A Night at the 2025 BAFTA Awards!

As a film lover, one of my favourite pastimes is going to the movies. This is probably because I was a teenager in the 1980s; this is when cinema was one of the most exciting things  to do, growing up in South London. 

Meeting Hard Truths Actress Marianne Jean- Baptiste BAFTA.jpg

Fast forward to 2025 and I continue to love watching feature films in the cinema with a large popcorn and a friend close by  to whisper comments to. So it is an utter joy for me to be part of the BAFTA community. 

I joined in 2019 and over the past 6 years I have witnessed BAFTAs renewal into a relevant, rich and diverse institution that is brave, ambitious and has, in my opinion, the right priorities for the future of film. 

I am a huge advocate for the creative industries in the UK and BAFTA is one of our key powerhouses for this exciting industry to grow and flourish.

Over the weekend, I was privileged to be invited along to celebrate with all of the BAFTA nominees at the BAFTA pre- awards party at the National Gallery. I met up with old friends, such as Ade Rawcliffe, ITVs Chief People office and I was introduced to new ones like Kirk Hendry, the director of Kensuke’s Kingdom. 

This year BAFTA chose me to chair their new Children's and Family Awards. Engaging with 13 experts in this area, was a wonderful insight into a range of fascinating views which led to a strong shortlist of amazing films: Flow, Kensukes Kingdom, Wallace and Gromit and Wild Robot and ultimately and well chosen winner: Wallace and Gromit.

I am passionate about inspiring young people today to watch and engage with cinema. Back in the day, it made me so very happy and inspired me to ultimately create my own film production company, Chocolate Films.