Prince William Gives Royal Nod to New BAFTA Schemes

variety.com:

Naman Ramachandran Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, who also serves as the president of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), has thrown his weight behind a range of new schemes to support up-and-coming talent.During the Duke’s visit to the recently redeveloped BAFTA headquarters at 195 Piccadilly in London on Thursday, the organization unveiled plans for the Prince William BAFTA Bursary fund, aimed at talented individuals who, due to financial reasons, would otherwise not be able to pursue careers in the screen industries.This year, Elevate, BAFTA’s year-long industry support and activity program, will open to scripted and non-scripted producers working in film and television who are disabled, from minority ethnic backgrounds and from low-socioeconomic backgrounds.

In addition, BAFTA also revealed Connect, a new discounted tier of membership for emerging and mid-level professionals who will be able to access BAFTA’s membership benefits at an earlier career stage.The schemes are developed based on BAFTA’s ongoing research with industry practitioners from under-represented groups on the barriers to progression in the screen industries.During his visit, the Duke met with BAFTA career development grant recipients and played a game created by Young Game Designers competition finalist, Harry Petch.