Moët & Chandon return as headline
sponsor
2015
ceremony set for Sunday 6 December
London, Tuesday 16 June:
The British Independent Film Awards today announced that a new board of
directors has been appointed. Laurence Green acts as Chairman with other
members including Amma Asante, Claire Jones, Elliot Grove and Zygi Kamasa.
Moët & Chandon will return as the headline sponsor of
the Awards for the sixth consecutive year. The 2015 ceremony will be held at
Old Billingsgate on Sunday 6 December and is referred to as The Moët British Independent Film Awards in recognition of Moët & Chandon’s generous
contribution.
The makeup of the
current Board will be the model for future years: filmmakers, a distributor and
one spot reserved for an expert in a field other than film. BIFA Co-Founder
Elliot Grove will have a permanent seat. Board members will serve fixed terms,
with the distributor role rotated regularly. Lionsgate CEO Zygi Kamasa takes
that place in 2015 alongside director Amma Asante, producer Claire Jones and
brand expert Laurence Green, who will act as Chairman. Amy Gustin and Deena
Wallace, appointed as new Directors of BIFA this year, complete the line-up, The
Board will have no influence over the voting process – that remains in the
control of the BIFA voters and juries.
Laurence Green
commented, “The new Board is delighted to help steer the Moët British
Independent Film Awards to new heights. We look forward to supporting Deena and
Amy in their mission to grow its prominence in the international awards
calendar and with the public, and are grateful that Moët return as headline
sponsor: their loyal support will help us to deliver an incredible celebration
of independent film in December.”
Elsa Corbineau, Marketing Director
at Moët & Chandon said; “We are incredibly excited to be returning for our sixth
year as title sponsors of the Awards. For nearly a century, Moët & Chandon
has celebrated the glamour and red carpet magic of international cinema all
over the world. We are especially proud to continue our support for British
independent film and look forward to toasting 2015’s best filmmaking talent at
The Moët British Independent Film Awards.”
Films may be entered for
the Awards from now until Friday 4 September. Rules, eligibility and entry
forms are available on this page
Board Member Biographies
Laurence
Green is a Founding Partner of the advertising agency 101 and previously
co-founder and Chairman of Fallon London, twice winner of Campaign magazine’s
Agency of the Year title. His twenty-five years in the business have all been
spent agency-side, working on some of the world’s greatest campaigns and
brands: from Stella Artois to Coca-Cola, Sony, Cadbury and the BBC. An
advertising columnist for the Telegraph for three years, Laurence is also a
trustee of Somerset House.
London-born writer/director Amma Asante received the 2005 BAFTA Carl Foreman Award for special achievement in a
debut film for A Way of Life. Her second feature Belle opened to phenomenal
success in America and widespread acclaim globally. She was one of CNN’s
Leading Women of 2014, earning further nominations at the UK National Film
Awards and US NAACP Awards.
Claire Jones produced her first feature film, Ben Wheatley’s Kill List, in 2011. The
film was selected for a number of festivals and won multiple awards, including
six BIFA nominations and Best Horror at the Empire Awards. Her second feature
film, Sightseers, a black comedy directed by Wheatley, was selected for
Directors’ Fortnight in Cannes and won many awards, including Best British Film
at the Empire Awards. A Field in England, Claire’s third film with Wheatley and
Film4, also a hit at various festivals, had a successful multi-platform release
in 2013.
Elliot Grove founded Raindance as a thought experiment: Can you make a film with no
money, no training and no experience? In 1993 he founded the Raindance Film
Festival, the British Independent Film Awards in 1998 and Raindance TV in 2007.
His production company Raindance Raw Talent has produced three features
since 2013. Elliot has written three industry standard texts in filmmaking and
screenwriting and teaches writers and producers in the UK, Europe, Japan and
America
Zygi Kamasa is the CEO of Lionsgate UK, one of the leading independent distributors
in the UK. Zygi started his film career in 1993 as Founder and MD of TV
production company Scorpio Productions, based at Pinewood Studios. In 1998, he
co-founded the independent film distribution company Redbus Film, which was
sold to Lionsgate Entertainment in 2005. Through Redbus to Lionsgate UK, Zygi
has overseen the investment, production and distribution of over 350 films and
has had over 150 UK top ten box office hits. In the last three years, Zygi has
made investing in UK projects a key part of his strategy, beginning with Lasse
Hallstrom’s Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, Great Expectations, Filth and A Little
Chaos. Upcoming releases include Brooklyn, Eddie the Eagle and Sing Street.
For Further Information:
About the Moët British Independent
Film Awards:
Organic +44 (0) 203 372 0970
Emma McCorkell emma.mccorkell@organic-publicity.co.uk
Sarah Corney sarah.corney@organic-publicity.co.uk
Cheryl Mayer cheryl.mayer@organic-publicity.co.uk
About Moët & Chandon:
Anna Budel abudel@mhuk.co.uk / +44 (0) 20 7808 4458
About MBIFA
The Moët British Independent Film
Awards highlight and reward the best, most innovative and creative independent
filmmaking and filmmakers in the UK. We identify and encourage emerging talent,
support and celebrate the independent film community and promote British film and talent to the public.
Now in its 18th year, the Awards were founded by Elliot Grove and Suzanne
Ballantyne in 1998, who also founded the Raindance Film Festival in 1993. Previous
winners of the prestigious Best British Independent Film Award include Pride,
Metro Manila, Tyrannosaur, The King’s Speech, Moon, Control, Slumdog
Millionaire, The Constant Gardener and This Is England.
Proud patrons of the British
Independent Film Awards include Mike Figgis, Tom Hollander, Adrian Lester, Ken
Loach, Ewan McGregor, Helen Mirren, Samantha Morton, James Nesbitt, Michael
Sheen, Trudie Styler, Tilda Swinton, Meera Syal, David Thewlis, Ray Winstone
and Michael Winterbottom.
About Moët & Chandon
Moët & Chandon, the champagne of success and glamour since 1743.
Renowned for its legendary style, achievements and pioneering spirit, Moët
& Chandon is the Maison that introduced champagne to the world. Synonymous
with the most venerable traditions and the most modern celebrations, Moët &
Chandon has celebrated life’s memorable and triumphant moments with panache for
more than 270 years. For Moët & Chandon, success is a matter of style.
The Champagne of Cinema
For nearly a century, Moët & Chandon has celebrated the glamour and
the red carpet moments of international cinema. Effervescent and effortlessly
chic, Moët & Chandon and the movies are like a Hollywood glamorous couple.
The Maison is a strong and long-time supporter of film awards and ceremonies,
such as the Golden Globe Awards and the International Film Festivals in Venice
and Locarno. Moët & Chandon, an elegant toast to the art of cinema.
For further information on Moët & Chandon,
visit http://moet.com
