"This event has been a long time coming," said BAFTA North America Board Chair Joyce Pierpoline to the room of entertainment industry members — and actors including Daniel Craig, Colman Domingo and Kieran Culkin — who gathered at The Pierre New York, A Taj Hotel on Sunday, Oct. 6 for BAFTA North America's inaugural New York Tea Party.
"BAFTA's been present in New York since our chapter was founded in 1996," Pierpoline continued. "There's so much incredible talent in this city — and in this room today — that are working in film, television and games, across so many diverse areas of documentaries, independent film, late-night, comedy. We're so excited to be convening these creators and members, and we hope to expand our events and programming in New York."
The event, presented by BritBox, Delta Air Lines and Virgin Atlantic and FIJI Water, celebrated the start of awards season and coincided with the New York Film Festival. "It's a very important film festival for us," Pierpoline said, "and so many of the films that start here will resonate with our voting members in the coming months."
Among the guests mingling in the grand ballroom were Sing Sing star Domingo, two of His Three Daughters stars (Natasha Lyonne and Carrie Coon), Keegan-Michael Key, Patricia Clarkson, Ella Hunt and Marianne Jean-Baptiste.
Craig made a brief cameo, posing for photos; Culkin helped himself to the lavish spread of sandwiches (cucumber, salmon and more, along with rainbow cookies, scones and other desserts); Jharrel Jerome spoke of his admiration for wrestler Anthony Robles (whom he portrays in Dec. 6 film Unstoppable); and Bing, the canine star of 2024's The Friend, stole the show.
Executive Director Courtney LaBarge Bell, who joined BAFTA earlier this year, spoke of the initiatives aimed at positively impacting the screen industries and creating a more fair environment — through mentorship, education and financial aid programs that support the next generation. "We recognize that as BAFTA, we have a very empowered position as arbiters of excellence ... and through our awards, we want to extend that mark of distinction to the artists that we represent. We think that they are the future of film, television and games," said Bell, who called out BAFTA's newest class of scholars.
Added LaBarge Bell: "BAFTA has had a really longstanding presence here in New York, and we hope that through events like this, we can continue to grow our activity and launch more programs that move the needle."
Tags: #BAFTA #BAFTANorthAmerica #LosAngeles #LAMagazine #NewYorkFilmFestival
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