Film curator June Givanni will be honoured with Bafta’s outstanding British contribution to cinema award at the Bafta film awards on February 18.
Givanni receives the award for her work with the June Givanni PanAfrican Archive (JGPACA) which has been preserving the history of pan-African and Black British cinema and culture for over 40 years. With over 10,000 artefacts, it is one of the largest independent archives in the UK.
Givanni has also programmed for international festivals, organisations and TV channels including Toronto International Film Festival’s Planet Africa and the African Caribbean Film Unit at the British Film Institute. At the latter she co-founded the quarterly Black Film Bulletin with with Gaylene Gould.
“I was shocked and am honoured to receive such recognition from Bafta for work that I have been privileged to be able to do with some of the most inspired and inspiring people in the world of cinema generally and Pan African cinema and culture in particular, especially with the energies of the younger generation of thinkers, curators and artists who bring dynamic energies to working with, and discovering, the archives of the moving image from a pre-digital age,” said Givanni.
The award is given to an individual or organisation to recognise their important contribution to cinema and work that might not otherwise be eligible for one of Bafta’s competitive prizes. Previous recent recipients include Andy Serkis, producers Stephen Woolley and Elizabeth Karlsen of Number 9 Films, the National Film & Television School (NFTS) and Curzon.
“June has been a pioneering force in the preservation, study and celebration of African and African Diaspora cinema and Black British cultural heritage,” said Bafta CEO Jane Milichip. ”The June Givanni PanAfrican Cinema Archive, developed over 40 years, is now one of the world’s most important time capsules of the ideas, stories and creative output of an essential part of British and global film history, and a valuable resource for inspiring future generations.”
Givanni oversees the JGPACA alongside her co-directors, filmmaker Imruh Bakari and Emma Sandon.
This is the first time the award has been presented since 2021. The recipient that year was Noel Clarke but Clarke had his award revoked the following month after multiple allegations of sexual misconduct and bullying allegations were made against him, Clarke denies all allegations.
Bafta has since conducted an industry-wide review into how recipients for its film, TV and video awards were chosen, suspending them across the film, TV and video awards for a year. In February 2023, costume designer Sandy Powell received the Bafta Fellowship at the film awards but no outstanding contribution to British cinema award was bestowed. The Fellowship recipient for 2024 has yet to be revealed.
The complete list of nominations for the 2024 Baftas will be announced on Thursday, January 19.
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