The current pandemic restrictions have touched every part of normal life, and the awards industry is no exception. The latest ceremony to be affected is the 2021 British Academy Film and Television Arts, affectionately known as the BAFTAs. The BAFTA awards are usually one of the highlights of the entertainment industry’s calendar, but fans are still promised all the excitement and glitz, with two BBC programmes set to unveil the winners live.
The iconic statuette, which is awarded to all winners across mediums, including film, television and digital games, stands a total of 27 centimetres high and weighs in at 3.7 kilograms. This includes the base, which is a square plinth of black marble and bears the title of the award and the recipient’s name. The mask itself is made from bronze and measures 16 centimetres high, with a width of 14 centimetres. Cast from a phosphor bronze in a foundry in Middlesex, the design is the creation of American sculptor Mitzi Cunliffe.
The first engraved awards were presented in 1949 by the newly formed British Film Academy, led by such notable industry greats as David Lean, Michael Powell, Laurence Olivier and Carol Reed. The Academy merged in 1958 with the Guild of Television Producers and Directors, and it became known as the British Academy of Film and Television Arts in 1976.
The 2021 BAFTAs award ceremony is scheduled to be broadcast live over two nights – Saturday, 10th April and Sunday, 11th April.
