BAFTA Under Scrutiny Again Over Male-only Director Nominees

The United Kingdom TV industry is under scrutiny after all the nominations for the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA) TV Craft Awards for direction were men. In the list all the 12 nominees for the Best Director category were men. We Are Doc Women collective that supports female directors in the UK Television industry expressed their disdain over the treatment meted out to female directors at BAFTA Awards. The collective, established in 2017, advocates for equal opportunities, greater support and fair recognition within the industry for female directors.

The collective reportedly said that it will be contacting major broadcasters and production houses over the “saddening and angering” lack of female representation. The collective while criticizing the same said that the shock of the male-only nominations was “one step forward and two steps back”.

In 2020, a similar incident happened during BAFTA which prompted the collective to approach the organisers. However, in 2021, the scenario was flipped with 50% of nominees being women and Teresa Griffiths winning for BBC Two’s Lee Miller: A Life on the Front Line.

But the award show organisers backtracked this year with all-male nominees for categories Director: Fiction list and having only one female nominee in Director: Multi-Camera category.

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The UK Collective called for industry-wide change from broadcasters, commissioners, the production community, BAFTA and others. We Are Doc Women said that BAFTA, TV industry speaks of having diversity but the lack of female directors’ representation says otherwise.

A report quoted a BAFTA executive saying that in many areas of the Craft nomination categories, where the split is 50/50 including writers and directors does not translate effectively through the entire talent pipeline.

The chief of UK trade body directors, however, counters that and said that the diverse makeup does not reflect on the Best Director level. He said that emerging talents are supported through various initiatives but there’s no support for them through the middle of their careers.

Harrower told the publication that the matter is not just about nominations but about the reflection of the industry. He expressed the need to create sustainable career pathways for directors to help them avoid hitting glass ceilings. He also added that the industry needs to be cognizant of the barriers to progress further and ensure that women are provided with a sustainable career path and opportunities that fulfil their potential.