BAFTA SETS DATE FOR 2025 FILM AWARDS - GLOBAL BULLETIN

BAFTA CIRCLES CALENDAR

The British Academy has confirmed the date of the 2025 BAFTA Film Awards, which will now be held on Sunday February. 16.

As per recent scheduling arrangements, the awards - arguably the biggest film awards outside the U.S. - takes place two weeks before the Oscars on March 2, 2025. Regular film festival attendees may note that the BAFTA awards will, once again, be held during the Berlinale, set to run February 13-23, with their likely to be a spike in industry professional flying back to London on the morning of the 16th.

The full timeline and eligibility details for the 2025 BAFTA Film Awards will be announced in due course. Voting will take place over three rounds: longlisting, nominations and winners, by the academy's global voting film membership which comprises more than 7,800 industry creatives.

The 2024 BAFTA Film Awards, which saw "Oppenheimer" dominate with wins for best film, director and actor, were watched by 3 million people nationally in the U.K. on BBC One on average, and 3.8 million people at its peak, the highest viewing figures since 2020. On the night, there were also 20.6m video views of ceremony highlights on BAFTA's social media platforms.

CHADHA CASTS CHRISTMAS MOVIE

Gurinder Chadha has lined up the cast for "Christmas Karma," a contemporary Bollywood musical set in contemporary London and inspired by Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol." Kunal Nayyar ("The Big Bang Theory") will lead the film as Scrooge, while the rest of the cast includes Eva Longoria, Boy George, Billy Porter, Hugh Bonneville, Leo Suter, Charithra Chandran, Pixie Lott, Danny Dyer, Bilal Hasna, Allan Corduner, Tracy-Ann Oberman, Rufus Jones, Eve and Nitin Ganatra. 

Chadha ("Bend It Like Beckham," "Blinded by the Light") wrote, is directing and producing the feature, with music by former Take That star Gary Barlow alongside Shaznay Lewis and Nitin Sawhney. The film will be distributed theatrically in the U.K. by newly launched True Brit Entertainment, set-up by Zygi Kamasa. Anushka Shah's Civic Studios is co-financing the film. 

Chadha, Celine Rattray, Trudie Styler and Amory Leader will produce. Kamasa, Shah, Paul Mayeda Berges, Sophia Pedlow, Hannah Leader will serve as executive producers. 

"Just as I have enjoyed Frank Capra's ‘It's a Wonderful Life' for many years, my aim with ‘Christmas Karma' is to create a festive classic for our times and for generations to come," said Chadha. "By adapting one of history's greatest novels - Charles Dickens' "Christmas Carol" - I am making a British Film from my unique, original point of view but one that resonates with Dickens' masterful statement on the human condition."