Elizabeth Karlsen & Stephen Woolley – Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema

With one win and nine nominations between them, Stephen Woolley and Elizabeth Karlsen are certainly no strangers to BAFTA voters. Yet that’s only a part of the story. From The Company of Wolves (1984) and Mona Lisa (1986) to Little Voice (1998) and Carol (2015), the producing partners have shown a staunch commitment to independent cinema that has been celebrated by audiences, critics and awards bodies alike. Despite this, the news they had been chosen to receive BAFTA’s Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema award came as a shock. “We were thrilled, honoured and pleased for everybody who’s been associated with our films and us,” says Woolley. “Our career has been about making films without money under a kind of duress, and yet through that process we’ve been able to make some good movies.”