2014 BAFTA Breakthrough Brits, in partnership with Burberry
Jonathan Asser - Writer
Jonathan Asser, 50, grew up in Tadmarton, Oxfordshire and now lives in Camden, north London.
His first ever script became 2013’s powerful and visceral prison drama Starred Up. For the film, Asser was named Best British Newcomer award at the 2013 BFI London Film Festival and was nominated in Best Screenplay category at the British Independent Film Awards. The film drew on Asser’s own experience of working as a psychotherapist within the prison system, where he developed a new therapeutic way to help violent criminals called Shame/Violence Intervention.
Asser said: “I feel proud to have been named as a BAFTA Breakthrough Brit. It feels like an honour and it’s also humbling to be associated with such a talented group of much younger people. It means a lot to me and to my future.”
Mike Brett & Steve Jamison - Producer/Directors
Mike Brett, 33, grew up in Haywards Heath, Sussex and now lives in Tufnell Park, north London. Steve Jamison, 33, grew up in Saddleworth, Greater Manchester and now lives in Hackney, east London.
Brett and Jamison have taken a circuitous route into filmmaking, with past careers between them including teaching, journalism, advertising agency scriptwriting, and as an artist. In 2008 they set up their production company, Archer’s Mark. Their debut documentary feature, Next Goal Wins, about the American Samoan soccer team, reportedly the worst football team in the world, was released earlier this year to critical acclaim.
As well as directing their own films, both factual and fictional, Brett and Jamison are also keen to support other new filmmakers with the production and release of their features. The duo were executive producers on The War Book, featuring a heavy-weight cast including Sophie Okonedo, Antony Sher and Kerry Fox, which screened at this year’s BFI London Film Festival.
Brett said: “I suppose the word ‘breakthrough’ sums up the intense excitement of being selected by BAFTA for this scheme, because it reminds us that we’ve only just started to gain recognition in the industry, and now have an unparalleled opportunity over the next twelve months to really establish our creative voice, and determine the shape of our long-term careers. Cinema is such a collaborative art, so having the BAFTA seal approval in this way will hopefully help us as we continue to connect with other filmmakers we admire, and develop those deep and long-lasting creative relationships that ultimately help everyone create their best possible work.”
Jamison said: “The BAFTA acronym is something every young British filmmaker is inspired by and aspires to, so to be recognised by the Academy in this way and named as a Breakthrough Brit for 2014 is a huge honour. Our debut feature Next Goal Wins was an extremely educational experience and we’re already looking forward to applying the lessons we learned on our next project as directors. So to have BAFTA’s support as we continue our development is a big boost and I’m sure it will have a significant impact on films we make in the future.”
Charu Desodt - Games producer
Charu Desodt, 38, is from west London; she grew up in Hammersmith and now lives in Acton.
Having initially pursued a career in finance, Desodt retrained as an engineer for the games industry. She was the first female engineer hired by Sony’s London Studio, where she was instrumental in creating the technology behind the hugely successful SingStar franchise, before
1
becoming a producer on Wonderbook: Book of Spells, developed in conjunction with JK Rowling, which was nominated for a BAFTA in Game Innovation in 2013. Now a Senior Producer at Microsoft’s Lift London studio, Desodt helps create character-centric tablet and mobile games, adding to a credit list already totalling almost 80 games, including recent puzzler Secrets and Treasure: The Lost Cities.
Desodt said: “Being selected as a Breakthrough Brit feels incredible. It is peer recognition for both the games I’ve made and in my potential. The thought that this is from BAFTA, an organisation that I admire greatly, spurs me on to be more ambitious in what I want to achieve … Britain excels in film, TV and games and I’m looking forward to connecting with and learning from visionaries to share ideas about the future of interactive entertainment. As games gain relevance and recognition, I want to collaborate across industries to explore their potential … Being named a Breakthrough Brit has made me reassess what I might be able to achieve and how I could help the industry evolve.”
Destiny Ekaragha - Director
Destiny Ekaragha, 32, was born and still lives in south-east London.
Ekaragha worked as a PA, a runner, in a cinema and as a sales person before her first taste of success with the short film Tight Jeans, which was voted best short at the London Film Festival by The Observer in 2008. Her debut feature film Gone Too Far!, which is out this October, is only the fourth British film directed by a black woman to be released in cinemas. The film is adapted from Bola Agbaje’s stage play and focuses on the nature of identity and ethnicity in modern multicultural London.
In 2013, Ekaragha was nominated for Best British Newcomer at the BFI London Film Festival, and won the Emerging Talent award at the Screen Nation Awards. Gone Too Far! picked up further awards at the London Comedy Film Festival and Screen Nation Awards in 2014. Ekaragha currently has a number of features in development, including a second with funding from the BFI.
Ekaragha said: “Being named a Breakthrough Brit feels amazing, I’m truly honoured to be a part of. I think that this will give me that extra push in the film industry because of the influential people that it will hopefully put me in touch with. It’s all very exciting!”
Daniel Gray - Games producer
Daniel Gray, 29, grew up in Glossop, Derbyshire and now lives in Haringey, north London.
Gray began his career in games at Lionhead Studios, working on the acclaimed Fable II and Fable III, before becoming a a producer at Hello Games, where he helped bring the racing platformer Joe Danger to the market. He is currently Executive Producer at digital product studio Ustwo, where he produced the innovative Apple Design Award-winning mobile game Monument Valley.
On being named a BAFTA Breakthrough Brit, Gray said: “In all honesty it's the best thing that's ever happened to me, I'm used to all the attention being on the game itself so this is all a little bit surreal at the moment. It sounds a little cheesy, but my aim's been to redefine the way people look at interactive entertainment and the kind of doors that will open with the support of BAFTA will hopefully make this lofty dream a reality.”
Tandis Jenhudson - Composer
Tandis Jenhudson, 34, grew up in Clapham, south London and now lives in Finchley, north London.
2
Jenhudson entered the industry through a non-traditional route; born in London to an Iranian bank clerk and a carpenter from Thailand, he showed an interest in music at a young age, studying piano throughout his childhood, but ultimately opted to study medicine at University College London. Jenhudson composed his first soundtrack for a short film in the same year that he graduated to become a hospital doctor in 2004.
Still working part-time as a doctor, Jenhudson has created soundtracks for 19 short films to date, including one which was nominated for a BAFTA Cymru award in 2005, and received his first television broadcast credit for the BBC’s documentary Martin Luther King and the March on Washington, which received a BAFTA nomination at this year’s Television Awards.
Jenhudson said: “I’m overwhelmed and honoured to have been selected from a pool of such talented individuals. It’s incredibly encouraging to know that BAFTA believes in my work. I will draw inspiration and confidence from this recognition.”
Ashley Kendall - Presenter
Ashley Kendall, 19, grew up in Thirsk, North Yorkshire and Derby, Derbyshire and now lives in Catford, south-east London.
Presenter Kendall started performing while attending the Royal School for the Deaf in Derby. After presenting a British Sign Language (BSL) programme when he was 16, Kendall landed a job at Remark!, the UK’s largest Deaf run media production company. He was soon appearing on the Community Channel’s Punk Chef and Let’s Go Wild, CBBC’s My Life: Signing Off, the BBC’s See Hear and fronting CBeebies’ ground-breaking Magic Hands, which uses a mix of sign language, spoken word, music and animation to bring poems to life. It is the first time that poetry has ever been translated into BSL and Kendall has been at the heart of the work.
Kendall said of his BAFTA Breakthrough Brit honour: “I am absolutely over the moon!! To be officially recognised by the mainstream industry is a huge privilege. It means I can show disabled people everywhere that they too can achieve their professional dreams, like becoming a presenter … I’d like to break down the barriers and encourage employers to employ disabled people.”
Katie Leung - Actress
Katie Leung, 27, grew up in Motherwell, Lanarkshire and now lives in Glasgow.
She made her film debut in 2005 in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire as Harry Potter’s first love interest Cho Chang, and reprised the role in the subsequent films in the series. Since then she has taken on parts in television and theatre, including ITV’s Poirot, the BBC’s Father Brown and Wild Swans in Boston and at the Young Vic theatre in London. In 2011, she was one of the leads in Channel 4’s acclaimed drama Run, and has earned rave reviews for her recent stage performance in the National Theatre’s The World of Extreme Happiness. She will next be seen in the lead role in the new two-part BBC drama One Child, written by the BAFTA-winning Guy Hibbert.
Leung said: “It is a real privilege and honour to be named as a BAFTA Breakthrough Brit! Moreover, to be recognised for the work I have been involved in thus far by experienced and talented people from the industry is beyond incredible. As I am also approaching graduation from drama school [at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland], this opportunity will provide me with the confidence and support in aiding my pursuit of more challenging projects that will hopefully develop my skills and career further.”
3
She added: “As an Asian actor it’s very difficult to get work… I came really close to giving it all up. I don’t come from a family of actors, which makes it difficult to get feedback. But to know that BAFTA is backing me and that my work is being appreciated just means the world.”
Chris Lunt - Writer
Chris Lunt, 43, grew up in Horwich, Lancashire and how lives in Briercliffe, Lancashire.
After leaving schoo, Lunt worked as a lathe turner, then in sales, before getting a job as a cameraman for the Discovery: Home and Leisure channel on a series called Two’s Country. He then spent 10 years with CGI company Red Vision, primarily in business development and sales. After being made redundant in 2010, Chris took up writing full time and set up his own company, Dodge The Draft. His first broadcast credit was the hit ITV miniseries Prey, a three-part thriller, starring John Simm and Rosie Cavaliero, which was watched by an average 5.5 million viewers. Lunt is currently working on a reboot of the iconic British series The Saint.
On being named a BAFTA Breakthrough Brit, Lunt said: “It’s the icing on the cake for a year that included the broadcast of my first television series. As a writer you tend to work in isolation, so being recognised by the industry and named a Breakthrough Brit is a great boost to the confidence and a fair indication that I’m on the right track. BAFTA is a globally recognised institution, so to simply be associated with them is a massive accolade. As for the future, my plan is to strive to be a better writer, to remain ambitious and continue telling stories that people will want to see. I have no doubt that being a Breakthrough Brit will help me achieve all my goals… Having struggled for so many years, I hope that my story inspires other emerging writers. I hope that it underscores that even more mature writers can ‘breakthrough’, and that if you have a dream you should never, ever, give it up.”
Stacy Martin - Actress
Stacy Martin, 24, grew up in Paris and Tokyo and now lives in London.
After juggling a modelling career and studying for an honours degree, Martin made her acting debut in 2013 in the lead role of Young Joe in Nymphomaniac, directed by of Lars Von Trier. She has since shot three further films: The Tale of Tales, with Gomorrah director Matteo Garrone, alongside Vincent Cassel and John C Reilly; Ben Wheatley’s new film, High Rise, based on the JG Ballard novel; and French film La Dame dans l’auto avec des lunettes et un fusil directed by Joann Sfar. Martin is fluent in French and is due to shoot another French film, Taj Mahal, with writer- director Nicolas Saada. She will also appear in The Childhood of a Leader, the directorial debut of US actor Brady Corbet, co-starring with Robert Pattinson, Tim Roth and Bérénice Bejo.
Martin said: “It’s an honour being selected as a BAFTA Breakthrough Brit; it gives me confidence in the choices that I’ve made and am making at the moment. It’s very humbling that people see me in that way. I’ve always made decisions based on my instincts without thinking of the outcomes so to have been selected by BAFTA as a Breakthrough Brit gives me the courage to continue working hard and making challenging choices for myself and my career … It can be a lonely industry sometimes with a lot of pressure and competition, so to be part of a community is something I’m very excited about.”
Reece Millidge - Game developer
Reece Millidge, 39, grew up in Billericay, Essex and now lives in Brighton, Sussex.
Before establishing his own micro-studio, Damp Gnat, Millidge worked in the commercials industry as an animator and compositor, and was Head of Animation and Compositing on more than 70
4
projects for Nexus Productions. Millidge has created and self-funded two award-winning browser and mobile games, Wonderputt and Icycle: On Thin Ice.
Millidge said: “Learning that the jury were made up of experts from various creative fields makes all the difference to being nominated a BAFTA Breakthrough Brit. Making a difference to people outside of the games industry is exactly what I strive for in my efforts to broaden the scope and appeal of games. I'm thrilled to be part of the programme and its opportunities for the coming year. Being selected only goes to encourage my pursuit forward in this exciting and relatively young creative industry.”
Ray Panthaki - Actor/Producer
Ray Panthaki, 35, grew up in Enfield, north London and now lives in Haringey, north London
Panthaki started out in television, starring in a variety of single drama and long running serials over the last decade. In 2006, he acted in and co-produced the hit feature film Kidulthood and since then has been pursuing a career on both sides of the camera. He recently took the lead in the RSC's The Empress and his most recent film credit is 2014's Convenience, a comedy which he produced and stars alongside Adeel Akhtar and Vicky McClure. He will next be seen alongside Daisy Bevan in the romantic comedy One Crazy Thing, directed by Amit Gupta. Panthaki also recently wrote and directed the powerful award-winning short film, Life Sentence.
Panthaki described being named a BAFTA Breakthrough Brit as: “Overwhelming. To be recognised by BAFTA is something you dream about as an actor or filmmaker. For me, it fuels determination and drive. With the insecurities you face as an artist, you often find yourself questioning 'what' and 'why' at times, so to know that your industry believes in what you do just gives you the encouragement to keep pushing your creativity.”
William Pugh - Game designer
William Pugh, 20, was raised and still lives in Triangle, near Halifax in West Yorkshire. At the age of just 20, Pugh already has three BAFTA nominations to his name. Earlier this year his game, The Stanley Parable, was BAFTA-nominated for Debut Game, Game Innovation and Story. In his spare time, Pugh is a member of the National Youth Theatre, and has performed at the National Theatre in London.
William Pugh described being named a BAFTA Breakthrough Brit as: “An insanely huge privilege. It's a very humbling and overwhelming experience to have this support behind me while I'm still in a formative space creatively. It's rare and I'll do my best not to waste a second. I know I'll spend a lot of time this year making things and talking to people - I suppose to simplify it all; with BAFTA's support I'll be able to make things smarter and meet people faster!”
He added: “I want to diversify as a creative person. I’ve had the privilege and scariness of not going to university – [making] The Stanley Parable was my university – so I’m still finding my path. I feel the momentum from The Stanley Parable is all very conceptual, whereas this next year will be a great opportunity for me to turn that into something tangible.”
AJ Riach - Producer
Andrew James Riach, aka ‘AJ’, 27, grew up in Eaglescliffe, Stockton-on-Tees and now lives in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire.
Riach started out teaching children aged between 11 and 16 at a drama and television club, whilst also studying Media Production at the University of Sunderland. Since then, in just four years he has gone from a runner on critically-acclaimed documentary One Night in Turin for New Black
5
Films, to being a producer on his first feature film, Set Fire to the Stars, via his own company, Mad As Birds Films. Starring Elijah Wood and Kelly Reilly, the film made its debut at the Edinburgh International Film Festival and was nominated for both the Michael Powell Award for Best British Feature Film and the Audience Award.
Riach said: “Its feels incredible to be named as a BAFTA Breakthrough Brit; to be recognised so early on in my career is unbelievable. I am absolutely thrilled to have been picked out by the jury, and to be totally honest a little overwhelmed by it. I am really looking forward to the opportunities that will present themselves through meeting people and talking to other people with in the Industry. I think being a Breakthrough Brit will open a lot of doors and also makes me even more determined to keep producing and making great British independent films.”
Callum Turner - Actor
Callum Turner, 24, is from Chelsea, West London. He first performed in front of a camera as a fashion model before making his acting screen debut in 2012 opposite Helen McCrory in the ITV romantic drama Leaving. Since then, he has starred in The Town on ITV, The Borgias on Sky Atlantic, the BBC’s Ripper Street, and Channel 4’s Glue. Turner was selected by director John Boorman from 40 other young hopefuls to star as the lead in his 2014 war drama Queen and Country, opposite David Thewlis, Richard E. Grant and David Hayman, and will soon be seen in a new adaptation of the Frankenstein story with James McAvoy, Daniel Radcliffe and Mark Gatiss, directed by Paul McGuigan.
Callum said: “It's great to be named a Breakthrough Brit. Support from within my own industry is important and builds up my confidence to keep on going!!”
Sarah Walker - Director
Sarah Walker, 36, grew up in Birmingham and now splits her time between Birmingham and London. She started directing at a young age, making home movies starring her family dog.
Nominated three years in a row by Broadcast magazine in the ‘Best Young Writer’ and ‘Best Young Director’ categories respectively, her credits now include numerous high profile television shows, from Hollyoaks and Dates (for Channel 4) to Waterloo Road, The Cut and The Crash (for the BBC). The latter saw her nominated for a BAFTA Scotland award in 2013. Walker has set up her own company, Underdog Productions, and is currently developing two feature films and two television dramas.
On being named a BAFTA Breakthrough Brit, Walker said: “Girls don't win these things. I remember watching Kathryn Bigelow win the BAFTA for the 'Hurt Locker' in 2010 an being filled with this overwhelming sense of hope, that the landscape of film and television was evolving. There is a generation of girls out there that will see Destiny [Ekaragha] and I named as Breakthrough Brits and believe they could be filmmakers, the power of that is immeasurable. I feel incredibly honoured … I'm excited to find the right home for [my] projects, to work with producers and execs that are passionate about character driven stories with smart female leads.”
Marc Williamson - Producer/Director
Marc Williamson, 33, grew up in Amersham, Buckinghamshire and now lives in Dulwich, south London. A recent graduate of the National Film and Television School, Williamson’s graduation film Boys – shot at Muntham House School, a boarding school for boys with behavioural difficulties – was nominated for a Grierson Trust British Documentary Award and won the Student Doc award at Sheffield Doc/Fest in 2013. The film was the inspiration for The Last Chance School, for which
6
Williamson was commissioned as part of Channel 4’s First Cut documentary strand that showcases films by new and exciting directors.
The Last Chance School was watched by 1.2 million viewers on broadcast and earned Williamson another Grierson nomination. Since then, Williamson has directed episodes of Royal Marines Commando School, Posh Pawn and Our War. He is currently working on a new Channel 4 series called NHS: The Cost of Living.
Williamson said: “I'm grateful and honoured to be selected as a Breakthrough Brit, especially by such an impressive jury. I feel privileged to have this acknowledgement from BAFTA and hopefully this means that I'll be on people's radars for upcoming projects. It is rare to get an opportunity to be mentored by those you admire most, so I’m excited that BAFTA is so active in introducing me to those people who will take a role in helping me shape my career.”
7