BAFTA Announces US and UK Jury Members for BAFTA Breakthrough 2021

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) has announced the US and UK Jury members for this year’s BAFTA Breakthrough initiative, supported by Netflix.

This year, talent will be selected by a panel of cross-industry juries across the US and the UK. The global juries took place virtually with leading figures across the film, games, and television industries collaborating and contributing from across the globe. You can see the official jury list below:

Full list of 2021 US Jurors:

• Niamh Algar – Actor (Raised By Wolves)
• Laura Berwick – Manager/Producer (Berwick & Kovacik)
• Leon Brazil – Art & Animation Director (Unbroken Studios)
• Ellen Kuras  – Director/Cinematographer (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind)
• Maria Ishak – Jury Co-Chair (Head of Content & Coproductions, Asacha Media Group)
• Siddhartha Khosla – Composer (This Is Us)
• Bruce Miller – Creator/Showrunner (The Handmaid’s Tale)
• Karl Stewart – Jury Co-Chair (CEO and Co-founder of Thunder Child)
• Colin Trevorrow  – Director (Jurassic World: Dominion)
• Rutina Wesley  – Actor (Queen Sugar)

Full list of 2021 UK Jurors:

• Ade Rawcliffe – Chair | Group Director of Diversity and Inclusion at ITV 
• Afua Hirsch – Journalist/Cultural Commentator
• Alisa Pomeroy – Senior Commissioning Editor, Factual (Channel 4)
• Clare Stewart – Festival Director
• David P Davis –  Executive Producer (Bad Wolf)
• Fiona Lamptey – Director of UK Features (Netflix)
• Jodie Azhar – Games Developer
• Julia Godzinskaya – Film Producer (The Witch)
• Kharmel Cochrane – Casting Director (The Lighthouse)
• Molly Emma Rowe – Costume Designer (The Informer)
• Peter Hoar – TV Director (It’s A Sin)
• Siobhan Reddy – Studio Director (Media Molecule)
• Tim Renkow – Writer/Performer (Jerk)
• Vanessa Whyte – DOP (Ted Lasso)

BAFTA Breakthrough, launched globally in May 2020, is BAFTA’s flagship new talent initiative that identifies and supports the next generation of creative talent in film, games and television. As the main supporting partner for the third year on BAFTA Breakthrough, Netflix continues to provide integral support in the global expansion.

The initiative, previously known as Breakthrough Brits, has been running in the UK since 2013 and in the US and India since the global expansion last year. Since its launch in 2013, BAFTA Breakthrough has championed over 160 talented newcomers, including performers such as Bukky Bakray, Letitia Wright, Florence Pugh, and Josh O’Connor. Supporters of the initiative in recent years who have taken one-to-one meetings to offer development and career advice to participants include Olivia Colman, Brad Pitt, Barry Jenkins and Tilda Swinton.

“I am proud of the impact BAFTA Breakthrough USA has had so far, and we are excited to continue nurturing creative talents for this second year,” states Matthew Wiseman, CEO of BAFTA Los Angeles. “The support of Netflix has been essential to creating a global programme and we are thrilled to continue working with them to champion new talent. Now, more than ever, it is crucial to support emerging artists by providing valuable resources, and opportunities to network and collaborate.”

This year’s global participants from both the US and UK will be announced on Wednesday, December 8, with the 2021 and 2022 cohort of participants being celebrated and showcased together in 2022.