BAFTA NY — the British Academy outpost started by my late friend Freddie Hancock many years ago — is stepping up its game.
New dynamic chair Joyce Pierpoline hosted a swanky New York Film Festival tea party at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel today in Columbus Circle.
This was a little like the great BAFTA LA tea party that comes in the winter over Critics Choice Awards weekend.
Plenty of stars and well known industry types showed up including irascible “Succession” actor Brian Cox, plus “James Bond” star Ben Whishaw, “Brutalist” director Brady Corbet and director wife Mona Fastvold, Gaby Hoffmann, Joan Chen, Aasif Mandvi, theater great Kathleen Chalfant, “Dreamgirls” and now “Kiss of the Spider Woman” director Bill Condon, and Sean Bean, of “Lord of the Rings” fame.
Everyone wanted their picture taken with 95 year old June Squibb, star of “Eleanor the Great” just a season after her hit, “Thelma.”
Also, Joan Chen — fondly remembered from “Twin Peaks” — not trapped in that doorknob anymore!
“Our tea parties are a way for us to bring together our entertainment community in New York and continue to showcase the important year-round work of the organization. BAFTA has had a home in New York since 1996, and it’s inspiring to gather so much talent from this city across film, television, and games. Community is at the heart of who we are, and tonight is about celebrating the creativity in this room while also looking to the future.” said Pierpoline.
We can thank Delta Air Lines, Virgin Atlantic, Morgan Stanley Global Sports & Entertainment, and Mandarin Oriental, New York for presenting the much needed get together.
Plenty of stars and well
