The British Film Institute has teamed with fashion house Chanel on a new awards for rising stars in the film industry, with a focus on underrepresented voices.
The BFI & Chanel Filmmaker Awards will see three awards of £20,000 ($24,000) presented to emerging U.K. film creatives who they said “demonstrate originality and risk taking and want to explore a new dynamic to their work.” At least one of the awards will be given to a female filmmaker or someone identifying as non-binary, while all projects rendering applicants as eligible must meet the BFI’s Diversity Standards.
Overseeing the jury will be BFI Fellow, Chanel ambassador and Oscar winner Tilda Swinton, who will choose the honorees alongside BFI CEO Ben Roberts, Marie-Louise Khondji, producer and founder of Le Cinema Club and Edward Enninful OBE, British Vogue Editor-in-Chief. Swinton to be on hand to announce the winners on stage at the BFI’s Luminous fundraising gala on Sept. 29. A panel of industry experts from across the sector will each nominate filmmakers.
“Both the BFI and the House of Chanel are acknowledged beacons long-committed not only to the vibrancy of the new but also to the conscientious and dedicated custodianship of our precious cultural archive,” said Swinton.
“The partnership of the two is a powerful and meaningful alliance. It is my good fortune to work closely with these two families in my own daily practice: the spreading of this good fortune to more and more artists is a cause for real celebration. The Filmmaker Awards will grow this fellowship significantly and the Luminous Gala raises crucial financial support for this indispensable public endeavour. It is my sincere honour to serve this awesome combo initiative in any way possible.”
