The BBC staffer accused of paying a teenager for sexually explicit photographs has been named as Huw Edwards, one of the network’s top anchors.

The equivalent of NBC’s Brian Williams (before he was fired for embellishing an Iraq war story), Edwards is one of the most senior on-air figures at the corporation and was the anchor chosen to break news of Queen Elizabeth II’s death to the world last September. He is the fourth highest paid figure at the BBC.

Edwards’ wife, Vicky Flind, issued a statement on the anchor’s behalf saying Edwards is suffering “serious mental health issues” and has been hospitalized. “As is well documented, he has been treated for severe depression in recent years,” she said. “The events of the last few days have greatly worsened matters.”

Last weekend, U.K. tabloid The Sun broke the news that an unnamed anchor — whom they described as a “well-known presenter” — had been taken off air while the the BBC investigated allegations he had paid a teenager over £35,000 ($44,500) in exchange for explicit photographs since they were 17.

Accompanying the story was an interview with the teen’s mother (whose name had also been withheld) who claimed the money had been used to fund the teenager’s “crack habit.”

In a surprising twist, two days after the story broke a lawyer for the teenager released a statement disputing the mother’s account and saying “nothing inappropriate or unlawful has taken place between our client and the BBC personality and the allegations reported in The Sun newspaper are rubbish,” according to The Times of London.

Before the teen’s statement was released, the BBC said they had suspended the anchor while they investigated the matter. It was also reported the Metropolitan Police had been contacted. On Wednesday evening, the BBC released a statement saying the police did not plan to investigate and the corporation would be resuming its investigation.

“We have seen the statement from the police confirming they have completed their assessment and are not taking further action,” a spokesperson said. “We’re grateful to them for completing this work at speed. The police had previously asked us to pause our fact finding investigations and we will now move forward with that work, ensuring due process and a thorough assessment of the facts, whilst continuing to be mindful of our duty of care to all involved.”

Under the U.K.’s Protection of Children Act in 1978 it is a crime to take, make, share and possess indecent images of people under 18, and the the maximum sentence for the offense is 10 years.

Read Vicky Flint’s full statement below:

“In light of the recent reporting regarding the ‘BBC Presenter’ I am making this statement on behalf of my husband Huw Edwards, after what have been five extremely difficult days for our family. I am doing this primarily out of concern for his mental well-being and to protect our children.

Huw is suffering from serious mental health issues. As is well documented, he has been treated for severe depression in recent years. The events of the last few days have greatly worsened matters, he has suffered another serious episode and is now receiving in-patient hospital care where he’ll stay for the foreseeable future.

Once well enough to do so, he intends to respond to the stories that have been published. To be clear Huw was first told that there were allegations being made against him last Thursday.

In the circumstances and given Huw’s condition I would like to ask that the privacy of my family and everyone else caught up in these upsetting events is respected.

I know that Huw is deeply sorry that so many colleagues have been impacted by the recent media speculation. We hope this statement will bring that to an end.”

Those six fateful words — “You skiied into my effing back” — are set to be immortalized on the small screen thanks to a new documentary about Gwyneth Paltrow’s ski crash lawsuit.

Production company Optomen (“Johnny vs Amber,” “Kim vs Kanye: The Divorce”) are continuing their “Vs” series for Discovery+ with a doc about the “Sliding Doors” star’s legal woes. The civil trial earlier this year saw Paltrow sued by – and then counter-sue – retired optometrist Terry Sanders, after the duo collided on a Utah ski slope in 2016.

Sanders claimed his entanglement with the “Goop” founder caused him to suffer physical injuries and emotional distress while Paltrow, for her part, lost half a day of skiing.

The two-part doc will drop later this year.

Also in the “Vs” series is “Peltz-Beckham vs The Wedding Planners,” which will show how Brooklyn Beckham and Nicola Peltz’s Palm Beach wedding of the year ended in tears, at least for Nelson Peltz, who is suing his daughter’s former wedding planners Nicole Braghin and Arianna Grijalba for refusing to return his deposit after the duo were booted off the project weeks before the ceremony. Braghin and Grijalba are counter-suing for breach of contract and interference.

As for the rest of Warner Bros. Discovery U.K. and Ireland’s slate, fans can look forward to the second season of “90 Day Fiance U.K.” and the Katherine Ryan-led “Tell All,” which delves into the stories of viewers’ favorite couples. Plus, spooky season fans will want to look out for “Jack Osbourne’s Tasmanian Terror,” coming this October from NHNZ Worldwide, which will see the son of Black Sabbath singer Ozzy Osbourne explore some of the southern hemisphere’s most haunted spots. In addition, “Celebrity Help! My House Is Haunted,” in which celebrities are forced to reckon with paranormal forces in their living spaces, is also on the docket.

Other fare includes “Alan Cumming’s Paradise Homes” from Lion Television Scotland in which the “X Men 2” star undertakes an odyssey across the U.K. and Europe as he searches for his dream property. Coming in 2024 is “The Foot Fixer” (12 Yard Productions) with celebrity podiatrist Marion Yau, who will tackle some of the world’s foulest foot problems from her London clinic along with her GP husband Kenny and surgeon colleagues.

If that hasn’t put viewers off their food, they can look forward to “Tom Kerridge’s Sunday Lunch” (Bone Soup Productions) and “Sophie Grigson: Slice of Italy” (Finestripe Productions). Meanwhile, for true crime afficionados there is “The Suitcase Murders,” about killers who hide their victims in luggage (Woodcut Media) and “Deadliest Families” from Crackit, the makers of “Deadliest Mums & Dads.”

“We’re excited about the breadth of this latest slate of commissioned programs, across Discovery+ and linear, which span our viewers’ most-loved genres from property, reality, and food to true crime and paranormal,” said Clare Laycock, SVP head of content for networks and streaming at WBD U.K. and Ireland. “And we are delighted to offer both new and returning favourites laden with high profile talent ranging from Katherine Ryan to Alan Cumming.”

She continued, “We’re bringing our viewers the stories they are deeply passionate about, whether that’s talent-led food shows or our true crime and paranormal shows which gather an extremely curious audience, keen to investigate the most terrifying cases alongside our experts on screens.”

The series were ordered by Laycock and commissioned by Charlotte Reid.

Rome’s iconic monuments are getting lots of mileage in Hollywood movies this summer.

Since May, the Eternal City has hosted the world premieres of “Fast X” and “Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One,” two blockbusters that burned rubber and wreaked havoc on its cobblestoned streets.

Universal held its “Fast X” red carpet in the Roman Forum’s Temple of Venus, with the Colosseum as a backdrop, in early May. Weeks later, Paramount descended for the June premiere of “M:I 7,” with Tom Cruise prancing down the same Spanish Steps that serve as the setting for spectacular car chases in both movies.

“We’ve done car chases in ‘Mission: Impossible’ movies before, but nothing like this one,” boasted Cruise on the red carpet. The wild “M:I 7” sequence follows a massive Hummer in hot pursuit of a vintage pint-sized yellow Fiat 500. The latter is driven by Cruise and Hayley Atwell, who, in true “Mission: Impossible” fashion, are handcuffed together as the Fiat darts down the ancient staircase.

Vin Diesel was similarly amazed by the access granted for “Fast X”: “I could not believe that there was a [Dodge] Charger and we were shouting ‘Action!’ in front of the Colosseum,” he said to Variety. “I never would have dreamed of that happening 20 years ago.”

Neither would the Rome Film Commission, which is taking major strides to make the Italian capital friendlier to film crews as it looks to lure Hollywood shoots.

“These Rome premieres are the crowning moment of a journey that has made Italy much more attractive as a shooting destination in recent years,” says Cristina Priarone, who heads the Rome commission and also presides over the Italian Film Commissions Assn.

The game changer, Priarone underlines, is Italy’s generous 40% tax rebates for international film and TV series, which were introduced in 2008 and are among the highest in Europe (topping those of France, the U.K., Germany, Hungary and Romania). In addition, her team has been working closely with local authorities to cut red tape, so the Rome municipal permits office is now “a well-oiled machine.” Meanwhile, Rome’s storied Cinecittà Studios, which has housed productions from “Ben-Hur” to “Gangs of New York,” is undergoing a significant revamp, further boosting the city’s standing as a moviemaking magnet.

Priarone notes that “M:I 7” began production in Italy in early 2020 at the start of the pandemic: “We all worked together with regional authorities and the unions to create the conditions for this shoot to take place.”

At the packed premiere in the Auditorium della Conciliazione, a stone’s throw from the Vatican, Cruise said solemnly onstage, “Everyone knows what was going on in the world when we shot this film here.”

“Had it not been for every person in the entire [Rome] community who worked with us, from the restaurants in the streets, to the police, to everyone on the roads, to the government and medical staff — all making sure that we’re all safe — we would not have been able to create what we’re going to see this evening,” he added.

As for Cruise, the movie star arrived more than 90 minutes late for the gala, having been sidelined by an impromptu meeting with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

According to sources, he wanted to personally thank the Italian premier for making the “M:I 7” event on the Spanish Steps possible. Meloni is believed to have overridden pushback from some local authorities, who were against holding the launch at the 18th-century landmark due to concerns over wear and tear.

Those concerns are indeed well founded.

Roughly a year ago, a 37-year-old Saudi national drove a rented Maserati down the storied staircase, causing damage. He was caught at Milan’s Malpensa airport after being identified by police from images of the vehicle that were caught on surveillance cameras.

So when in Rome, don’t try what you’ve seen at the movies.

Strand Releasing has acquired the North American rights to Pierre Creton’s “A Prince,” a French film which world premiered at Cannes Directors’ Fortnight.

“A Prince” won the SACD Prize from France’s Writers’ Guild for the best French-language film at Directors’ Fortnight.

Represented in international markets by Andolfi, “A Prince” follows a horticultural student, Pierre-Joseph, whose sexual encounters with his botany teacher and mentors lead to a unique hybrid tale of science, sex and meditation.

“We’re thrilled to be handling ‘A Prince,’ Creton’s work is such a rarified vision that fits so well with the Strand Releasing brand, we look forward to taking this out to some of the top festivals across North America,” said Marcus Hu at Strand Releasing. 

The deal was done between Jon Gerrans and producer Arnaud Dommerc on behalf of production company Andolfi. Strand previously worked on Dommerc’s previous film, “Felicité,” directed by Alain Gomis, which was shortlisted for best international film for the Oscars.

“It’s really a great chance for ‘A Prince’ to be handled by Strand Releasing. We couldn’t expect better partner for the distribution of the film across North America. It’s just amazing,” Dommerc said.

The film was scored by Jozef van Wissem, who previously worked with Jim Jarmusch on the soundtrack for “Only Lovers Left Alive.” Mathieu Amalric, Francois Lebrun and Gregory Gadebois lend their voices as narrators of the film’s poetic sequences. “A Prince” was penned by Mathilde Girard, Cyril Neyrat and Vincent Barre.

Creton said he’s “always had a special way of writing and doing films; mixing life and fiction, friendship and love.”

“It’s a great privilege to be able to share my works with North American audience, and there have been a few American filmmakers that have inspired me as well,” Creton continued.

Strand is planning to present the film in the fall festival circuit before launching it in theaters in late 2023 or early 2024.

Former One Direction member Zayn Malik has opened up about the reasons he left the band and also on the incidents involving Yolanda Hadid, the mother of his ex-girlfriend, Gigi Hadid.

Malik said that he realized the band’s time together was drawing to a close when his fellow musicians declined to sign new contracts.

“I knew something was happening, so I just got ahead of the curve,” Malik said. “I was like, ‘I’m just going to get out of here, I think this is done.’”

The British singer was speaking to Alex Cooper on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast ahead of the release of his comeback single “Love Like This” — his first interview in six years.

“I completely selfishly wanted to be the first person to go and make my own record. If I’m being completely honest with you, I was like, ‘I’m going to jump the gun here,’” Malik said. “I’m a passive dude, but when it comes to my music and my business, I’m serious about it and I’m competitive, so I wanted to be the first to go and do my own thing. That was the reason.”

Malik left One Direction during their 2015 tour, citing stress as the reason.

“There was obviously underlying issues within our friendships, too. We’d got sick of each other, if I’m being completely honest,” Malik added.

“We were close… we’d done crazy things with each other that nobody else in the world will ever understand and I look back on it now in a much fonder light,” Malik added. “There were great experiences, I had great times with them, but we’d just run our course.”

In 2021, there were allegations that Malik had “struck” Yolanda Hadid, which he denied. He did not contest the charges out of consideration for Khai, his daughter with Gigi Hadid.

“I just didn’t want to bring attention to anything,” Malik said, adding that he wasn’t “trying to get into a negative back and forth” with Yolanda Hadid, or “any sort of narrative online where my daughter was going to look back and read that. There was no point.”

“I believe I dealt with it in the best way, an amicable, respectful way, and that’s all that needs to be said,” Malik added.

Malik signed with Mercury Records last month. “Love Like This” releases July 21.

Sushant Sreeram, country director of Prime Video India, has reiterated the streamer’s intention of doubling down on investments in the territory.

“Our five-year plan in India for Prime Video is to double what we have done in the last seven years. And our investment thesis is actually an apt reflection of that. We have committed to doubling our investment over the next five years compared to what we have invested in the previous five. We said this recently and we continue to stick to it,” Sreeram told Variety. “The question that I and the entire team in India is asked is, ‘Can we do this twice as bigger? Can we deliver, twice as much for customers across shows movies and the whole works? That’s the simple summary of what the five-year plan is.”

Earlier this year, Prime Video signed a deal with the Indian government to boost the country’s creative economy. Following on from that, the streamer has teamed with the government’s office of the principal scientific adviser on “Mission Start Ab,” a seven-episode series where 10 entrepreneurs with made-for-India innovations with the potential to impact socio- economic change undertake a series of challenges in pursuit of scaling their business and securing funding.

“Whether it’s ‘Dragon’s Den’ or some of the others, they don’t delve as much into all the various aspects of scaling a startup. Keep in mind, these are not business plans, these are fully operational businesses that are looking to find support, mentoring and advice and funding to get to the next orbit. It’s not a zero to one journey, but it’s actually the one to 100 journey,” Sreeram said about “Mission Start Ab.”

The streamer’s deep growth strategy continues apace across five vectors, beginning with language. Sreeram reveals that some 60% of Prime Video subscribers consume content in four or more languages. The service programs in 10 Indian languages. In the programming vector the focus is on diversity of genres. Sreeram points to the diversity in the 2023 programming that includes family entertainer “Happy Family, Conditions Apply,” crime caper “Farzi,” golden age of Indian cinema drama “Jubilee,” true crime documentary “Dancing on the Grave,” thriller “Suzhal: The Vortex” and friendships and love saga “Jee Karda.”

The next seasons of hit series “Mirzapur,” “Made in Heaven,” “Paatal Lok” and “The Family Man” are also due on the service. “Our view is definitively no longer narrow towards a specific genre or set of genres – we continue to test out very, very different formats of programming,” Sreeram said. “We have realized that truly authentic storytelling by authentic storytellers – they don’t need to be accomplished storytellers – actually does work consistently well and across languages.”

Prime Video India’s third growth vector is accessibility. “It’s one thing to have great shows and movies or service, it’s quite another to have them across 10 languages, it’s about making sure that our product is accessible across price points, across the socio-economic hierarchy of the country, across different parts of the country, right across their devices of choice,” Sreeram said. The service has partnered with telcos and multichannel video programming distributors while also building its own product suite that includes Prime Video Mobile Edition. There are several other initiatives designed to make access “friction free,” Sreeram said.

The fourth growth vector is the bolting on of additional programming via Prime Video Channels, which launched in India in 2021 with eight channels and now boasts 18, providing a further 26,000 hours of content per year. The final vector is the recent launch of the movie rental service, which doesn’t require a membership, that has 5,000 titles available. Customers across 95% of India’s post codes are renting from the service, Sreeram said.

Cricket is a huge driver in India’s streaming wars as evidenced by the $6 billion payout by Viacom18 and Disney for rights to the Indian Premier League. Prime Video tasted some success recently with the India-New Zealand cricket series.

“Live sports form an important part of what constitutes entertainment, so, if we really want to be India’s foremost entertainment destination, it is reasonable to presume that we will need to make sure that we have the full bouquet, or as much of the full bouquet, to offer customers. We continue to evaluate options,” Sreeram said.

While Sreeram declined to provide subscriber numbers (a recent Ampere Analysis study pegs it at 12.4 million), he says that India has among the “highest adoption rates of Prime Video anywhere in the world” and that “there has been no let up in that momentum at all.”

Actor, director and screenwriter Chen Sicheng is one of the giants of contemporary Chinese cinema.

His three “Detective Chinatown” films have earned more than $1.2 billion of box office revenue, and Chen is the producing force behind another major franchise, “Sheep Without a Shepherd,” adapted from the Indian “Drishyam” films.

“Lost in the Stars,” Chen’s latest effort, this time as producer and screenwriter, is another megahit. Co-directed by Cui Rui and Liu Xiang, “Lost in the Stars” has grossed $430 million (RMB3.08 billion) in China – enough to make it the seventh-biggest film worldwide this year and the 14th biggest film of all time in China – all in the span of just 17 days.

The movie is a mystery drama, adapted from the ’90s Russian film “A Trap for the Lonely Man,” which itself was adapted from a Robert Thomas stage play. It sees a woman disappear while on holiday with her husband (portrayed by Zhu Yilong). When she returns, the man believes the woman (Janice Man) to be an imposter. But when a high-powered lawyer (Ni Ni) gets involved, yet more mysteries and problems emerge.

Launching in North America last weekend, “Lost in the Stars” started off with a cool $802,000, according to Comscore. Local distributor CMC Pictures reports that since the weekend, the screen count has expanded to 93 venues and, as of Tuesday, the stateside tally has stretched to $929,000 – the second biggest performance by a Chinese film this year in North America.

While he has worked across multiple genres, Chen tells Variety below that the common thread running through his works is an attempt to find connections with audiences’ everyday lives.

Where did “Lost in the Stars” begin for you?

I was initially attracted by the setup of the story. A man claims his wife has disappeared, but the next day the stranger lying next to him insists that she is his wife.

How different was your approach to this film compared with the “Detective Chinatown” movies?

I’ve attempted various kinds of genre fusion in my previous works. The “Detective Chinatown” franchise is a combination of mystery and comedy, a family-friendly experience. The “Sheep Without a Shepherd” series combines suspense with an exploration of social issues and leans more towards social realism. But, with “Lost in the Stars,” we aimed for a pure expression of suspense across all elements: plot, visual style and music.

How did you choose the cast for “Lost in the Stars”?

I love the feeling of ambiguity that both Ni Ni and Zhu Yilong have as performers. In suspense movies, we don’t want the audience to have too strong a perception of who is good and who is bad right from the start. Zhu Yilong’s performance is always at a comfortable distance from the audience, which really allowed him to portray the character of He Fei well. And Ni Ni and the character of Chen Mai are so similar – both charming, both unique.

What were the biggest challenges you faced during production?

The scene where Zhu Yilong’s hair is shaved was pretty risky, as we only had one chance to shoot. We hired a professional barber, but the barber didn’t have much experience in front of the camera and became very nervous. We all held our breath. Fortunately, the scene ended up pretty well. Zhu Yilong’s performance was beyond my expectations. We captured the moment when a tear ran down his face. It wasn’t in the script, but it really resonated with viewers.

What takeaways do you hope the audience gains from this film?

I hope the film encourages those who may be acting impulsively to think more calmly about each choice they make. A random decision can change your entire life.

Hollywood films are struggling at the mainland Chinese box office, while local titles have largely recovered to pre-COVID levels. What is your understanding of that situation?

Whether it’s Hollywood movies or local titles, Chinese audiences nowadays prefer films that allow them to deeply reflect on the core of the story while they are watching the film. The era of solely relying on marketing to attract audiences into theaters has passed. As creators, we need to devote ourselves to continually improving production levels and to make films that are better aligned with our audiences.

You worked on TV dramas in your earlier years. Why did you make the switch to suspense movies?

I believe life itself is the greatest mystery. The suspense genre allows me to incorporate reflections on social issues into my works. And audiences enjoy locally relevant suspense stories.

What’s next for you?

Lots! Over the next couple of years, I plan to keep exploring different genres. I will shoot a film in August that is different from my previous works. There will also be a continuation and expansion of the “Sheep Without a Shepherd” series, going back to the original IP. The script is almost ready. There will also be realistic comedies I want to work on. And I plan to adapt “Ball Lighting,” a modern literature work that won the Mao Dun Literature Prize, into a film. With my team, I hope to create more excellent films and to encourage both Chinese and international audiences to better understand present-day China.

BAFTA has updated its campaigning rules for next year’s film awards, and is “having conversations internally” about reviewing its theatrical eligibility rules for 2025 following the Oscars’ expanded geographic criteria requirements.

The British Academy revealed its new rules for the 2024 awards on Wednesday, with stricter regulations around campaigning — particularly in relation to social media — and a new bullying and harassment policy for U.K.-based productions.

Speaking to Variety, BAFTA also revealed that it’s debating changes for the 2025 awards, for which the eligibility period begins in January.

In June, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences revealed a host of new theatrical release requirements for movies to qualify as best picture nominees for the 2025 Oscars. In addition to the standard one-week run in one of six U.S. markets, films released in 2024 will also require an expanded theatrical run of seven days, consecutive or non-consecutive, in 10 of the top 50 U.S. markets, no later than 45 days after its initial release. U.K. industry insiders have been tracking whether BAFTA — which reviews its awards rules annually after each season — may follow suit to make its own theatrical rules less London-centric.

Emma Baehr, executive director of awards and content at BAFTA, told Variety on Wednesday that the org is now “having conversations internally and are considering it.”

As part of the updated 2024 guidance, BAFTA has instituted a new requirement for U.K.-based productions to have a policy in place on tackling bullying and harassment if entering into the Outstanding British Film and Outstanding Debut of a British Writer, Director or Producer categories.

Elsewhere, BAFTA’s Best Director category will also include helmers who identify as non-binary. This follows on from the sweeping 2020 diversity review, which applied a “positive intervention” for female directors submitting into director category, and allowed for a 50:50 gender split for male and female directors in the longlisting stage (16 in total). The org says this had a “very positive” effect on the number of female directors nominated and winning in the category compared to past years. As such, that stage will now include non-binary directors as well.

The org is also printing a new handbook for members and entrants that includes detailed guidance and regulations on awards campaigning.

Read on for specific changes to the film awards rules:

Campaigning

Detailed guidance and regulations on campaigning, hosting screenings and communicating with voters is now set out in a dedicated handbook for entrants and BAFTA members. A significant tightening of the rules around campaigning were last introduced as part of the 2020 BAFTA Review to ensure a fair and equitable process for entrants regardless of their origin, networks or marketing and PR budget.

Variety understands that new rules around social media will restrict voters from being specific about their voting intentions online in order to avoid undue influence.

Stay tuned for a further update.

Eligibility updates

U.K.-based productions will be required to have a policy in place on tackling bullying and harassment if entering into the Outstanding British Film and Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer categories. To support this rule change going forwards, free guidance and policy templates will be available on Creative U.K. in the coming weeks. This new intervention, announced in December 2022, forms part of ongoing cross-sector activity.

U.K.-based productions will be required to provide information about meeting BFI’s new Diversity Standards as BAFTA’s eligibility for Outstanding British Film and Outstanding Debut transitions from a minimum of two (Standard C + 1) to the BFI’s new diversity standards requirement to include Standard E (accessibility).
Following BAFTA’s introduction of the BFI Diversity Standards in 2019 and AMPAS’ introduction of new Inclusion Standards for its Best Picture category from 2024 onwards, BAFTA will be monitoring the film industry’s progress on diversity and inclusion internationally.

Specific category changes – Director

BAFTA’s 2020 Review included a positive intervention for female directors submitting into the BAFTA Film Awards Director category, allowing for a 50:50 gender split for male and female directors in the longlisting stage (16 in total). The org says this had a “very positive” effect on the number of female directors nominated and winning in the category compared to past years. The intervention is now being evolved to include directors who identify as non-binary.

For 2024, the top female, male and directors who identify as non-binary will be longlisted to a maximum of 17, with gender parity between male and female directors upheld. In the nominating round, the number of nominated directors will remain at six.

BAFTA View

BAFTA View, the academy’s online viewing platform launched in 2020, removed the high cost of supplying DVDs to BAFTA’s 7,500 voting global membership. It will continue to be mandatory for all films in contention to be available on BAFTA View ahead of Round One voting. Ongoing upgrades to BAFTA View will enable the platform to offer all entrants the chance to provide films in 4K and 5.1 sound for the first time, however watching films at the cinema or via BAFTA’s in-person official screening programme will continue to be the encouraged primary method of viewing for voters.

Key BAFTA dates are below:

• Friday, Dec. 8 – Round One voting opens
• Friday, Jan. 5 – Longlists published; Round Two voting opens
• Saturday, Jan. 6 – The BAFTA Tea Party in Los Angeles
• Thursday, Jan. 18 – Nominations announced; Round Three opens
• Sunday, Feb. 18 – BAFTA Film Awards