Published on: 17 March 2021 in Industry

Directors UK welcomes industry action on tackling bullying and harassment

Reading time: 2 minutes and 48 seconds

On Wednesday BAFTA, the BFI and the Film & TV Charity launched valuable new tools for tackling bullying and harassment in the film and TV industry.

If you are leading productions and want to know how to create a safer environment, BAFTA and the BFI’s existing anti-bullying principles and guidance have been converted into an easy-to-deploy checklist that can be used by productions at any budget level. Read the Action List for the film and television industry here.

BAFTA and the BFI are also working with ScreenSkills to help train filmmakers in the management aspects of dealing with bullying and harassment. You can register for courses here.

Meanwhile, The Film & TV Charity have introduced new services for those who have suffered or been a witness to bullying at work. These include a Bullying Pathway Service, offering free and confidential legal, HR and mental health advice; and Spot – a new digital tool which can be used by anyone to create a confidential record of bullying and harassment. Find out more here

Directors UK CEO Andy Harrower welcomed this action against bullying and harassment, saying: “It is vital that as an industry we create an urgent and meaningful response to the systemic issues of bullying, harassment and racism. Ensuring everyone is treated fairly, professionally and with respect should be the first priority of every production. This additional tool to support the industry principles and guidance makes the advice accessible to all productions and empowers them to take action regardless of their size or budget. We are pleased to support this work today and will continue to work with our colleagues to prevent unacceptable behaviour in the workplace.”

We support this work from our industry colleagues, and believe that it’s only by working together — and taking a shared responsibility for developing positive practices — that we can create cultural change

As part of this collaboration, we are actively engaged in the work of the industry’s Coalition for Change, where we contribute to the Bullying and Harassment working group and the Skills Development working group. We are also sharing insight and expertise for the development of the freelancer charter – which is intended to improve the working life and conditions of freelance film and TV makers. We’ll share more details on this work when it becomes available.

Alongside the resources above, if you are experiencing poor behaviour you can also consult our handbook, Bullying and Harassment: A Handbook for Screen Directors, which explores what bullying and harassment looks like and signposts to help. You can also always email us at [email protected] if you want to share your experiences with us.

Cookies help us deliver our services. By using our services, you agree to our use of cookies. Learn more