" Don't wait for extraordinary opportunities. Seize common occasions and make them great. Weak men wait for opportunities; strong men make them. " Orison Swett Marden Dear Members, We're just a short couple of weeks and 28% away from the BFA website opening its doors and welcoming our members who've stuck with us for the first year of our initiativ...

Dear all, Actors often go to extreme lengths to prepare for roles, going into emotional or physical isolation, shutting down parts of their own personalities to inherit their characters so completely. Shedding or gaining pound after pound. The shocking pictures of Jared Leto and Matthew McConaughey, the latest to do so, for the 'Dallas Buyers Club'...

A huge thank you to all the BFA members, as well as family, friends and colleagues from the industry who stepped out to support us at The Spoiler's launch at BAFTA recently. It was a magical night and one I'll never forget. I've spoken a lot about The Spoiler and all involved know how much I appreciate their talent and hard work as well as how much...

"Everyone must leave something behind when he dies . . . Something your hand touched some way so your soul has somewhere to go when you die . . . It doesn't matter what you do, so long as you change something from the way it was before you touched it into something that's like you after you take your hands away." After a few weeks of tragic news, o...

  "That feeling of winning a role is great because it feels like utter vindication of your sacrifices and choices as a performer. We can each of us say; "I'm an actor" but without people to share your belief it becomes a pipe dream or an exercise in futility." Joe Sims Dear Members Please join me in thanking actor Joe Sims for the incredible a...

  Dear Members, I'm delighted to be able to bring you an interview with the wonderful Keri Collins, no relation. Keri is a BAFTA Cymru nominated director. He has written and directed a number of short films for the BBC, and has directed for US network PBS . He recently directed the feature comedy, 'Convenience' starring Vicky McClure (This is ...

Among the multitude of tributes, tweets and headlines mourning the death or Carrie Fisher and celebrating her life, one that is perhaps the most befitting of accolades, came from her Star Wars co-star Harrison Ford. 'She lived her life bravely'. For those born after the Star Wars phenomena exploded into our galaxy and changed the face of cinema (as...

Often in life the difficulties we're presented with can wear you away. Something anyone who's ever made a film will vouch for and no doubt be able to show an array of battle scars. But it's worth stopping every once in a while to remember why we took up the battle in the first place…. From the BFA's manifesto: "The next generation of filmmakers and...

Into everyone's life comes someone. The one person who makes you see yourself differently, see the world differently. Makes you realize your dreams and understand more deeply all the things you knew you could do but were afraid to try. Whether you ever know them personally, or they're figures of inspiration, only known to you through their work, th...

Dear members I'm so proud to be able to highlight for you something very special from one of our members, Dave Hearn, and his colleagues and cohorts at the Mischief Theatre Company: 'The Play That Goes Wrong'. Don't let the title fool you – nothing goes wrong in this absolutely hysterical comedy. And everything that does go quite intentionally wron...