The
British
Academy
of
Film
and
Television
Arts
(BAFTA)
announces
the
selected
participants
of
the
first-ever
BAFTA
Breakthrough
India
Initiative,
in
partnership
with
Netflix.
An
esteemed
jury
of
industry
experts
including
Anupam
Kher,
Monika
Shergill,
Mira
Nair
and
Siddharth
Roy
Kapur
selected
10
of
the
most
promising
talent
from
the
film,
games
and
television
industries
in
India.
BAFTA
invited
candidates
from
across
the
country
to
apply
for
its
flagship
talent
initiative
'BAFTA
Breakthrough
India'.
Due
to
an
overwhelming
number
of
quality
applications
from
the
film,
games
and
television
industries
nationwide,
the
initiative
selected
ten
emerging
Indian
talents,
double
the
number
previously
announced.
The
incredibly
talented
list
of
BAFTA
Breakthrough
participants
for
2020/21,
comprising
the
future
stars
of
the
film,
games
and
television
industries,
is
as
below**:
•
Akshay
Singh,
Writer/Producer
(Mehsampur,
The
Gold-Laden
Sheep
and
The
Sacred
Mountain)
•
Arun
Karthick,
Director/Writer
(Nasir,
Sivapuranam/The
Strange
Case
of
Shiva)
•
Jay
Pinak
Oza,
Cinematographer
(Gully
Boy)
•
Karthikeya
Murthy,
Composer
(KD
(A)
Karuppudurai)
•
Palomi
Ghosh,
Actor
(Typewriter,
Nachom-ia
Kumpasar)
•
Renu
Savant,
Director/Writer
(The
Ebb
Tide)
•
Shruti
Ghosh,
Game
Developer
&
Art
Director
(Raji-
An
Ancient
Epic)
•
Sumit
Purohit,
Director/Writer
(Scam
1992
-
Writer/Editor)
•
Tanya
Maniktala,
Actor
(A
Suitable
Boy)
•
Vikram
Singh,
Director
(Elephants
In
My
Backyard).
The
participants
will
receive
one-to-one
mentoring,
global
networking
opportunities,
free
access
to
BAFTA
events
and
screenings
for
12
months,
and
full
voting
BAFTA
membership.
They
will
also
connect
with
and
learn
from
some
of
the
best
in
the
British
and
Indian
creative
industries,
share
their
expertise
with
peers
around
the
world,
gain
access
to
opportunities
beyond
geographical
borders,
and
be
promoted
as
BAFTA
Breakthrough
artists
globally.
Today,
BAFTA
has
also
announced
a
delay
in
opening
applications
for
the
next
Breakthrough
India
cohort,
originally
due
to
open
alongside
the
UK
and
USA
applications
on
10
June.
This
decision
has
been
made
to
allow
future
Breakthrough
talent
the
space
and
time
needed
during
such
a
difficult
time
in
India.
BAFTA
will
continue
to
offer
support
to
the
current
Breakthrough
India
cohort
as
their
careers
face
unique
challenges.
Amanda
Berry
OBE,
Chef
Executive
of
BAFTA,
said:
"We
launched
Breakthrough
in
the
UK
eight
years
ago
and
since
then
have
recognised
and
supported
over
160
talented
individuals.
We
have
seen
previous
Breakthroughs
thrive
in
their
careers
with
many
going
on
to
become
BAFTA-winners
and
nominees.
I
am
absolutely
thrilled
that
Breakthrough
has
now
been
extended
to
India;
congratulations
to
our
participants
and
welcome
to
the
growing
BAFTA
Breakthrough
family.
We
are
extremely
grateful
to
Netflix
for
supporting
the
global
expansion
of
Breakthrough,
they
share
our
vision
to
celebrate
emerging
talent
from
different
backgrounds
and
cultures.
We
have
an
ongoing
commitment
to
support
future
Breakthrough
talent
but
we
are
also
mindful
of
the
current
situation
in
India
due
to
the
pandemic,
so
whilst
we
will
fully
support
the
Breakthrough
participants
announced
today
we
have
decided
to
delay
the
opening
of
the
next
round
of
applications."
A
R
Rahman,
BAFTA
Breakthrough
India
Ambassador
and
Jury
Chair,
said:
"The
quality
of
outstanding
applications
from
across
the
film,
games,
and
television
industries
was
overwhelming,
compelling
the
jury
to
select
ten
deserving
Indian
talents
as
part
of
the
Breakthrough
initiative
this
year,
rather
than
five
as
originally
planned.
This
itself
serves
as
a
huge
testament
to
the
level
of
creative
talent
India
has
to
offer.
As
our
country
faces
unprecedented
times,
we
are
hopeful
to
launch
yet
another
cohort
very
soon,
as
we
do
believe
that
this
program
offers
an
opportunity
of
a
lifetime
for
Indian
talent
and
I
look
forward
to
seeing
the
new
opportunities
Breakthrough
can
bring
for
them
in
the
years
to
come."
Monika
Shergill,
VP,
Content,
Netflix
India,
said:
"India
is
one
of
the
world's
great
centres
of
storytelling.
Despite
these
tough
times,
it
was
incredible
to
see
such
amazing
Indian
talent
apply
across
genres.
It
served
as
a
reminder
of
the
tremendous
opportunities
for
new
talent,
fresh
voices,
and
untold
stories
that
can
travel
nationwide
and
around
the
world.
Congratulations
to
the
ten
brilliant
BAFTA
Breakthrough
participants.
They
represent
the
finest
of
the
Indian
creative
community
and
I
look
forward
to
the
paths
they
blaze
ahead."
Applications
for
BAFTA
Breakthrough
in
the
UK
And
USA
open
today.
Since
its
launch
in
2013,
BAFTA
Breakthrough
has
championed
over
160
talented
newcomers,
including
performers
Bukky
Bakray,
Paapa
Essiedu,
Letitia
Wright,
Florence
Pugh,
Josh
O'Connor,
Abubakar
Salim
and
Lauren
Ridloff,
games
creatives
Chella
Ramanan,
Segun
Akinola,
Gemma
Langford,
and
directors
Nicole
Newnham,
Jim
LeBrecht,
Rose
Glass,
Stella
Corradi
and
Destiny
Ekaragha,
amongst
many
others.
Previous
Breakthrough
alumni
have
gone
on
to
flourish
within
their
respective
disciplines,
many
becoming
BAFTA
winners
and
nominees.