South West Surrey MP and Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt hosted a reception in LA last week to congratulate the British nominees of Academy Awards prior to the official ceremony. In addition to celebrating British Academy Award nominees, this year’s prestigious event in the awards calendar marked the Los Angeles launch of the GREAT Campaign, which showcases UK excellence in business, creativity, entrepreneurship and innovation. A never-before seen piece by David Hockney, one of the most influential British artists of the 20th Century and a Brit who called Los Angeles home for more than three decades, was unveiled at the event in a celebration of British artistic creativity. Attending the annual Oscar® celebration were British luminaries in Hollywood including actors, directors, producers, screenwriters, distributors and key players in the technical branches who connect the two most globally successful filmmaking hubs - Hollywood and the United Kingdom. These included Kenneth Branagh, Fiona Shaw, Gary Oldman and Victoria Beckham. Jeremy said: “Hosting a party for our Oscar hopefuls was a great privilege - and also a good moment to bang the drum for our film industry. Hollywood spends over £1 billion pouds making films in the UK - including Harry Potter and Pirates of the Caribbean - and we have provided the stories for over half of the biggest global blockbusters in the last decade. Sipping champagne with the stars was quite an experience even if I had to change multiple nappies at home to make up for it.""
