BAFTA to skip Los Angeles Britannia Awards for the second year running

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts' (BAFTA) annual Britannia Awards, presented by the organization's Los Angeles branch, has been cancelled for the second year in a row.

According to Variety, no reason was provided for the cancellation of the awards, but they will return in 2022, the BAFTA said.

"BAFTA Britannia awards will be a key part of our plans for 2022, for the rest of this year we are continuing to focus on our year-round learning and talent programs, which include scholarships, the GSA Bafta Student Awards and Breakthrough USA - which we will announce the new cohort for later in the year," the BAFTA said in a statement provided to Variety.

Earlier, the 2022 edition of the awards were also cancelled due to the ongoing COVID pandemic. The Britannia Awards are usually held around the time of the American Film Market (AFM). However, the AFM is going virtual for the second year running.

The Britannia Award is the highest accolade presented by BAFTA Los Angeles, and is intended as "a celebration of achievement honouring individuals and companies who have dedicated their careers or corporate missions to advancing the art-forms of the moving image in the US, UK and beyond."

The first Britannia Award was presented in 1989 to Albert R. 'Cubby' Broccoli, pioneer producer of the James Bond films. Known as The Britannia Award for Excellence in Film, the honour has subsequently been awarded to luminaries including Michael Caine, Peter Ustinov, Martin Scorsese, Anthony Hopkins, John Travolta, Howard Stringer, the late Stanley Kubrick (in whose name the film award is now given), Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Hugh Grant, Tom Hanks, Tom Cruise, Clint Eastwood, Denzel Washington, Robert De Niro, Jeff Bridges, Warren Beatty, Samuel L. Jackson and Daniel Day-Lewis.

The awards, which are presented annually at The Britannia Awards gala dinner, also include the John Schlesinger Britannia Award for excellence in directing; the Albert R. Broccoli Britannia Award for worldwide contribution to entertainment; the Britannia Award for excellence in television; the Charlie Chaplin Britannia Award for excellence in comedy; and the Britannia Humanitarian Award, as per Variety.

(ANI)