British Film Institute Fellowship
Encyclopedia
The British Film Institute
(BFI) is a charitable organisation established in 1933, based in the United Kingdom. It has awarded its Fellowship title to individuals in "recognition of their outstanding contribution to film or television culture" and is considered the highest accolade presented by the Institute: British actor John Hurt
said the award was "the highest honour possible".
The first awards were made in 1983, the same year as BFI National Archive
's Silver Jubilee
and the BFI's fiftieth anniversary, and as of September 2011, there are 68 Fellows. Awards are not presented every year, but every award ceremony has been held in London, on occasion at the National Film Theatre
as part of the BFI London Film Festival.
The inaugural ceremony in 1983 honoured six recipients of the Fellowship: French film director Marcel Carné
, British film directors David Lean
, Michael Powell
, Hungarian screenwriter Emeric Pressburger
, Indian film-maker Satyajit Ray
and American director and actor Orson Welles
. The most recent Fellowship was bestowed in 2011 on British actress Judi Dench
, an Academy Award, multiple-BAFTA
and multiple-Laurence Olivier Award recipient.
Of the 68 Fellows, the majority (42) are from the United Kingdom, with 26 foreign recipients, mainly from the United States and France. There have been two African winners, both film directors, Malian Souleymane Cissé
and Senegalese Ousmane Sembène
while one recipient has come from each of Japan, India and Iran.
British Film Institute
The British Film Institute is a charitable organisation established by Royal Charter to:-Cinemas:The BFI runs the BFI Southbank and IMAX theatre, both located on the south bank of the River Thames in London...
(BFI) is a charitable organisation established in 1933, based in the United Kingdom. It has awarded its Fellowship title to individuals in "recognition of their outstanding contribution to film or television culture" and is considered the highest accolade presented by the Institute: British actor John Hurt
John Hurt
John Vincent Hurt, CBE is an English actor, known for his leading roles as John Merrick in The Elephant Man, Winston Smith in Nineteen Eighty-Four, Mr. Braddock in The Hit, Stephen Ward in Scandal, Quentin Crisp in The Naked Civil Servant and An Englishman in New York...
said the award was "the highest honour possible".
The first awards were made in 1983, the same year as BFI National Archive
BFI National Archive
The BFI National Archive is a department of the British Film Institute, and one of the largest film archives in the world. It was originally set up as the National Film Library in 1935; its first curator was Ernest Lindgren. In 1955 its name became the National Film Archive, and in 1992, the...
's Silver Jubilee
Silver Jubilee
A Silver Jubilee is a celebration held to mark a 25th anniversary. The anniversary celebrations can be of a wedding anniversary, ruling anniversary or anything that has completed a 25 year mark...
and the BFI's fiftieth anniversary, and as of September 2011, there are 68 Fellows. Awards are not presented every year, but every award ceremony has been held in London, on occasion at the National Film Theatre
BFI Southbank
BFI Southbank is the leading repertory cinema in the UK specialising in seasons of classic, independent and non-English language films and is operated by the British Film Institute.-History:...
as part of the BFI London Film Festival.
The inaugural ceremony in 1983 honoured six recipients of the Fellowship: French film director Marcel Carné
Marcel Carné
-Biography:Born in Paris, France, the son of a cabinet maker whose wife died when their son was five, Carné began his career as a film critic, becoming editor of the weekly publication, Hebdo-Films, and working for Cinémagazine and Cinémonde between 1929 and 1933. In the same period he worked in...
, British film directors David Lean
David Lean
Sir David Lean CBE was an English film director, producer, screenwriter, and editor best remembered for big-screen epics such as The Bridge on the River Kwai , Lawrence of Arabia ,...
, Michael Powell
Michael Powell (director)
Michael Latham Powell was a renowned English film director, celebrated for his partnership with Emeric Pressburger...
, Hungarian screenwriter Emeric Pressburger
Emeric Pressburger
Emeric Pressburger was a Hungarian-British screenwriter, film director, and producer. He is best known for his series of film collaborations with Michael Powell, in a multiple-award-winning partnership known as The Archers and produced a series of classic British films, notably 49th Parallel , The...
, Indian film-maker Satyajit Ray
Satyajit Ray
Satyajit Ray was an Indian Bengali filmmaker. He is regarded as one of the greatest auteurs of 20th century cinema. Ray was born in the city of Kolkata into a Bengali family prominent in the world of arts and literature...
and American director and actor Orson Welles
Orson Welles
George Orson Welles , best known as Orson Welles, was an American film director, actor, theatre director, screenwriter, and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television and radio...
. The most recent Fellowship was bestowed in 2011 on British actress Judi Dench
Judi Dench
Dame Judith Olivia "Judi" Dench, CH, DBE, FRSA is an English film, stage and television actress.Dench made her professional debut in 1957 with the Old Vic Company. Over the following few years she played in several of William Shakespeare's plays in such roles as Ophelia in Hamlet, Juliet in Romeo...
, an Academy Award, multiple-BAFTA
British Academy Film Awards
The British Academy Film Awards are presented in an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts . It is the British counterpart of the Oscars. As of 2008, it has taken place in the Royal Opera House, having taken over from the flagship Odeon cinema on Leicester Square...
and multiple-Laurence Olivier Award recipient.
Of the 68 Fellows, the majority (42) are from the United Kingdom, with 26 foreign recipients, mainly from the United States and France. There have been two African winners, both film directors, Malian Souleymane Cissé
Souleymane Cissé
-Biography:Raised in a Muslim family, Souleymane Cissé was a passionate cinephile from childhood. He attended secondary school in Dakar, and returned to Mali in 1960 after national independence....
and Senegalese Ousmane Sembène
Ousmane Sembène
Ousmane Sembène , often credited in the French style as Sembène Ousmane in articles and reference works, was a Senegalese film director, producer and writer...
while one recipient has come from each of Japan, India and Iran.
Fellows
