For most people BAFTA is simply the name of the annual TV and Film awards, but the organisation also put on a whole host of events, from screenings and panel discussions to courses and workshops, both at their London headquarters on Piccadilly but also regionally all over the UK. Here’s our pick of the upcoming May highlights that tickets are still available for:
Tuesday 04 May, 18:30pm: Lennon Naked Screening and Christopher Eccleston Q&A – Tickets £7.50
Princess Anne Theatre, BAFTA, 195 Piccadilly, London W1J 9LN
Christopher Eccleston is John Lennon, in a BBC film which charts his transition from Beatle John to enduring and enigmatic icon. The screening is followed by a Q&A with Christopher Eccleston, writer Robert Jones and director Edmund Coulthard.
Wednesday 05 May, 19:30pm: BAFTA Rocliffe New Writing Forum + 10 year anniversary party – Tickets £6
Princess Anne Theatre, BAFTA, 195 Piccadilly, London W1J 9LN
The BAFTA Rocliffe New Writing Forum is both a platform for new writing, and a networking event. The format selects three 7-8 minute script extracts -feature film, short film or television drama sketches. The pieces are cast by a casting director, and rehearsed by professional actors and directors on the evening. A narrator sets the piece in context and the extracts are then performed to an audience of producers, development executives, directors, actors and literary agents on the night. Following the event ticket holders will be invited to join a special party to celebrate the 10 Year Anniversary of the BAFTA Rocliffe New Writing Forum.
Wednesday 12 May, 18:15pm: Avatar Layout: from template to film –Tickets £6
Princess Anne Theatre, 195 Piccadilly, W1J 9LN
New Zealand-based Weta Digital is the BAFTA and Oscar-winning effects company behind James Cameron’s Avatar. In this special talk, Head of Layout and Animation Technologies, Shawn Dunn will talk through the unique technical challenges for the effects team which involved using a new camera system, shooting on a virtual stage and developing supporting software and a new production pipeline to deliver the film in realistic high density 3D.
Thursday 13 May, 19:00pm Election 2010 – The TV Debates – Tickets £7.50
BAFTA, 195 Piccadilly, London W1J 9LN
What impact did the televised leaders’ debates have on the outcome of the General Election? Hear the views from a panel of leading television and political figures, who played a key role in bringing the first ever Prime Ministerial debates to screens. Andrew Neil will chair a panel of guests including Michael Jermey (Director of ITV News, Current Affairs & Sport), Sue Inglish (Head of BBC Political Programmes, Analysis and Research), Alastair Stewart (ITV Presenter) and Adam Boulton (Political Editor, Sky News)
Tuesday 25 May, 19:00 Preview Screening – The IT Crowd – Tickets £7.50
BAFTA, 195 Piccadilly, London W1J 9LN
A special preview screening of the BAFTA award winning comedy, The IT Crowd, written by Graham Linehan. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with writer Graham Linehan and Katherine Parkinson., with the possibility of other cast members attending TBC.
Friday 28 May, 18:30pm: Stanley Bielecki and the classic art of film Marketing – tickets £7.50
Princess Anne Theatre, BAFTA, 195 Piccadilly, London W1J 9LN
While Stanley Bielecki may not be a household name to film fans, the smash hits he helped to market certainly are: Rocky Horror Picture Show, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Star Wars, and Alien to name but a few. For this event, Bleiecki’s friends and former collaborators will celebrate some of his best commissions.
