Laurence Green acts as Chairman with other members including Amma Asante, Claire Jones, 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.”
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.
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.