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from inside bafta
news and events
Calling All Members From Amy Minyard
BAFTA Events And Membership Officer
By now you should have all received your membership renewal forms. Over the past year Juliet McCulloch and I have worked to create a stan- dard membership year which runs from 1 July to 30 June each year. New members can join at any time, on a pro-rata basis, but renewals will now take place in June each year.
This will allow us to deliver a much better service to you by ensuring memberships do not lapse during important voting seasons. This year we have creat- ed a new style renewal form, and we will be issuing a new type of membership card.
We have asked that you send a new photo with your renewal since this photo will be scanned and printed on your new membership card. Photos from old membership cards are not easily scanned. With the new system, you should not
have to give us a new photo in years to come, unless you just want to update your look!
Cultural Diversity
You will also have noticed on the form that we have included a section on Ethnic Monitoring. As a member of the Cultural Diversity Network, it is important for BAFTA to ensure its member- ship reflects the diverse society in which we live and work.
In order to do this, we need to first understand who our member- ship is. Over the past year we have held several events focus- ing on cultural diversity – such as Shortcuts to Screen: Diversity and Film Distribution, produced by Amma Asante and From Bollywood to Britain, produced by Parminder Vir.
The events programme is an important way BAFTA can address current issues in the film, television, and new media indus- tries and through the events like these and the BAFTA at the Bar Networking Evenings, we have attracted many new members from a variety of backgrounds.
The ethnic monitoring question on the renewal form will allow us to see how our membership reflects the industry as a whole. As stated on the form, the informa- tion will only be used in a general way to establish statistics about our membership as a whole.
No information about a single person will be given out or used, and it will not affect your mem- bership in any way. I hope that you will see this as a positive step that the Academy has taken to ensure we have all voices of our industries represented in our membership.
You will also note that on the renewal form this year we have
asked you to update all of your details, rather than just your con- tact details. This will ensure we have current work details for all of our membership and we can tai- lor the events to suit your inter- ests. Please do take the time to fill out the whole of the renewal form, as it really will help us serve you better.
Introducing Toby
We have also hired a new per- son in the Events and Membership Department. Toby Coke recently began working at BAFTA as the Events and Membership Assistant. His back- ground is in film and television production, having worked as a First Assistant Director, Production Co-Ordinator and Floor Runner.
His main responsibilities will be processing new applicants and administering the renewal process with Juliet each year. He will also take responsibility for Events Bookings and the monthly Events Programme mailing. Juliet will still work on membership administration but she will now spend more of her time on events.
Branching Out
There has never been a more exciting time in the events programme. From September we will be including information on the events and screenings in BAFTA Wales, Scotland and the North of England in the monthly programme, and your BAFTA membership card will allow you access to these events. Information on how to book will be listed in the programme, and for some events there may be a charge.
We are also starting to hold BAFTA events in the Midlands and
in Bristol. The first such event took place in Birmingham with a screening of Lawless Heart at UGC Five Ways, followed by a reception sponsored by the BBC. Recently re-joined BAFTA Member Roger Shannon, who was also one of the Executive Producers of the film, was instru- mental in planning this event. We hope to hold events in the Midlands alternating between Birmingham and Nottingham.
In Bristol, we will soon be hold- ing events with the Watershed Media Centre. I hope the first such event will take place in August. The Watershed is home to the Brief Encounters Short Film Festival and Animated Encounters, Bristol International Animation Festival.
We hope to be able to bring some of the events from these wonderful festivals to you in London, as well as taking some of our best events and putting them on in Bristol. However, with the wealth of creative activity in Bristol, many events will originate from Bristol and I hope some of you may find it worth the train journey to attend them. The venue is fantastic, with a view over the river, an informal bar, interactive media rooms and three theatres.
Our ultimate aim is to create a national events programme that is of benefit to all our members and not just those living and working in London. If you would like to become involved in pro- ducing events outside London then please do contact me.
In order to make the events programme more accessible, we have also begun filming all events. If you are unable to attend something and would like a video of the event, one can be
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