BAFTA unveils ten participants for Breakthrough India initiative

A Suitable Boy star Tanya Maniktala Gully Boy cinematographer Jay Pinak Oza and Scam 1992 writereditor Sumit Purohit are among the 10 participants for the firstever BAFTA Breakthrough India Initiative The British Academy of Film and Television Arts BAFTA on Thursday unveiled the participants list for the initiative which was announced in November last year Supported by streamer Netflix the initiative will identify celebrate and support talents working in films games or TV in IndiaDue to an overwhelming number of applications the jury decided to select 10 Indian talents double the number previously announced The jury included actor Anupam Kher Netflix executive Monika Shergill filmmaker Mira Nair and producer Siddharth Roy KapurThe list of participants also includes Typewriter actor Palomi Ghosh writerproducer of Mehsampur Akshay Singh Nasir writerdirector Arun Karthick composer Karthikeya Murthy The Ebb Tide writerdirector Renu Savant Elephants In My Backyard director Vikram Singh and Shruti Ghosh a game developer and art directorThe participants will receive onetoone mentoring global networking opportunities free access to BAFTA events and screenings for a year 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 globallyAR Rahman BAFTA Breakthrough India Ambassador and Jury Chair said he was overwhelmed by the huge number of applications from across India for the initiative This 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 comerdquo Rahman saidBAFTA Chief Executive Amanda Berry congratulated the participants and welcomed them to the 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 she addedBerry also informed that due to the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic there will be a delay in application process for the next Breakthrough India cohort 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 she saidMonika Shergill VP Content Netflix India said India is one of the worldrsquos 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 she saidSince its launch in 2013 BAFTA Breakthrough has championed over 160 talented newcomers including performers Bukky Bakray Paapa Essiedu Letitia Wright Florence Pugh Josh OrsquoConnor 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 othersThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever