BAFTA appoints Krishnendu Majumdar as new Chair after representation backlash

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) has confirmed Krishnendu Majumdar to be their first person of colour to Chair the academy. Majumdar is also the youngest chair in BAFTA’s 73-years of history. The decision comes after the British Academy was criticised severely this year for its lack of representation during the BAFTA awards and Krishnendu Majumdar appointment is being seen as an important change.

BAFTA names its first person of colour as Chair

The global entertainment industry is seeing a surge of people of colour being represented on screens. But in the past two years, many awards have been criticised for their lack of representation when it comes to their nominations. BAFTAs was one of the award ceremonies that was heavily criticised.

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But now, BAFTA's new Chair comes as a minor rectification for the British Academy and the criticism it faced. Acclaimed TV and film producer Krishnendu Majumdar has taken over the duties of Pippa Harris who produced the Oscar-winning film 1917.

Krishnendu Majumdar previously served as the Deputy Chair. Hence, his appointment as Chair was expected. Krishnendu spoke about his newest set of duties in an official statement.

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Majumdar said that this year has been difficult for the industry. But he, along with his talented and committed staff, wants BAFTA to want to be at the heart of building the industry in the post-COVID-19 era. He also added that it is vital to ensure that the BAFTA committee supports “people of all backgrounds, races, and genders”. Krishnendu Majumdar also stated that “diversity and inclusion” are crucial for the BAFTA. This statement stands as an added benefit to the appointment of a new group to review changes in the film awards.

Apart from assigning a new Chair, the BAFTA has also made several changes to improve representation. The academy has announced a new group of people to review changes in the film awards.

About Krishnendu Majumdar 

Apart from being involved with the BAFTA for the past 14 years, Krishnendu Majumdar also has a production company named Me + You Productions. He started this company alongside Richard Yee. The production company has produced drama series like I Am, Hoff The Record, and Sick Of It. This Krishnendu Majumdar co-owned company has also produced a documentary series titled The Moaning of Life.

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