The Queer Short Film You Missed That Just Won a BAFTA
While much of the conversation around this year’s British Academy of Film and Television Arts ceremony focused on the major televised categories, one of the night’s most meaningful LGBTQ+ wins happened slightly out of the spotlight.
Two Black Boys in Paradise took home the BAFTA for Best British Short Animation — a landmark moment for a tender, joy-filled queer story that many viewers may not yet have discovered.
The nine-minute stop-motion animation triumphed over strong competition, including Oscar-nominated short Cardboard and Luce Angus’s Solstice, in a category that was not included in the BBC’s main broadcast.
A Story of Black Queer Joy
Based on the poem of the same name by award-winning writer Dean Atta, the film follows two teenage boys, Eden and Dula, as they journey toward self-acceptance and love — both for each other and themselves.
Atta co-wrote the screenplay with producer Ben Jackson, after Jackson was moved by a live reading of the poem and suggested adapting it into animation. Directed by Baz Sells, the project took five years to complete and involved a team of more than 100 creatives.
Musician and author Jordan Stephens narrates the short, with Arun Blair-Mangat voicing the central characters.
Speaking on the BAFTA red carpet, Atta described the journey as “incredible,” adding that he rarely saw Black queer stories growing up that weren’t rooted in tragedy.
“I’m so glad we have the opportunity to tell a joyous story,” he said, explaining that while the film acknowledges struggle, it ultimately celebrates love and freedom from shame.
Representation That Feels Personal
On stage, Atta reflected on his own upbringing and the absence of affirming Black queer representation in mainstream media.
Jackson also spoke candidly about his experience growing up under Section 28 — the controversial UK law that prohibited the “promotion” of homosexuality in schools. He explained that the silence and stigma surrounding queerness during his school years delayed his own coming out until age 30.
“My whole school life, being queer wasn’t allowed to be talked about in a positive way,” Jackson said. “I wanted to put something out into the world that other people can see and feel seen.”
A Statement Win
In interviews following the ceremony, Atta suggested the award could signal something broader within the industry.
“I feel like that’s a good thing to reflect upon,” he said, noting that recognising a Black queer love story on a stage as prominent as BAFTA sends a message about whose stories deserve funding and visibility.
At its heart, Two Black Boys in Paradise is intentionally hopeful. While the film does not ignore reality, it offers something that has historically been rare on screen: Black queer joy without punishment.
As Atta previously put it, paradise in the film may be imagined - but it is a space viewers can see themselves in, and perhaps carry a little of into their own lives.
In a ceremony where LGBTQ+ representation felt sparse in the headline categories, this quiet victory spoke volumes.
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