BAFTA Award for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer facts for kids
Quick facts for kids BAFTA Award for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer |
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The 2025 recipient: Rich Peppiatt for "Kneecap"
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| Presented by | British Academy of Film and Television Arts |
| Location | London |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| First awarded | 1998 |
| Currently held by | Rich Peppiatt for Kneecap (2024) |
The BAFTA Award for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer is a special film award given out every year at the British Academy Film Awards in London. The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) is a British group that hosts big awards shows. They celebrate achievements in film, television, and video games.
This "Outstanding Debut" award celebrates new writers, directors, and producers. It honors their very first films that have been shown in cinemas. The award is given to remember Carl Foreman, who was a famous screenwriter and producer.
- From 1998 to 2000, this award was called the Carl Foreman Award for Most Promising Newcomer in British Film. It was given to a writer, director, or producer.
- From 2001 to 2008, it was known as the Carl Foreman Award for Special Achievement by a British Director, Writer, or Producer in their first Feature Film.
- Since 2009, it has been called the Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer.
Contents
How the Winners Are Chosen
Unlike many other BAFTA Awards, where members vote, the Outstanding Debut Award is different. A special group of experts from the film industry decides the nominees and the winner. This group, called a jury, watches and thinks about eligible films throughout the year. The jury can choose to nominate any combination of a first-time writer, director, or producer involved in a film.
Many important people have led this jury over the years. These include Prof. Anthony Mellows, Simon Relph, Stephen Woolley, Tanya Seghatchian, Briony Hanson, and Clare Stewart.
People on the jury usually serve for several years. Some past winners of the award have even become jurors themselves. These include Asif Kapadia, Mark Jenkin, and Babak Anvari. Other famous jury members have included Naomi Ackie, David Arnold, and Ruth Wilson.
Award History
The very first version of this award started in 1991. It was set up by the Foreman Williams Jones Foundation. Back then, it gave scholarships to promising British students. These scholarships helped them study filmmaking in the United States.
The award as we know it today began in 1997. The Foundation and BAFTA worked together on it until 2009. The goal was to support British filmmaking. It recognized the most promising new British talent in screenwriting, producing, or directing. The first award in its current form was given in 1998. In 2009, the award's name changed, and BAFTA now manages it completely. It is still given in honor of Carl Foreman.
Winners and Nominees
This section lists the talented individuals and their films who have won or been nominated for this special award. The winner for each year is highlighted in yellow.
1990s Winners
| Year | Film | Winner(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Carl Foreman Award for Most Promising Newcomer in British Film | ||
| 1998 | Love and Death on Long Island | Richard Kwietniowski |
| 1999 | Ratcatcher | Lynne Ramsay |
2000s Winners
| Year | Film | Winner(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Last Resort | Paweł Pawlikowski |
| Carl Foreman Award for Special Achievement by a British Director, Writer or Producer in their first Feature Film | ||
| 2001 | Jump Tomorrow | Joel Hopkins, Nicola Usborne |
| 2002 | The Warrior | Asif Kapadia |
| 2003 | Kiss of Life | Emily Young |
| 2004 | A Way of Life | Amma Asante |
| 2005 | Pride & Prejudice | Joe Wright |
| 2006 | Red Road | Andrea Arnold |
| 2007 | Control | Matt Greenhalgh |
| 2008 | Hunger | Steve McQueen (writer/director) |
| Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer | ||
| 2009 | Moon | Duncan Jones (writer/director) |
2010s Winners
| Year | Film | Winner(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Four Lions | Chris Morris (writer/director) |
| 2011 | Tyrannosaur | Paddy Considine (director); Diarmid Scrimshaw (producer) |
| 2012 | The Imposter | Bart Layton (director); Dimitri Doganis (producer) |
| 2013 | Kelly + Victor | Kieran Evans (director/writer) |
| 2014 | Pride | Stephen Beresford (writer); David Livingstone (producer) |
| 2015 | Theeb | Naji Abu Nowar (writer/director); Rupert Lloyd (producer) |
| 2016 | Under the Shadow | Babak Anvari (writer/director); Emily Leo (producer); Oliver Roskill (producer); Lucan Toh (producer) |
| 2017 | I Am Not a Witch | Rungano Nyoni (writer/director); Emily Morgan (producer) |
| 2018 | Beast | Michael Pearce (writer/director); Lauren Dark (producer) |
| 2019 | Bait | Mark Jenkin (writer/director); Kate Byers (producer); Lynn Waite (producer) |
2020s Winners
| Year | Film | Winner(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | His House | Remi Weekes (writer/director) |
| 2021 | The Harder They Fall | Jeymes Samuel (writer/director) |
| 2022 | Aftersun | Charlotte Wells (writer/director) |
| 2023 | Earth Mama | Savanah Leaf (writer/director/producer); Shirley O'Connor (producer); Medb Riordan (producer) |
| 2024 | Kneecap | Rich Peppiatt (director/writer) |
Other Awards for New Talent
BAFTA also has other awards that celebrate new talent in film:
- From 1952 to 1984, there was a separate Newcomer Award for actors. You can find more about it at BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles.
- Since 2006, there's been another award for new actors called the Rising Star Award. For a full list of winners and nominees, see BAFTA Rising Star Award.
See also
In Spanish: Anexo:BAFTA al mejor director, guionista o productor británico novel para niños
