Akinola Davies Jr says “it’s a shame” the BBC cut his “free Palestine” speech from Baftas
Akinola Davies Jr has reacted to the BBC’s decision to cut his call for a “free Palestine” out of his Bafta acceptance speech, deeming the editorial decision a “shame”.
Davies Jr won the ‘Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer’ alongside his brother Wale Davies for their work on My Father’s Shadow at the ceremony that took place on February 22nd at London’s Royal Festival Hall.
The British-Nigerian dedicated his award to “all those whose parents migrated to obtain a better life for their children”.
Up on stage at London’s Royal Festival Hall, he added, “To the economic migrant. The conflict migrant. Those under occupation, dictatorship, persecution, and those experiencing genocide. You matter. Your stories matter more than ever. Your dreams are an act of resistance to those watching at home.”
He signed off his speech by saying, “Archive your loved ones. Archive your stories yesterday, today, and forever. For Nigeria, for London, the Congo, Sudan, free Palestine.” This section of the speech wasn’t aired on BBC One.
Following this, the BBC released a statement about the cut, which clarified that “the live event is three hours and it has to be reduced to two hours for its on-air slot. The same happened to other speeches made during the night, and all edits were made to ensure the programme was delivered to time.”
Now, in a new interview with Variety, the filmmaker has given his opinion on the matter, acknowledging the difficulty of having to shorten the recorded ceremony for the broadcast: “I think it’s probably common knowledge that things have to be edited down for TV versions, so I guess those are the choices that they decided to make.”
However, Davies Jr went on to add, “I think it was really important in the moment for me to say that in a room full of artists, because we have an opportunity to influence people because they watch our films.”
Davies Jr added that he “can’t really speak for the BBC,” an organisation that supported his film, “so I can only vouch for people within the institution that I know and care about and love.”
Nonetheless, the filmmaker said, “I do think it’s a shame, because we’ve protested for the last three or four years trying to show solidarity with the people of Palestine, we’ve had some of the largest political solidarity demonstrations in the UK.”
He concluded, “So I don’t think what I’m saying is new, but again, I’m not the institution, so I don’t get to make those decisions.”
Davies Jr’s full speech is available via the Baftas YouTube channel. Find the unedited cut below.
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