Los Angeles (April 10, 2008)
- The British Academy of Film and Television
Arts/Los Angeles (BAFTA/LA) launches its inaugural
BAFTA/LA British Comedy Festival Presented by
British Airways from April 28 to May 1, 2008
in Los Angeles to honor the best of 2007's television
and theatrical comedies produced in Britain.
Winners will be announced at the BAFTA/LA British
Comedy Awards Presented by British Airways on
Thursday, May 1, 2008 at the Four Seasons Hotel
Los Angeles at Beverly Hills.
The festival and awards take place
during Los Angeles' BritWeek 2008 from April
24 to May 4, a series of UK-centric events celebrating
the 50th anniversary of the British Consul General's
official residence in Los Angeles' Hancock Park.
"The British Comedy Festival Presented
by British Airways is a new initiative spearheaded
by BAFTA/LA board member Nigel Lythgoe, and
we believe that by highlighting UK talent in
the realm of Comedy, we'll not only contribute
an enjoyable event to BritWeek but also provide
a platform to expose new UK talent to an American
audience and hopefully to do so on an annual
basis," said BAFTA/LA Chairman Peter Morris.
Under the guidance of Nigel Lythgoe,
a select panel of top UK-based comedy talent,
which includes Chair Michael Hurll, Paul Jackson,
Andrew Newman, Mark Freeland, Graham Smith,
Andrew Zein, Katie Taylor, Beryl Vertue, Tom
Webber and Jon Thoday, formed a short-list of
five films for Best British Comedy Film, ten
television programs for Best British Comedy
Television Program, and a short-list of performers
for Best British Comedy Performer. Short lists
were screened by a select panel of U.S. based
comedy talent and executives working in the
entertainment industry, and brought the lists
down to three titles each. The film panel, which
includes Judd Apatow, Jake Kasdan, Adam Shankman,
Nicholas Stoller, Hollywood Reporter's Elizabeth
Guider and Variety's Steve Gaydos, chose Hot
Fuzz, Magicians and Run, Fatboy, Run. The Television
panel of Greg Daniels, Bill Hilary, Jeff Ingold,
Al Jean, David Kissinger, Mike Schur, Mike Scully,
Wendy Trilling, Dana Walden and Jane Wiseman
nominated four programs as a result for 3rd
place, which includes Extras, Gavin & Stacey,
I.T. Crowd and Little Britain. Harry Hill, Mitchell
& Webb and Simon Pegg have been shortlisted
for Best British Comedy Performer. All BAFTA/LA
members will be given screeners to vote on the
ultimate winner. "We are thrilled to have
such comedic luminaries support us in the first
British Comedy Festival Presented by British
Airways, and this event upholds BAFTA/LA's mission
of bringing together the entertainment communities
in Los Angeles and the UK," said Lythgoe.
Finalists will be screened for
the public from April 28-30 at the Writers Guild
of America and Directors Guild of America theaters,
with the winners and recipient of the Charlie
Chaplin Lifetime Achievement Award to be announced
at the May 1st British Comedy Awards Presented
by British Airways.
ABOUT BAFTA/LA
Serving as the bridge between the American and
British entertainment communities, BAFTA/LA
is a professional non-profit organization founded
in California in 1987 to promote and advance
original work in film, television and interactive
media.
BAFTA/LA's outreach programs benefit
members and other professionals working within
the entertainment industry, as well as the Los
Angeles community at large. BAFTA/LA provides
exclusive access to screenings, Q&A's with
talent and filmmakers, conversations with leading
UK-based film and television executives, and
the Heritage Archive, featuring broadcast-quality
interviews with distinguished British members
of the film and television industries. Educational
outreach for students and the Los Angeles community
includes an after-school screening program for
inner-city youth at the Helen Keller Park Recreation
Center and a recent partnership with FilmAid
to mentor young filmmakers. Additional programs
include seminars in association with local universities
and festivals, scholarships for post-graduate
programs, and recognizing professional and student
talent with awards at film festivals throughout
the U.S.
Maintaining a long tradition of
recognizing the finest filmmaking and television
talent, BAFTA/LA hosts a series of social networking
events, including the Annual BAFTA/LA-Cunard
Britannia Awards, the BAFTA Film Awards Brunch,
the Annual Garden Party, and the Awards Season
Film and Television Tea Parties in January and
September. BAFTA/LA is affiliated with BAFTA
in London, and members vote annually for the
prestigious BAFTA Film Awards.
For more information on BAFTA/LA,
visit www.baftala.org.
