TWENTY-ONE actors have been selected by a jury from the film and television industries to take part in Elevate, an initiative run by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA).

Elevate supports individuals from under-represented groups in progressing to the next stage of their career, focusing on a different sector of the industry each year.

This year, Elevate is supporting actors from under-represented backgrounds, including disability, race, sexual orientation and people from lower socioeconomic groups. The twenty-one participants, listed below, came together last night for the Elevate 2019 launch event, which took place at BAFTA Piccadilly, and was attended by the jurors who selected this year’s Elevate cohort.

Now in its third year, BAFTA Elevate was developed in response to the under-representation of particular groups in key industry professions. Participants are selected by a panel of industry experts to receive a bespoke year-long programme of support including networking opportunities, introductions, mentoring, tailored panel discussions, masterclasses and workshops focused on professional development. In previous years, Elevate has supported writers (2018) and female directors (2017).

The 2019-20 Elevate selected participants are (in alphabetical order):

Amir El-Masry (Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, The Night Manager, Age Before Beauty)

Anjli Mohindra (Bodyguard, Dark Heart, The Missing)

Anthony Welsh (Fleabag, Black Mirror, Pure)

Aysha Kala (Indian Summers, Shameless)

Faraz Ayub (Ackley Bridge, Line of Duty, Silent Witness)

India Eva Rae (Adulting)

James Harkness (The Victim, Wild Rose, In Plain Sight)

Kae Alexander (Kyrpton, Deep State, Fleabag)

Kellie Shirley (Eastenders, In the Long Run)

Manjinder Virk (Bad Move, Midsomer Murders, Ordinary Lies)

Melissa Johns (Coronation Street, The Interceptor)

Micky McGregor (Wolfblood, I, Daniel Blake)

Nahel Tzegai (Sliced)

Naomi Yang (Lilting, Deep Water, Chimerica)

Noof McEwan (Vera, Hanna)

Rhoda Ofori-Attah (Coronation Street, Last Tango in Halifax, Top Boy)

Rhys Yates (Britannia)

Ronke Adekoluejo (Been So Long, Christopher Robin, Doctor Who)

Saskia Chana (The Bisexual)

Tim Renkow (Jerk, Bobby & Harriet Get Married)

Tommy Jessop (Line of Duty, Casualty)