NORTH Wales is well represented in the nominations for the British Academy Cymru Awards.
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) in Wales, BAFTA Cymru, has announced the nominations today (Thursday, September 3) for the awards, which honour excellence in broadcasting and production within film and television in Wales.
This year, awards will be presented across 21 craft, performance and production categories in film and television as well as a special award for outstanding contribution to the international film and TV industry. Details of this year’s special award recipient will be announced on 8 October.
Dafne Keen in His Dark Materials
His Dark Materials, based on the books by Fellow of Bangor University Philip Pullman who spent his childhood in Harlech, leads this year with nine nominations.
The series is nominated for Television Drama while actors Dafne Keen and Ruth Wilson are nominated for Actress, with Keen receiving her first nomination for her role as Lyra Belacqua.
Three-time BAFTA winner Jonathan Pryce for his role in The Two Popes.
Jonathan Pryce in The Two Popes
Born John Price in Carmel, Flintshire, his parents ran a small general grocery shop and he was educated at Holywell Grammar School.
He is nominated along with his co-star for the film, Anthony Hopkins, who receives his twelfth nomination, and Rob Brydon for his role in Sky’s The Trip to Greece.
Gareth Thomas
In the factual categories, Gareth Thomas: HIV and Me is nominated for best single documentary. The former Wales and British and Irish Lions rugby union captain made his debut as a rugby league player for the Wrexham-based Crusaders against Catalans Dragons at The Racecourse in 2010.
The other nominations for Single Documentary are BBC’s The Prince and The Bomber, The Murder of Jill Dando and Tudur Owen: O Fôn i’r Lleuad.
Angharad Mair, Chair of BAFTA Cymru, said: “We are proposing a very different ceremony in terms of format this year, but when it comes to the creative work celebrated, this is the pinnacle of another fantastic year of production. This year has not been easy for the television and film industry, but we have continued to offer support for those working in our industry. We wanted to honour those who have worked in the creative industries, despite the challenges we have all faced, and look forward to celebrating with the nominees and winners. I am personally really pleased that 20 individuals on the list have received their first nomination, as recognising and shining a light on new talent is an important part of BAFTA’s work. I also wanted to take this opportunity to thank the jurors and chairs who we were mindful, as always, to ensure represented a diverse and experienced group from across the UK.”
BAFTA Cymru has confirmed that the process again this year was for all entries received from production companies, broadcasters and individuals to be reviewed by BAFTA members before being considered by industry juries who selected the nominees and winners. Entries received were for the period between 1 April 2019 and 31 March 2020.
The ceremony will be broadcast on BAFTA’s Facebook and YouTube channels at 7pm on 25 October 2020 and will be hosted by Alex Jones.
Alex is one of the UK's best loved TV presenters and has co-hosted The One Show, BBC One's flagship magazine show, for 10 years. Alex began her career as a television researcher in her native Wales before moving to the other side of the camera with her first presenting job on BBC Choice. Alex then joined S4C as a presenter on the singing programme Can i Gymru (A Song for Wales) and went on to front a variety of children's, sports and travel programmes.
She said: “The Welsh media industry continues to go from strength to strength and I am really looking forward to working with BAFTA on an exciting new format of ceremony to celebrate those creatives who are excelling in their craft, performance and production fields. The ceremony will also be an opportunity to inspire those with an aspiration to follow in their footsteps and I’m really pleased to see the variety of nominations listed across drama and factual production.”
The ceremony will feature award presenters representing the best of the UK’s creative and media industry talent.
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