A group of prominent BAME British filmmakers has sent an open letter to the UK TV and film industry about their concerns on representation in front of, and behind, the camera.
So far, the letter has received over 3,500 signatures, predominantly from people of colour working in the British Film and TV industry. These include: Michaela Cole, Noel Clarke, David Oyelowo, Sophie Okonedo, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Meera Syal, Gurinder Chadha, Asif Kapadia, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, David Harewood and Himesh Patel.
Alongside those are signatures from white industry members including names such as Sandi Toksvig, Colin Firth, Samantha Morton, Bill Nighy, Ruth Wilson, Ben Whishaw, Ralph Feinnes, Sue Perkins and Vicky McClure, as well as behind-the-camera decision-makers and creatives such as Jed Mercurio (writer and EP on Line of Duty/The Bodyguard), Jane Featherstone (Founder of Sister and EP of Chernobyl) , Ollie Madden (Creative Director at Film 4), David Yates (Director of Harry Potter/Fantastic Beasts Films), Nick Marston (Head of Curtis Brown Agency) and Jenne Casarotto (Head of Casarotto Agency).
The letter, and the signatories, are below
21 June 2020
Dear UK Film and TV Industry,
Having been inspired by the Black Film Collective who put together a powerful open
letter to Hollywood last week on behalf of many brothers and sisters in the industry,
we would like to send you something in collaboration with them, which we feel
addresses our continuing issues with the UK industry.
This letter is from your colleagues in the UK – Black and Brown (inc. all Asians)
independent producers, writers, directors and actors in alliance with many advocates
for change. As one extended community, we require your active engagement to tackle
structural and systemic racism in our industry, in the UK and around the world.
While messages condemning racism and advocating for solidarity on social media
may inspire hope, the UK Industry must put its money and practices where its mouth
is. A direct line can be drawn from the stories and voices that are silenced and
ignored, to the discrimination and biases that are pervasive in the entertainment
industry and larger society. This moment in history presents an opportunity for you
to be a positive partner for change.
Our aim is that this letter produces strategic commitments from you to reshape our
industry into one whose words are supported by action. Toward that end:
1. Banish “Your Weak Excuses”
Banish “ it’s too small ” from your lexicon. It is insulting to our stories, our history,
our impact on world culture, and our worth. Our stories are referred to as “too small”
because they do not centre around white characters or a small subset of actors whom
you deem valuable; they are not always written by the same white writers that you
deem to be “safe”. Banish “ we already have a diverse project on our slate ”. There is
room for more than one. You make countless projects with similar themes and
storylines with white creatives. Banish “ that feels risky ”. We know we are
introducing you to new unproven talent, but why is the same white man (who has
made a string of flops after his one hit 10 years ago) still deemed less risky than a
new brown or black writer with original and well written ideas. We know that many
of our stories feel unfamiliar to you because they go against your preconceived
notions of us and make you step outside your familiar world. But they are familiar to
us. Hire us and together let us tell truthful, bold and imaginative stories from rich
new perspectives. There are countless men and women in the streets right now,
putting their lives, health, and livelihoods on the line, fighting for an end to systemic
racism. There will be no end until financiers, distributors and the community of
decision-makers cease this practice of marginalising our voices and our stories. If
Black lives matter to you, our stories and the scale on which they are marketed and
distributed must as well.
2. Empower Black and Brown Independent Producers
Hiring Black and Brown writers and directors is of course of great importance, but
rarely is this opportunity given to Black and Brown independent producers. Only 5%
of the producers supported by the BFI in 2018/19 were producers of colour. This is
especially troubling because producers often work with multiple writers and
directors. Supporting one producer effectively supports many Black and Brown
professionals above and below the line. Take a deeper look at the community of Black
and Brown independent producers, working hand in hand with talented directors.
Many have compelling slates of projects in need of willing partners. There hasn’t
been a Black/Brown producer on Variety’s “10 Producers to Watch” list since 2017.
We don’t mean to point the finger solely at Variety, because similar lists are printed
in various trades. In addition, they all seek recommendations from agencies,
management companies, and elite publicists. So this incredibly valuable publicity is
often limited to advancing the careers of those who need publicity the least.
Empower those that need it the most.
3. Expand Your Vision
Think outside the box when looking for new talent. There are numerous diversity
schemes out there, which is a good start and we support them all. But we need more
sustained endorsement. Empower those that come through those schemes.
Let us look at making sure those graduates stay in the industry and are nurtured and
promoted so that they become the decision makers and help create change. Until we
are in positions of power nothing will really change.
4. Be More Demanding
Actors, managers and agents must become more demanding about the teams behind
the camera. If there are no Black producers, no Brown DOPs, no diverse department
heads, you must speak up and challenge. To agents, be proactive in asking on behalf
of your clients. Look at your rosters too. Who do you represent? How diverse are
they? Without your vocal support, we will continue to be largely shut out of this
industry and it is not for lack of excellence. It is for lack of will on the part of
producers, network executives and studio heads. It is that simple.
We challenge you to become willing partners in this crucial endeavor. If the full
spectrum of our experiences are not produced, marketed and celebrated with some
regularity then you are actively denying our humanity and our history. Our stories
and experiences can no longer be limited to being backdrops for white narratives and
protagonists. Until we are able to show our FULL joy, grief, fear, history, pride and
all the other myriad of emotions and experiences, then you are simply upholding the
status quo and enabling a society that keeps white people comfortable in their racism
and Black and Brown people perpetually dehumanised. Until we are allowed to make
mistakes and try again like many of our white counterparts, we will never succeed in
the same way. You are a large part of the problem and it is time to be honest about it.
For far too long, the images on our screens have projected lies and partial truths
when it comes to our lives and history, minimising our perceived value and creating
ripple effects throughout society.
This letter is in defence of all Black and Brown creative artists and the communities
they come from. It is in defence of the millions of lives that have gone unrecorded. It
is in defence of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Belly Mujinga, Trayvon Martin,
Stephen Lawrence, Zahid Mubarek, Mark Duggan, Sarah Reed, the black and brown
health professionals who have died from Covid -19, and so many other lives
senselessly and tragically cut short.
Your messages in support of Black Lives Matter are a first step. But after decades of
enabling racism in your ranks and beyond, it is time to do more. If Black lives really
matter to you, our stories must as well. Please help us tell the whole truth. Black and
Brown lives all over the world depend on it.
Signed by,
1. Nisha Parti Producer
2. Meera Syal Actress & Writer
3. Indira Varma Actress
4. Anita Rani Presenter
5. Tanika Gupta Playwright
6. Pooja Ghai Director and Actor
7. Sanjeev Bhaskar Actor Writer
8. Sathnam Sanghera Journalist
9. Wunmi Mosaku Actor
10. Naomi Ackie Actor
11. Shaheen Baig Casting Director
12. Chiwetel Ejiofor Actor
13. Anjli Mohindra Actress
14. Sophie Okonedo Actor
15. Michaela Coel Artist
16. Lennie James Actor/Writer
17. David Harewood Actor/Director
18. Sally El Hosaini Filmmaker
19. Gugu Mbatha-Raw Actor
20.Roopesh Parekh Producer – His Dark Materials
21. Katie Leung Actor
22. David Oyelowo Actor, Producer, Director
23. Bernardine Evaristo Writer
24. Noel Clarke Actor/Writer/Director/Producer
25. Amma Asante Writer/Director
26. Jatinder Verma Director & CEO JVProductions
27. Ritesh Batra Director/ Writer
28.Asif Kapadia Director / Writer / Producer
29. Lydia Adetunji Writer
30.Himesh Patel Actor
31. Bola Agbaje Screen and tv writer
32. Susan Wokoma Actor & Writer
33. Jina Jay Casting Director
34. Gurinder Chadha Director/Producer/Writer Bend it Films & TV
35. Prasanna Puwanarajah Actor / Director / Writer
36. Anna Maria Ssemuyaba Writer
37. Lolita Chakrabarti Actor/Writer
38.Mahalia Belo Director
39. Kwame Kwei-Armah Artistic director YOUNG VIC
40.Ruth Negga Actor
41. Bharat Nalluri Director
42. Aleem Khan Director
43. Will Sharpe Writer, Director, Actor
44. Anjana Vasan Actress
45. Nicholas Pinnock Actor
46. Cathy Tyson Actor
47. Nadia Latif Director
48.Nikki Amuka-Bird Actor
49. Tina Gharavi Director/Screenwriter, Bridge + Tunnel
50.Rapman Director/Writer/Producer
51. Shazad Latif Actor/Writer
52. Richie Mehta Writer/Director
53. Abby Ajayi Writer
54. Udayan Prasad Director
55. Namsi Khan Writer
56. Amit Gupta Writer / Director
57. Jimmy Akingbola Actor
58. Farah Abushwesha Producer, Rocliffe Limited
59. Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti Playwright/Screenwriter
60.Bisha K. Ali Writer & Producer
61. Vinay Patel Writer
62. James Krishna Floyd Actor and Writer
63. Ambreen Razia Actress/Writer
64. Aysha Rafaele Executive Producer, BBC Studios
65. Sacha Dhawan Actor
66. Krishnendu Majumdar Producer & Co-founder Me+You Productions
67. Noma Dumezweni Actor
68.Preethi Mavahalli Executive Producer
69. Nikesh Shukla Writer
70. Destiny Ekaragha Director
71. Rachel De-lahay Writer
72. Colin Firth Actor
73. Miriam Margolyes Actress
74. Jay Basu Screenwriter
75. Nour Wazzi Writer/ Director
76. Charlie Covell Writer/Producer
77. Tinge Krishnan writer director Disruptive Element Films
78. Lynne Ramsay Film writer/director/producer
79. Bennett McGhee Producer
80.Rhys ifans Actor
81. Indhu Rubasingham Artistic Director Kiln Theatre
82.Abi Morgan Writer
83.Adeel Akhtar Actor
84.Julie Harkin Casting Director
85. Sumerah Srivastav Writer
86.Shane Meadows Writer Director
87. Kulvinder Ghir Actor/Writer
88.Sandi Toksvig Writer/Presenter
89.Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor Producer
90.Saul Dibb Director
91. Theresa Ikoko Writer
92. Stephen Graham Actor
93. Kiran Sonia Sawar Actress
94. Vanessa Kirby Actor
95. Clara Amfo Radio & TV broadcaster
96. Joe Barton Writer
97. Jed Mercurio Writer
98.Hong Khaou Writer/Director
99. Samantha Morton Actor/Writer/Director
100. Gautam Malkani Writer
101. Andrew Lincoln Actor
102. Suri Krishnamma Director
103. Ralph Fiennes Actor
104. Mo Ali Director
105. Tony Jayawardena Actor
106. Rikki Beadle-Blair Writer Director Producer Actor
107. Gwendoline Christie Actress
108. David Thewlis Actor, Writer
109. Seamus McGarvey Cinematographer
110. Kwadjo Dajan Exec. Producer and CEO / Sugar Films
111. Vicky McClure Actor
112. Bindni Karia Director
113. Jack Thorne Writer
114. Afolabi Kuti Producer – Broedmachine
115. Mia Bays Birds Eye View
116. Kharmel Cochrane Casting Director
117. Jodie Whittaker Actor
118. Nadine Marsh-Edwards Producer
119. Ruth Wilson Actor/producer/director
120. Kaleem Aftab Journalist
121. Phillipa Lowthorpe Director
122. Furquan Akhtar Writer
123. Jane Featherstone Founder, Sister
124. Jamelia Broadcaster, Presenter, Writer
125. Sarah Gavron Writer/Director
126. Dennis Kelly Writer
127. Amy Ng Writer
128. Eddie Marsan Actor
129. Cush Jumbo OBE Actor and Writer
130. Benedict Wong Actor
131. Ashley Pharoah Writer
132. Ben Whishaw Actor
133. Nisha Nayar Actor
134. Nikesh Patel Actor
135. Aisling Bea Actor, Writer, Comedian, Producer
136. Robbie Ryan Cinematographer
137. Venera Shameti 42M&P
138. Angela Griffin Actor
139. Emilia Clarke Actor
140. Dominic Buchanan Producer
141. Melissa Iqbal Screenwriter
142. Sue Perkins Writer/ Presenter
143. Konnie Huq Broadcaster/Presenter
144. Ayub Khan Din Actor/writer
145. Lenny Abrahamson Director
146. Mitesh Soni Actor
147. Rudi Dharmalingam Actor
148. Jason Maza CEO Unstoppable Film and TV
149. Mandip Gill Actor
150. Dolly Wells Actor/Writer/Director Independent Talent
151. Nina Gold Casting Director
152. Paul Andrew Williams Writer/Director
153. Cyrus Patel Producer
154. Wayne Garvie Executive Producer
155. Julian Farino Director
156. Yvonne Ibazebo Producer
157. Sally Phillips Actor writer producer
158. Ed Skrein Actor, Writer, Director
159. Thusitha Jayasundera Actor
160. Joseph Fiennes Actor:/ producer
161. Jassa Ahluwalia Actor, Writer & Filmmaker
162. Kaya Scodelario Actor
163. AA Dhand writer
164. Ikenna Obiekwe Agent, Independent Talent Group
165. Shobna Gulati Actor
166. Ayisha Malik Author
167. Gareth Evans Director
168. Rabiah Hussain Writer
169. Morwenna Banks Writer/Actor
170. Luke Jennings Writer
171. Suranne Jones Actor
172. Andrew Joshi Actor
173. Vaseem Khan Author
174. Victor Ngo Actor
175. Juliet Stevenson Actor
176. Camille Mallet de Chauny Actor
177. Mina Anwar Actor, Singer, Director
178. Rhashan Stone Actor / Writer
179. Preti Taneja Writer
180. Phyllida Lloyd Director
181. Bally Gill Actor
182. Sophie Khan Levy Actor
183. Matt Lim Actor, Writer
184. David Yates Director
185. Nyla Levy Actor / Writer
186. Nathaniel Price Writer
187. Peter Morgan Playwright/Screenwriter/Producer
188. Gurjeet Singh Actor
189. Nikita Lalwani Writer
190. Smita Bhide Writer
191. Mady Neil Manager – 42 M&P
192. Adwoa Aboah Actor
193. Sophie Vickers Producer – Rook’s Nest Entertainment
194. Mim Shaikh Broadcaster / Actor / Writer
195. Saima Ferdows Producer and Director
196. Chris Fung Actor
197. Ewen Bremner Actor
198. Rachna Suri Director
199. Mona Arshi Poet
200. Paven Virk Writer
201. Sienna Guillory Actor
202. Rachel Chatterjee Producer – Perfect Features
203. Ayesha Dharker Actor
204. Seeta Indrani Actor/Producer
205. Ian Hart Actor
206. Dr Aisha Gill Women’s Rights Campaigner and Criminologist
207. Peter Moffat Writer
208. Miriam Babooram Actor
209. Jay Oliver Yip Actor & Filmmaker
210. Kate Buckley Agent/Co-founder 42
211. Tariq Mirza Commercial Director
212. Humphrey Hendrix Independent Talent Group
213. Suzanne Mackie Executive Producer at Leftbank
214. Jon Chew Actor
215. Katherine Bridle Head of Film Development, See-Saw Films
216. Abir Mukherjee Author
217. Aisha Bywaters Casting Director
218. Jamie Laurenson Head of Television See-Saw Films
219. Shobu Kapoor Actress
220. Sophie Thompson actor
221. Naomi Cooper-Davis Actor
222. Faye Ward Fable Pictures
223. Hannah Farrell Fable Pictures
224. James Gandhi Head of Drama Development, Studio Lambert
225. Ariane Barnes Artist-Producer & CEO Different Women.
226. Jeremy Ngatho Cole Director
227. Katie Goodson-ThomasHead of UK Prod and Dev, Searchlight Pictures
228. Sharon Henry Agent – Sharon Henry Management
229. Suhayla El-Bushra Writer
230. Sam Otto Actor
231. Jack O’Connell. Actor
232. Nadiya Luthra Post Production Supervisor
233. Nahrein Kemp Film & TV Executive
234. Ben Miller Actor
235. Hayley Atwell Actor
236. Kirris Riviere Actor
237. Emma Freud Broadcaster
238. Janice Okoh Writer
239. Jess Barker-Wren Actor/ Filmmaker
240. Kwadjo Dajan CEO, Sugar Films
241. Bill Nighy Actor
242. Lynda Rooke Actress
243. Tim Roth Actor Director Producer
244. Lydia Parker Artistic Director, Over Here Theatre Company
245. Ishy Din Writer
246. Cherish Shirley Writer and Development Exec
247. Ollie Madden Head of Creative, Film4
248. Ray Cezan Actor
249. Pelumi Akindude Film, TV & Talent development producer
250. Pier Wilkie Producer & Director
251. Iqbal Khan Director
252. Maya Sondhi Writer-Actress
253. Harriet Walter Actor
254. Mat Whitecross Director / Writer
255. Lucy (Chau Lai-Tuen) Sheen Actor/Writer
256. Hope Dickson Leach Writer & Director, Co-Founder Raising Films
257. Annice Boparai Actor
258. Onyinye Egenti Writer/Director
259. Daniel Lawrence TaylorWriter/Actor
260. Nida Manzoor Writer & Director
261. Emma Forrest Writer/Director
262. Julia Godzinskaya ROOKS NEST
263. Ebony Chamberlain-King Actor
264. Rukhsana Mosam Creative Director/Ten66 Television
265. Jenne Casarotto Agent
266. Rakhee Thakrar actress
267. Gwyneth Hughes screenwriter
268. Menhaj Huda Director/Producer
269. Susan Hogg Head of Drama Studio Lambert
270. John Simm Actor
271. Naz Sadoughi Writer/Director
272. Morgan Lloyd Malcolm Playwright and Screenwriter
273. Damian Jones Producer
274. Shaheen Khan Actor
275. Ed Rubin Head of Television – New Regency
276. Rienkje Attoh Producer
277. Sheena Bhattessa Actor
278. Kelle Bryan Actor CEO Advocate Agency, Loose Women
279. Sakuntala Ramanee Actor
280. Beewan Athwal Post Production Producer
281. Samuel Ofori-Attah Writer and director
282. Tanuja Amarasuriya Director & Sound Designer
283. Pravesh Kumar Artistic Director Rifco Theatre Company
284. Waris Hussein Director
285. Stephen Kelliher Director Bankside FIlms
286. Oliver Lansley Writer/Director/Actor
287. Paterson Joseph Actor/Writer/Director
288. Vineeta Rishi ACTOR
289. Emma Lo Actor
290. Rafia Hussain Producer
291. Andrew Koji Actor
292. Constance Cheng Writer
293. Ado Yoshizaki Cassuto Producer
294. Matthew Wilkinson Producer – Stigma Films
295. Matilda Ibini Writer
296. Sudha Bhuchar Actor/Bhuchar Boulevard
297. Nicôle Lecky Actress & Writer & EP
298. Ariyon Bakare Actor/writer/director
299. Jamie Zubairi Actor
300. Elhum Shakerifar Producer, Hakawati
301. Deborah Frances-White Writer/performer
302. Nazrin Choudhury Writer/Producer
The full list of 3,500+ signatures is here.
Jon Creamer
Share this story
