BAFTA - Celebrating all Things Moving Art

BAFTA is the British Academy of Film and Television Arts which prides itself on celebrating all things moving art. BAFTA is the equivalent to America’s Academy Awards or Golden Globes, which is sponsored by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, only BAFTA hands out somewhat large face-mask instead of little golden men or globes on a pedestal as their statue of choice.

Mitzi Cunliffe, an America n sculpture, designed the famous Grecian maquette which is the traditional BAFTA statue handed out at the annual award ceremonies.

In 1947, when BAFTA first formed, it seemed as if the arts were trying to find their ‘footing’ in the UK. Only 14,000 households owned a television set and theater-goers were only attracted by the traditional, long-standing musicals which were dwindling fast amongst the new cinemas; however cinemas were experiencing their own ups and downs.

British movie houses first began with a yearly all time record of 1,635 million people in 4,710 movie theaters demonstrating that regardless of the continuing post-war rationings, and heightened fuel crises, the cinema still offered the most sensible and smart ‘escape’ from everyday life possible.

Two British movie chains, Gaumont and Odeon which were owned by J. Arthur Rank, began a journey to put British films on the international stage. By the end of 1947, Rank had interest in 730 overseas cinemas with Universal to dispense his own pictures in what was now a lucrative American market.

Rank seemed to hold a monopoly on cinemas both in the UK and the overseas markets so the British Government stepped in and placed a hefty fine – 75 percent – on American films imported after the summer of 1947. America refused to send any new films to Great Britain so they were forced to rerun older movies. In the spring of 1948, the Chancellor of Exchequer, Sir Stafford Cripps, repealed the tax on American films over $17 million and anything remaining would be reinvested into British productions.

This period of severe taxation and manipulation solidified the need for a governing body to effectively represent the creative people and their productions of British Films. A committee was formed to draft a constitution, outline financial matters and submit to an election process for the new Academy.

The British Film Academy continued for 11 years until it combined with the Guild of Television Producers and Directors to form the Society of Film and Television Arts. It wasn’t until 1976 when Her Majesty The Queen, HRH Princess Anne, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh and the Earl of Mountbatten of Burma all attended the opening of a new headquarters located in Piccadilly, which The Queen made possible by donating a portion of the proceeds from the Royal Family documentary by Richard Cawston, it seemed as if everyone wanted to be part of the motion picture industry, even if it were in the ‘background.’ This is when the society officially became known as BAFTA – British Academy of Film and Television Arts.