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British producer Duncan Kenworthy, best known for his work with longtime collaborator Richard Curtis, is set to receive the British Academy highest honor, the BAFTA Fellowship.
Kenworthy, already awarded an OBE (Officer
of the Order of the British Empire) for services to film, will be honored at BAFTA in a special ceremony hosted by Curtis.
Across a career spanning more than five decades, Kenworthy has helped define modern British cinema, producing internationally acclaimed films including “Four Weddings and a Funeral” (1994), “Notting Hill” (1999) and “Love Actually” (2003). His creative partnership with Curtis has shaped the British romantic comedy and brought British storytelling to global audiences.
A multiple BAFTA Award-winner, Kenworthy co-founded DNA with Andrew Macdonald, one of the UK’s leading independent production companies whose films include “Trainspotting” (1996), “28 Days Later” (2002), “The Last King of Scotland” (2006) and “Civil War” (2024). His career also stretches to numerous television credits, including “Sesame Street” (1969), “Fraggle Rock” (1983) and the Emmy-winning “Gulliver’s Travels” (1996), made through his long association with Jim Henson and The Jim Henson Company.
At BAFTA, Kenworthy joined the film committee in 1996, serving as chair from 2004 to 2006 and later as vice president from 2009 to 2015. He also served on the board of governors of the National Film and Television School (NFTS) and, through his production company Toledo Productions, established the Toledo Scholarship. The financial aid programme supports talented U.K. students from underrepresented backgrounds, helping to address gaps in representation and ensuring that a wider range of voices can access and build careers across the industry.
“I’m delighted and honoured to be the recipient of the BAFTA Fellowship,” said Kenworthy. “I’ve been incredibly fortunate to spend my life doing something I love, alongside so many talented and inspiring people. Having been closely involved with BAFTA for more than 30 of those years, to be recognised in this way is very special indeed.”
BAFTA Fellows previously honoured for their work in film include Donna Langley, Warwick Davis, Samantha Morton, Sir Ridley Scott, Judi Dench, Martin Scorsese, Maggie Smith, Steven Spielberg and many more.
