Charles Thompson

Chief Charles Thompson MBE, the Ghanaian-born son of one of the UK's first African barristers is a graduate of Film & TV Production Techniques, Arts and Media. His over 3 decades of experience in the international film & TV industry as a Creative, Impact, and Film Producer with a commitment to black writers and directors has produced many multiple award-winning narrative films in Europe, Africa, and the USA, with most gaining long-term distribution. He has worked in producing important Black British dramas & TV magazine shows, including the UK's first black-themed scripted reality series. Two of Charles' earliest films are held in the BFI National Archive, one of which went on to become the longest-running short film in UK cinema history. In the late 90's he helped found London's first ever live screenplay reading event, co-founded and served as Festival Director for the bfm (black filmmaker) International Film Festival, the UK's first and once one of Europe's premier annual black film showcases, and in 2003 he created the Screen Nation Film & TV Awards described by The Independent as 'the Black BAFTA's' and then in 2013 the Screen Nation Digital Media Awards. Hugely respected across the UK and West African film industries, his commitment to Black British filmmaking has seen him develop training and screening programs across the UK and 3 of his feature films can be found on Netflix. He created the UK's first Black film & TV Hall of Fame and future plans include a series of heritage events recognizing the contribution Black British practitioners have made to the UK industries since the early 1900's. In 2011 Charles received an MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours List.