BAFTA Breakthrough Brits Expands To Take Talent From U.S., India & China

BAFTA Breakthrough Brits, the talent showcase of rising stars in film, games and TV which has touted Florence Pugh and Letitia Wright in recent years, is significantly expanding in scope to welcome applicants from the U.S., India and China.

Under the updated moniker BAFTA Breakthrough, the initiative is taking applications from Wednesday (May 27) for its U.S. and UK component, and will open up to India and China later this year.

A total of 20 individuals will be selected from the UK, with 10 from the U.S. and an undetermined number from the further two territories.

Netflix is financially supporting the scheme and that backing has enabled the global expansion, BAFTA said (not including China, where the streamer is unavailable).

Successful applicants will receive one-to-one mentoring as well as access to BAFTA events and networking opportunities. Mentors in the past include Olivia Colman, Brad Pitt and Barry Jenkins.

Due to the ongoing pandemic, this year’s iteration will lean more on video meetings and remote networking than before, though everyone selected will be showcased together in 2021.

Since launching in 2013, the scheme has selected more than 100 participants, also including Josh O’Connor, Malachi Kirby, and Jesse Buckley.