THE FOUNDER of BUFF (British Urban Film Festival) Emmanuel Anyiam-Osigwe MBE launched a scathing attack on The British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA) on social media calling out the organisation for ‘jumping on the bandwagon of black people’.
Anyiam-Osigwe was responding to a BAFTA tweet in support of the #BlackLivesMatter movement in which they pledged to ‘stand in solidarity with the black community’.
In a post he wrote: “BAFTA have been jumping on the bandwagon of black people and black organisations for decades and have consistently shown their disrespect and disregard for the black community.
“By posting their tasteless tweet about George Floyd – today was not the day to declare their “solidarity with the black community”.”
Referring to an obituary he wrote for the late film maker Victor Adebodun, Anyiam-Osigwe voiced his deep consternation at the nonchalant way in which BAFTA published the piece on their site without any recognition for the author. He fumed: “It wasn’t their obituary – it was mine; the one that I wrote for The Voice newspaper.”
He added: “Not only did they publish this without prior permission, I wasn’t personally credited, and furthermore they cited Victor in their blurb as the CEO of the British Urban Film Festival.
“Where was their tact? Where was due process followed? Where was their apology? Black men do NOT all look the same!
“We’re living in an era of shamelessness. I feel no shame in calling out BAFTA today for how they treated me personally and how they continue to treat black British people in the film industry.
“BAFTA doesn’t speak for me – never has done in the past, never will do in the future.”
The Voice Newspaper contacted BAFTA for a reply and a spokesperson said: “Our Chair, Krishnendu Majumdar, reached out to Emmanuel privately on Tuesday but has yet to hear back from him.”
Anyiam-Osigwe’s stinging comments come the week after BAFTA announced Richard Ayoade will hosting the 2020 Academy Television Awards.
The confirmed new dates for this year’s Virgin Media British Academy Television Awards and British Academy Television Craft Awards, originally scheduled for spring 2020 and both postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. have also been set.
The awards will now take place on July 31 and will be broadcast as-live on BBC One that evening, while the British Academy Television Craft Awards will take place on July 17 and will be broadcast as-live through BAFTAs social channels including at www.youtube.com/bafta.
In accordance with current restrictions, both awards will take place as closed studio, socially-distanced shows, with nominees invited to accept their awards virtually.
Amanda Berry OBE, Chief Executive at BAFTA, said of presenter, comedian, writer, actor and director Ayoade: “I am thrilled that Richard Ayoade will be hosting the Television Awards for the first time.”
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Bravo to this straight speaking man for having the courage and confidence to remain this middle-class liberal Caucasian English institution of its hypocrisy and gesture politics.
Unfortunately, so many Liberal middle-class Caucasian institution is just the same.