Welcome to BAFTA
BAFTA, The British Academy of Film and Television Arts supports, develops and promotes the art forms of the moving image, by identifying and rewarding excellence, inspiring practitioners and benefiting the public. With an expert industry membership of nearly 6500 individuals, globally, we focus attention on the highest achievements of films, video games and television programmes shown in the UK each year in order to motivate and inspire those who make them, and to educate and develop the taste of those who watch them. The promotion of excellence extends far beyond our Awards ceremonies. As a charitable organisation, the Academy plays an equally powerful role at our headquarters at 195 Piccadilly, across our nations and regions, in cinemas, schools and communities in the UK and US. Giving our members, the industry and the public the opportunity to learn first-hand from leading practitioners is one of the key services the Academy provides. By showcasing the crafts of film, television and video games production, we provide a forum for knowledge to be shared across disciplines, which in turn stimulates higher standards across the board. The Academy has witnessed many changes since its birth in 1947 but its fundamental purpose has remained the same. The Academy was formed on 16 April 1947 when a group of the most eminent names in the British film production industry gathered in a room at the Hyde Park Hotel. The film director David Lean was appointed Chairman. Their fundamental aim was "to recognise those who had contributed outstanding creative work towards the advancement of British film." Eleven years later, the British Film Academy merged with the Guild of Television Producers and Directors to form The Society of Film and Television Arts. David Lean donated royalties from Bridge On The River Kwai and Doctor Zhivago to The Society and these served as an invaluable source of working capital in its early years. When Her Majesty The Queen made the decision to gift the royalties from Richard Cawston's documentary Royal Family to the Society in the early 1970s, it enabled the Society to move from its office suite in Great Portland Street to 195 Piccadilly, which was converted to house two preview theatres and a meeting place for members. In 1976, the opening of the new headquarters was attended by Her Majesty The Queen, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, HRH Princess Anne and the Earl Mountbatten of Burma. The Society became officially known as The British Academy of Film and Television Arts and BAFTA entered the nation's vocabulary.
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