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Discussion about this year’s BAFTA Film Awards ceremony has been dominated by an incident that made it into the broadcast.
During the ceremony, “Sinners” stars Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were presenting an award when a racial slur was shouted at them from the audience. The pair carried on presenting, Lindo later telling Vanity Fair that they “did what we had to do” while presenting but wished that “someone from BAFTA spoke to us”.
The slur reportedly came from John Davidson, an activist suffering from Tourette’s syndrome whose life is the subject of “I Swear” – the celebrated British film which won several awards last night, including a Best Actor award for Robert Amayo, who portrayed Davidson in the film.
Tourette’s syndrome is famous for ‘tics’, sudden, involuntary and repetitive movements or outbursts, which often manifest in inappropriate and loud swearing that the sufferer has no control over. Davidson was heard swearing several times during the ceremony.
Davidson attended the ceremony in his capacity as an executive producer on the film, and host Alan Cumming interrupted his monologues several times during the show to remind viewers about the disability and apologise to anyone offended tonight.
Attendees were informed prior to the ceremony that they “might hear some involuntary noises or movements”. Davidson left the auditorium shortly after the Lindo-Jordan incident.
Davidson has released a statement thanking BAFTA and everyone involved in the awards last night for their support and understanding. He says: “I have spent my life trying to support and empower the Tourette’s community and to teach empathy, kindness and understanding from others and I will continue to do so. I chose to leave the auditorium early into the ceremony as I was aware of the distress my tics were causing. I can only add that I am and always have been deeply mortified if anyone considers my involuntary tics to be intentional or to carry any meaning.”
His statement follows a formal apology from BAFTA to Jordan and Lindo, saying: “Our guests heard very offensive language that carries incomparable trauma and pain for so many. We want to acknowledge the harm this has caused, address what happened and apologise to all … We would like to thank [Davidson] for his dignity and consideration of others, on what should have been a night of celebration for him.”
Emma McNally, CEO of Tourettes Action, also released a statement saying: “We deeply understand that these words can cause hurt but at the same time, it is vital that the public understands a fundamental truth about Tourette syndrome: tics are involuntary. They are not a reflection of a person’s beliefs, intentions, or character.”
The BBC has come under the most criticism for not editing out the slur from the broadcast when it initially put it on iPlayer, meaning clips of the moment have gone viral.
Source: THR
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