The future of the visual arts is in safe hands. For the next 12 months, BAFTA will mentor and support 20 outstanding young talents as part of their annual Breakthrough Brits scheme, in partnership with Burberry. The newest batch, selected by a jury of industry experts, were announced on Wednesday night by BAFTA, and consist of promising up-and-comers in the film, games and television industries.

Dazed, who are partnering with BAFTA for the 2017/2018 initiative, spoke to the latest Breakthrough Brits about what they hope to achieve in the next 12 months.

“You can always learn,” says actress Susan Wokoma, whose dream mentor is Sharon Horgan. “It’s important to keep asking questions, to keep talking to your peers, to keep talking to people older than you who are more experienced. There’s never a point where your well is full of knowledge.”

Screenwriter Sarah Quintrell agrees. “As a writer, I don’t get to work with other writers very often,” she says. “It gives us a chance to talk to people who do what we do – and have been doing it for longer, and are really experienced.”

“It’s the exposure as well,” composer Segun Akinola adds. “Not just exposure for you and your own work, but in terms of meeting people and having a support network. Hopefully we’ll make friends, learn from each other, and be able to support each other.”

Lydia Hampson, the producer of Fleabag, says she was thrilled when viewers would tweet about identifying with the show. “In the next 12 months,” she continues, “I’d love to find another story or another voice that similarly touches people or opens up a channel or talks about something we don’t talk about. I’d love to be able to build upon what Fleabag did in recognising something that people felt.”

Charlie and Daisy Cooper, the duo behind sitcom This Country, took several years to get their show onto BBC Three. “We made so many mistakes,” Charlie admits, referring to failed pilots and tasters. “Had we had mentoring a few years back, the process would have been quicker.”

Nevertheless, Jessie Buckley, the star of festival favourite Beast, believes her time is now. “There’s such pressure to pop when you’re 18, but I know myself a lot better now,” she says. “I know what I want to get out of my work, which is to change and to provoke and to grow and learn. It’s a great scheme to pick the brains of people who inspire you, and try to make it your own.”

“If you think you know everything about your field, then you’re wrong,” notes Kit Fraser, who lensed Under the Shadow. “Even Roger Deakins says he hasn’t learned everything he needs to know about being a cinematographer.” 

“I’d second that,” adds Chloë Thomson, another director of photography. “Also, it’s not just about the work itself,” she continues, “but the politics that goes into the industry, and our job is to navigate that. To have the support of BAFTA to meet people who would be really helpful in career progression is something that I’m really grateful for.

The full list of Breakthrough Brits is as follows:

Adam Vian and Thomas Vian (Game Directors)

Anna Holinrake (Games Artist)

Charlie Cooper and Daisy Cooper (Writers/Actors)

Chloë Thomson (Director of Photography)

Daniel Fountain (Game Designer)

Francis Lee (Writer/Director)

Henry Hoffman (Creative Director)

Hope Dickson Leach (Writer/Director)

Jessie Buckley (Actress)

Josh O'Connor (Actor)

Kit Fraser (Director of Photography)

Lydia Hampson (Producer)

Mahalia Belo (Director)

Molly Windsor (Actress)

Olivia Wood (Games Writer & Editor)

Sarah Quintrell (Writer)

Segun Akinola (Composer)

Susan Wokoma (Actress)

For more info, go to: http://www.bafta.org/supporting-talent/breakthrough-brits