London Southbank, 12 March 2020: the British Animation Awards draws the best of the industry from across these isles for its biennial event and this year was no different. We still only had relatively small numbers of COVID-19 in the UK and self-isolation and social-distancing had not yet changed the way everyone lived their lives, so those who spend a lot of time in dark rooms anyway did not seem perturbed – this was their night to shine. Following the advice to refrain from the usual hugs, kisses and handshakes, the creative types got creative with different ways to greet one another – for some this may have been the last human contact they’d have for a good while!
The award ceremony itself was swift, no hanging about under the new leadership of Helen Brunsdon, who put on an incredible show, despite what must have been one of the craziest weeks of her life. Not being able to shake the hands of the winners collecting their awards, made the host Miles Jupp look even more awkward than usual, which just added to the comedy.
The crowd was diverse from a gender perspective, but it is still a privileged white crowd on the whole – we still have a way to go there. Those collecting awards, maybe because they’re quicker to jump up, were predominantly male, and if you look through the nominations, balance is not quite there yet, directors are still a high majority male. This is by no means the fault of the BAAs, but is something we need to address as an industry, when engaging crew, putting shows forward for nomination and as jury members. We do know that more women are studying animation and this was reflected in those represented in the student and emerging talent categories, which showed parity. Most significantly the number of women nominated under the new LAMB category for emerging talent was incredibly encouraging. Stop motion rigger Roxi Linklater won this category. Hers is not only one of those unsung but critical jobs in the animation pipeline, it’s also very much a man’s domain still. We at AWUK would like to congratulate Roxi, what an inspiration to young women in the industry and may there be more like her next time around!
You can take a look at all this year’s winners here.
By Beth Parker, AWUK Animation Chair
