James Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson are being accorded BFI Fellowships, the highest honour bestowed by the British Film Institute.
The fellowships will be presented at the BFI chair’s dinner, hosted by BFI chair Tim Richards, on June 28.
For Eon Productions, Broccoli and Wilson have overseen the Bond franchise for nearly 30 years and together produced nine of the 25 Bond films, the first of which was “Goldeneye” (1995) and includes “Skyfall” (2012), which went on to win the BAFTA for outstanding British Film. Wilson was screenwriter on five films in the 1980s (with Richard Maibaum) and producer of three Bonds with his stepfather and original Bond producer Albert R. Broccoli. The franchise turns 60 this year and the BFI will be marking this anniversary with James Bond 60th celebration weekend of screenings and events in London at BFI Southbank and BFI IMAX on Oct. 1 and 2.
Wilson and Barbara Broccoli said: “We are so proud to be awarded the BFI Fellowship on behalf of all of those who have been a part of the James Bond series over 60 years and feel honoured to join such an esteemed group of distinguished industry fellows. We are very grateful to so many members of the British film industry who we have worked with over the course of our careers and thank the British Film Institute for their tremendous support and leadership for the creative industries in the U.K.”
Richards added: “I am honoured and excited to be awarding Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli with the prestigious BFI Fellowship. I can think of no-one else more deserving particularly as we celebrate the 60th anniversary of the incredibly successful James Bond franchise. With amazing insight and vision Michael and Barbara have not only re-invented Bond for today’s audiences, but ‘No Time to Die’ arrived at exactly the right moment to welcome those audiences back to the big screen experience as never before. As equally, if not more, important is their commitment to our industry away from the spotlight, where they work tirelessly to open doors for others by playing a huge part in educating, supporting and inspiring the next generation of film makers.”
Broccoli and Wilson have also produced and executive produced several films outside the Bond franchise including “Radiator” (2014), “The Silent Storm” (2014), “Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool” 2017), “Nancy” (2018) and “The Rhythm Section” (2020).
Broccoli is VP for film at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, president of the National Youth Theatre, director of Time’s Up U.K. and a Trustee of Into Film, a film education youth charity. Wilson is honorary VP of the Science Museum Foundation and a Fellow of the Science Museum London. Both Wilson and Broccoli are directors of the Dana and Albert R. Broccoli Foundation and co-founders of the London Screen Academy.
In 2008, they were appointed Officers of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) and in 2014 they were honoured by the Producers Guild of America with the David O. Selznick Achievement Award in Theatrical Motion Pictures. In 2022, they were appointed Commanders of the Order of the British Empire for services to film, drama, philanthropy and skills (CBE).
BFI Fellows include Martin Scorsese and Thelma Schoonmaker, Tilda Swinton, David Lean, Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, Nicholas Roeg, Orson Welles, Ridley Scott, Judi Dench, Ousmane Sembène, Bernardo Bertolucci and Steve McQueen. (Variety)