BAFTA Award for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer

Updated on Nov 11, 2023

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The BAFTA Award for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer is presented annually at the British Academy Film Awards in London. The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), is a British organisation that hosts annual awards shows for film, television, children's film and television, and interactive media. The Outstanding Debut award recognises the work of writers, directors and producers whose first films have been released in cinemas during the award's qualification window. It is presented in honour of screenwriter and producer Carl Foreman.

From 1998–2000, this category was known as the Carl Foreman Award for Most Promising Newcomer in British Film (and was presented to a writer, director or producer).

From 2001–2008, this category was known as the Carl Foreman Award for Special Achievement by a British Director, Writer or Producer in their first Feature Film.

From 2009–present, this category has been known by its current name of Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer.

Jury Process

Unlike many of the other BAFTA Awards, which are decided by a membership vote, the Outstanding Debut Award's nominees and winner are decided by a jury of industry experts who view and consider eligible films over the course of the year. The jury can choose to nominate any combination of debut writer, director or producer involved in a film.

The jury has been chaired by Arthur Mellows (2008–09), Simon Relph (2009–2012), and Stephen Woolley (2012–2016). Jury members in recent years have included (former winner) Asif Kapadia, Peter Bradshaw, Jane Goldman, Peter Straughan, James Watkins, Joe Cornish, and Moira Buffini.

History

The first version of the award was established by the Foreman Williams Jones Foundation in 1991. Scholarships were awarded to promising British students to study filmmaking in the United States.

The present version of the award was initiated by the Foundation in 1997 and was conducted jointly by the Foundation and by BAFTA until 2009. It was established to encourage British filmmaking by recognising the most promising British newcomer in the selected disciplines of screenwriting, producing or directing (or in more than one of these disciplines). The first award of the present version was made in respect of 1998. In 2009, the name of the award was changed and it is now solely administered by BAFTA. The award continues to be presented in honour of Carl Foreman.

Special Achievement by a British Writer, Director or Producer in their First Feature Film (1998–2000)

1998: Love and Death on Long Island – Richard Kwietniowski

The Governess – Sandra Goldbacher

Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels – Matthew Vaughn

Twenty Four Seven – Shane Meadows

1999: Ratcatcher – Lynne Ramsay

East Is East – Ayub Khan-Din

Human Traffic – Justin Kerrigan

Waking Ned – Kirk Jones

2000: Last Resort – Pawel Pawlikowski

Billy Elliot – Stephen Daldry

Billy Elliot – Lee Hall

Saving Grace – Mark Crowdy

Some Voices – Simon Cellan Jones

Special Achievement by a British Director, Writer or Producer in their first Feature Film (2000–2008)

2001: Jump Tomorrow – Joel Hopkins Nicola Usborne

Gosford Park – Julian Fellowes

Late Night Shopping – Jack Lothian

The Parole Officer – Steve Coogan Henry Normal

South West 9 – Richard Parry

Strictly Sinatra – Ruth Kenley-Letts

2002: The Warrior – Asif Kapadia

AKA – Duncan Roy

Christie Malry's Own Double-Entry – Simon Bent

Lost in La Mancha – Lucy Darwin

2003: Kiss of Life – Emily Young

American Cousins – Sergio Casci

Girl with a Pearl Earring – Peter Webber

To Kill a King – Jenny Mayhew

2004: A Way of Life – Amma Asante

AfterLife – Andrea Gibb

Dear Frankie – Shona Auerbach

Layer Cake – Matthew Vaughn

Shaun of the Dead – Nira Park

2005: Pride & Prejudice – Joe Wright

Everything – Richard Hawkins

Festival – Annie Griffin

Shooting Dogs – David Belton

Tsotsi – Peter Fudakowski

2006: Red Road – Andrea Arnold

Black Sun – Gary Tarn

London to Brighton – Paul Andrew Williams

Pierrepoint – Christine Langan

Rollin' with the Nines – Julian Gilbey

Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer (2009–present)

2009: Moon – Duncan Jones (writer/director)

Exam – Stuart Hazeldine (writer/director/producer)

Mugabe and the White African – Lucy Bailey (director); Andrew Thompson (director); Elizabeth Morgan Hemlock (producer); David Pearson (producer)

Nowhere Boy – Sam Taylor-Wood (director)

Shifty – Eran Creevy (writer/director)

2010: Four Lions – Chris Morris (writer/director)

The Arbor – Clio Barnard (director); Tracy O'Riordan (producer)

Exit Through the Gift Shop – Banksy (director); Jaimie D'Cruz (producer)

Monsters – Gareth Edwards (writer/director)

Skeletons – Nick Whitfield (writer/director)

2011: Tyrannosaur – Paddy Considine (director); Diarmid Scrimshaw (producer)

Attack the Block – Joe Cornish (director)

Black Pond – Tom Kingsley (director); Will Sharpe (director); Sarah Brocklehurst (producer)

Coriolanus – Ralph Fiennes (director)

Submarine – Richard Ayoade (director)

2012: The Imposter – Bart Layton (director); Dimitri Doganis (producer)

I Am Nasrine – Tina Gharavi (writer/director)

McCullin – David Morris (director); Jacqui Morris (director/producer)

The Muppets – James Bobin (director)

Wild Bill – Dexter Fletcher (writer/director); Danny King (writer)

2013: Kelly + Victor – Kieran Evans (director/writer)

For Those in Peril – Paul Wright (director/writer) and Polly Stokes (producer)

Good Vibrations – Colin Carberry (writer) and Glenn Patterson (writer)

Saving Mr. Banks – Kelly Marcel (writer)

Shell – Scott Graham (director/writer)

2014: Pride – Stephen Beresford (writer); David Livingstone (producer)

'71 – Gregory Burke (writer) and Yann Demange (director)

Kajaki – Paul Katis (director/producer) and Andrew de Lotbiniere (producer)

Lilting – Hong Khaou (director/writer)

Northern Soul – Elaine Constantine (director/writer)

2015: Theeb – Naji Abu Nowar (writer/director) and Rupert Lloyd (producer)

Ex Machina – Alex Garland (director)

Second Coming – debbie Tucker Green (writer/director)

The Survivalist – Stephen Fingleton (writer/director)

A Syrian Love Story – Sean McAllister (director/producer) and Elhum Shakerifar (producer)

References

BAFTA Award for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer Wikipedia

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