year’s Breakthrough Brits, composer Tandis Jenhudson entered the industry through a rather non-

traditional route. Born in Clapham to an Iranian bank clerk and Thai carpenter, he showed an interest in music at a young age, studying piano throughout his childhood, but ultimately opted to study medicine at University College London.

However, his interest in music never waned and he composed his first soundtrack for a short film in the same year he graduated to become a hospital doctor in 2004. With soundtracks created for 19 short films to date, including one which was nominated


WilliamPughGame Designer

A t the age of just 20, William Pugh already has a remarkable three BAFTA nominations to his name.

His game, The Stanley Parable, co-developed with Australian Davey Wreden, used the Half-Life 2 engine to create a world that explores the nature of ‘choice’ in gaming. That’s a very dry description of something that is thoroughly original, with an interactive narrative that beguiles, delights, surprises and shocks in equal measure. If The Stanley Parable doesn’t make you laugh out loud at least once then you are missing a funny bone.

The title was BAFTA-nominated for Debut Game, Game Innovation and Story, with a fourth nomination going to Kevin Brighting for Performer as the game’s narrator.

“It’s like being thrown into some weird alternate world that you can only dream about,” says Pugh about his Breakthrough Brits selection, although it could just as easily describe The Stanley Parable. “It’s hard to vocalise what it means, because it’s so grand. I don’t have the life experience to put it into context. It’s already a massive honour, and to have it now, when I’m still developing and finding my feet, is amazing.”

He adds: “I want to diversify as a creative person. I’ve had the privilege and scariness of not going to university – The Stanley Parable was my university – so I’m still finding my path. I feel the momentum from The Stanley Parable is all very conceptual, whereas this next year will be a great opportunity for me to turn that into something tangible.”



SEEING SOMETHING NEW.

The Courtyard at Rosewood London, steps away from Covent Garden

A SENSE OF PLACE. ROSEWOOD LONDON NOW OPEN.

+44 20 7781 8888 | [email protected]


AJ RiachEmail [email protected]

Tel +44 (0)20 3287 5830

Twitter @ajriach

Web www.madasbirdsfilms.com

Ashley KendallEmail [email protected]

Agent Simeon Klein at Remark!

Agent email [email protected]

Agent tel +44 (0)20 7269 2623

Callum TurnerTwitter @CallumRTurner

Agent Olivia Woodward at Curtis Brown


Agent tel +44 (0)20 7393 4484

If you wish to make contact with any of the Breakthrough Brits, here are their details...

Charu DesodtEmail [email protected]

Tel +44 (0)7942 910943

Twitter @CharuDesodt

Chris LuntEmail [email protected]

Tel +44 (0)7869 130294

Twitter @dodgethedraft

Agent Rob Kraitt at Casarotto Ramsay & Associates Ltd


Agent tel +44 (0)20 7287 4450

Agent web www.casarotto.co.uk

Daniel GrayEmail [email protected]

Tel +44 (0)20 7613 0433

Twitter @dan_gray; @ustwogames

Destiny EkaraghaEmail [email protected]

Twitter @destinyfilms

Web www.destinyekaragha.com

Agent Fay Davies at The Agency


Agent tel +44 (0)20 7727 1346

Jonathan AsserAgent (UK) Sean Gascoine at United Agents


Agent tel +44 (0)20 3214 0800

Agent (US) David Flynn at United Talent


Agent tel +1 310 273 6700


Katie LeungTwitter @Kt_Leung

Agent Curtis Brown

Agent emails [email protected]; [email protected]

Agent tel +44 (0)20 7393 4343

Agent web www.curtisbrown.co.uk/katie-leung

Marc WilliamsonEmail [email protected]

Tel +44 (0)7793 604407

Web www.bellowfilms.com

Mike Brett Email [email protected]

Tel +44 (0)20 7426 5160

Twitter @archersmark

Web www.archersmark.co.uk

Agent Mady Neil at 42


Agent tel +44 (0)20 7292 0554

Ray PanthakiTwitter @raypanthaki

Agent Dawn Green at Creative Artists Management


Agent tel +44 (0)20 7292 0600

Literary agent Laura Rourke at Independent Talent Group


Agent tel +44 (0)20 7636 6565

Reece MillidgeEmail [email protected]

Tel +44 (0)7870 442762

Twitter @dampgnat

Web www.dampgnat.com

Sarah WalkerEmail [email protected]

Agent Michelle Archer at United Agents


Agent tel +44 (0)20 3214 0946

Stacy MartinAgent Molly Wansell at 42


Agent tel +44 (0)20 7292 0554

Steve JamisonEmail [email protected]

Tel +44 (0)20 7426 5160

Twitter @archersmark

Web www.archersmark.co.uk

Agent Mady Neil at 42


Agent tel +44 (0)20 7292 0554

Tandis JenhudsonEmail [email protected]

Tel +44 (0)20 7612 7400

Twitter @tandisjenhudson

Web www.tandismusic.com

William PughEmail [email protected]

Tel +44 (0)7908 382579

Twitter @HonestWilliam

Web www.williamis.cool


BREAKTHROUGH BRITS JURY

John WillisJury Chair

Georg BackerGames Sub-committee Chair

Hilary Bevan JonesFilm and Television Sub-committee Chair

James DeanFilm and Television Sub-committee Chair

Richard AyoadeRonan Bennett

Barbara Broccoli oBeCharles Cecil mBe

Olivia ColmanTim Corrie

Molly DineenAnne Dudley

Nina KristensenPolly Leys

Mike NewellJack O’Connell

Ula PontikosLee Schuneman

Piers Wenger

BREAKTHROUGH BRITS FILM AND TELEVISION

SUB-COMMITTEE

John AltmanGeorgina Lowe

Nick ManziSara Putt

Jamie WolpertBrian Woods

BREAKTHROUGH BRITS GAMES SUB-COMMITTEE

Shahid AhmadDebbie Bestwick

Kim BlakeLorna Evans

Johnny MinkleyAndy Payne

Ella Romanos

Thanks

BURBERRY

ROSEWOOD LONDON

AUDI

FREUDS

PHOTOSHOOT CREW

PhotographerIan Derrywww.ianderry.com

Photographer’s AssistantJakub Gloser


BREAKTHROUGH BRITS SUPPORTERS AND FRIENDS

BAFTA would like to extend our sincere thanks to all those who have been involved in the Breakthrough Brits programme as supporters, mentors and friends. Your passion, generosity and commitment to supporting BAFTA’s new and emerging talent is extraordinary.

Amma AsanteJosh AtkinsSir David Attenborough ch, cBeMark BacklerTim Bevan cBeHilary Bevan JonesMike BithellKim BlakeJohn BoormanDouglas BoothEdith BowmanDanny BoylePaulina BozekSir Kenneth BranaghBarbara Broccoli oBeJenne CasarottoChris ChibnallOlivia ColmanSimon DaviesRussell T Davis oBeJames DeanKieron EdwardsHarvey ElliottSean EllisChristopher FiggStephen FrearsEmma Freud oBeStephen FrySue GoffePaul GreengrassTony GrisoniAndy HarriesPippa Harris

Blake HarrisonMiranda HartSir Max HastingsDavid HaymanDavid HeymanMartin HollisRobin HunickeMiles Jacobson oBeImre JeleToby JonesDaniel KaluuyaAsif KapadiaLiz KarlsenLiam KeelanDuncan Kenworthy oBeSir Ben Kingsley cBeHideo KojimaDavid KosseChristine LanganKate LeeIan Livingstone cBeNigel LowrieCharlie LyneJames MarshDan MarshallCharity MasseyGugu Mbatha-RawPollyanna McIntoshStephen MoffatCharles MooreAbi MorganCarol MorleyAnne Morrison

Peter MullanCillian MurphyLizo MzimbaMike NewellSteve NovemberNira ParkAndy Payne oBeSimon PeggWill PoulterSara PuttLynne RamsayCameron RoachSir Tony RobinsonTessa Ross cBeDominic SavageLee SchunemanDougray ScottDiarmid ScrimshawSheridan SmithFiona SperryBen StephensonGraeme StruthersLouis TherouxJo TwistPiers WengerJohn WillisMichael WinterbottomVictoria Wood cBePaul WrightWill WrightJohn Yorke


For BAFTA

Senior Manager, Talent DevelopmentAlex Cook

Event & Legacy ProducerClaire Stratton

Director of Learning & EventsTim Hunter

Learning & Events TeamSelina BrathwaiteJulia CarruthersBradley DownEvan HoranJess LentenMorgan Tovey-Frost

Director of ProductionClare Brown

BAFTA ProductionsMarc BakerGeorgina CunninghamDaniel DaltonCassandra HybelSophie Klein

EVENT & PROJECT STAFF

Head of PartnershipsLouise Robertson

Partner ManagerAmy Elton

OnlineOli GoldmanPippa IrvineGenevieve Smith

PR & Learning Campaigns ManagerNiyi Akeju

Photography DirectorJanette Dalley

Event PhotographerJonny Birch

BROCHURE

Graphic DesignerAdam Tuck

Print EditorToby Weidmann

British Academy of Film and Television Arts195 PiccadillyLondon w1J 9ln

t: +44 (0)20 7734 0022f : +44 (0)20 7292 5869www.bafta.org

ChairAnne Morrison

Chief ExecutiveAmanda Berry oBe

Chief Operating OfficerKevin Price

The Academy chooses Regency Satin, supporting excellence in print. Brochure printed on Regency Satin 300g/m² (cover) and 150g/m² (text) supplied by PaperlinX. The carbon impact of this paper has been measured and balanced through the World Land Trust, an ecological charity. www.paperlinx.com

© BAFTA 2014


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BAFTA Breakthrough Brits 2014