BAFTA Film Awards 2024

It was an honour to return to the Royal Festival Hall to create portraits at Britain’s biggest night in cinema – the BAFTA Film Awards.

It was the night that Christopher Nolan won his first golden masks, Da’Vine Joy Randolph moved us to tears and Michael J. Fox gave a very special appearance. In my portrait studio Robert Downey Jr. danced whilst Cillian Murphy took it all in, Paul Mescal giggled with Andrew Scott, Hannah Waddingham did the twist, and it was a joy to have Cate Blanchett back in front of my camera again.

On the 5th floor, away from the dazzling lights of the ceremony, I built an intimate space allowing my sitters a moment of release after the emotions felt on stage. Taking inspiration from Richard Avedon’s early work, I flooded my set in light reminiscent of an artist’s workshop – soft and gentle. Mixed with the high emotions and energy on display, it was a truly exceptional evening to be a part of.

Huge thanks to the brilliant photo team at BAFTA for their collaboration and support. It really does take a village to make a project like this come to life and working with this hyper-talented and super-dedicated squad is a dream come true.

BAFTA:
Photo Director: Claire Rees, Producer: Jordan Anderson, Photo Assistant: Ellie Elliot, Freelance: Tayjib Kerstan

Set Builder: Simon Godfrey

Lighting Supplier: Danny Murphy

Lighting Assistant: Philip Hardman

Retoucher: Melissa Morgan

 

SEE THE FULL SET

 

SEE THE FULL SET

Riz Ahmed - Riz Ahmed – Emmy Magazine - Charlie Clift

Riz Ahmed – Emmy Magazine

Watching Riz transform in front of my lens was a joy. We caught up ahead of the release of Bait, his new Prime Video series. Special thanks to Rose Cefalu at Emmy Magazine, Katie Griffiths at Academy PR, and Brooke James at Amazon Studios. Credits: Agent – B&A REPS – Luigi Menduni First Assistant – George Hall Lighting Assistant – Phil Hardman

 - Winner – 2026 Communication Arts - Charlie Clift

Winner – 2026 Communication Arts

I’m delighted that my portrait of Judi Dench in her shed was selected as a winner in the 2026 Communication Arts Photo Annual. I had the joy of photographing Dame Judi for Die Zeit. The portrait accompanied a beautiful interview feature around The Man Who Pays the Rent.  

Ralph Fiennes - AP42 - Winner – AP42 - Charlie Clift

Winner – AP42

My portrait of Ralph Fiennes from the 2025 BAFTA Film Awards has been chosen as a winner in the 42nd American Photography Annual. Huge thanks to everyone that helped to make this happen.

Jessie Buckley - BAFTA - BAFTA Film Awards 2026 - Charlie Clift

BAFTA Film Awards 2026

At Britain’s biggest night in cinema, my portrait studio was tucked backstage for the fourth time: a haven where winners and presenters could exhale, shake off the roar of the room, and simply be: laughing, sharing, playing.

Alan Cumming - 2026 EE BAFTA Film Awards Host - Alan Cumming – EE BAFTA Film Awards 2026 - Charlie Clift

Alan Cumming – EE BAFTA Film Awards 2026

Loved photographing the BAFTA Film Awards’ new host. Alan really took to our little box, throwing amazing shapes all shoot long. See him in full swing on stage this Sunday at the Royal Festival Hall. I will be there too, though hiding behind the curtain with a camera in hand.

 - In the Spotlight – Harper’s Bazaar - Charlie Clift

In the Spotlight – Harper’s Bazaar

Spotlighting women working across film and TV.  An almost entirely monochrome world evolved from Grace Clarke’s styling.What an awesome day in the studio with the team from Harper’s Bazaar.

Being Gordon Ramsay - Netflix - Being Gordon Ramsay – Netflix - Charlie Clift

Being Gordon Ramsay – Netflix

New key art for Netflix upcoming series Being Gordon Ramsay. This one started sixty floors up, watching the sun rise over London surrounded by maneki-neko in Gordon Ramsay’s new restaurant. And it finished with the executive chef Ronnie Kimbugwe throwing a huge bunch of carrots into the air. In between we took photos of course, but we also talked about love, family, training for triathlons, the best champagne, liquid nitrogen, obsessing over produce and a thousand other things. The shot list to make a poster like this is huge, with every person needing their own mix of accessories — from gently crawling crustaceans to giant architectural blueprints. But I love a challenge, so with coffee flowing, a colour-coded set, and an epic playlist, we got to work capturing the personalities of the brilliant characters surrounding our unstoppable protagonist. Gordon himself said on set “everyone here is the talent.” I could...

 - Portrait of Britain Vol.8 – Winner - Charlie Clift

Portrait of Britain Vol.8 – Winner

Thrilled to share that my portrait of David Jonsson has been selected as a winner in this year’s Portrait of Britain, run by the British Journal of Photography The image is featured as part of a nationwide exhibition of 100 portraits, displayed on billboards across the country and celebrating the many faces of Britain. I photographed David for BAFTA, just moments after he won the EE Rising Star Award. Big thanks to the brilliant team at BAFTA, to the judges for choosing this photograph, as well as everyone else involved on the shoot. See the full set of winning images here: LINK   Thanks to Vladamir Studenic for the photo of St. Pancras & London Bridge.  

Andy Murray – Walker’s Shortbread

A wee bit of Scotland that’s come a long way. So much fun bringing this one to life. Huge thanks to New Commercial Arts for asking me to direct and photograph the campaign. We had no idea on shoot day that Andy’s cosy knit would become Walker’s first-ever Charity Christmas Jumper. If you fancy one of your own, all profits will be donated to Cash For Kids to support the Mission Christmas initiative. Get yours here: LINK Check out the full video as well as the  behind the scenes below. Credits: Agent – Beth Wightman at B&A Reps Producer – George Hall DOP – Martyna Knitter NCA CCO – Ian Heartfield Creative – Katie Burrell Creative – Andy Burrell Creative Producer – Kiti Swannell Design – King Henry Post Production – Creative Outpost Voice Over – Robbie Jack Music composed by Mark Rose First AC – Gino Vitolo Playback –...

 - Nicolas Hieronimus – Beauty Inc - Charlie Clift

Nicolas Hieronimus – Beauty Inc

It was a pleasure to work with the WWD Beauty Inc team for the first time, creating portraits for their special edition featuring Nicolas Hieronimus, this year’s recipient of the 2025 Pete Born Impact Award. Nicolas has this quiet confidence that steadies a room. While we shot, we talked about everything from cycling and music to life as the CEO of the world’s largest beauty company. A huge thank you to the Beauty Inc crew, and everyone who made the day run seamlessly. Read the full interview in WWD’s Beauty Inc: LINK