Bullying and harassment policies, non-binary filmmakers among additions to BAFTA rules for 2024 film awards

The British Academy has unveiled various changes and tweaks to its rules for the upcoming 2024 film awards.

The most significant new additions will impact entries for the Outstanding British Film and Outstanding Debut categories, each of which will, for the first time, be required to provide insight into bullying and harassment policies in place during production. The move builds on guidelines first drafted by BAFTA along with various other industry bodies in 2018 in the wake of the MeToo scandal and will see producers required to demonstrate, among other things, that there has been a clear process to people to report any incidents. . A more detailed model will be made available in the coming weeks, but those with no policy will need to appeal to the BAFTA Film Committee.

“For us, this sends a clear message to the industry that employees have a responsibility to provide safe working environments,” said Emma Baehr, director of awards and content at the BAFTAs The Hollywood Reporter.

It will also be mandatory for films submitted to the outstanding British film category to have a sustainability policy in place as part of the production, and while diversity standards requirements have not changed, BAFTA is asking entries to provide data regarding the British The Film Institute’s new Diversity Standard E, which addresses accessibility.

“There will be a transition period where it won’t be mandatory, but we will need to collect the data so we can monitor it together with the BFI to see where there may be areas we need to offer more guidance and more clarity,” Baehr said.

Elsewhere, the filmmakers category, whose rules were revamped as part of the 2020 major overhaul, has been changed to include filmmakers who identify as non-binary. For 2024, the top female, male and non-binary directors will be selected up to a maximum of 17, with gender parity between male and female directors confirmed. For the first round of voting, the BAFTA’s directing chapter will vote for its top 16, of which the top ranked female and male filmmakers, along with filmmakers who identify as non-binary will automatically be longlisted to a maximum of 11, with gender equality confirmed between female directors. The final six places on the longlist will be determined by a longlisted judging panel, selected from the next eight female and eight male directors and non-binary directors.

The inclusion of non-binary admins wasn’t “responsive,” explained Baehr, who said it was “just to ensure we were inclusive,” adding that “we look at every single role and every single part of our awards and we need to make sure that, looking long-term, we remain relevant and fair.”