As seen on screen: five BAFTA-worthy destinations

To celebrate the 2023 BAFTAS in February, we roll out The Club’s red carpet for past award-winners whose films are set in and around our destinations. Let BAFTA award-winning filmmaker and journalist Alexandra Genova inspire your own cinematic adventures, from the natural wonders of Costa Rica to the concrete creativity of New York City.

Don’t forget that you can pool your Avios with friends and family to make your trips even more memorable – and you can also give back via BA Better World when you book.

Basquiat: Rage to Riches

BAFTA TV Best Specialist Factual Programme 2017
New York City
Jean-Michel Basquiat’s creative light shone fast and bright during his 27-year life. The Brooklyn-born artist began as a down-and-out graffiti artist and his prolific output is now considered up there with 20th-century greats such as Pablo Picasso and Francis Bacon. This BBC Documentary Unit film catalogues his stratospheric journey to success. While New York may have changed beyond recognition from its 1970s dilapidation, there is still a burning creative energy to be celebrated and supported. Take a trip to the excellent New Museum or go see a performance at the Littlefield Art Space. And, as Basquiat did, be inspired by the city itself – put your smartphones away and soak up all the weird and wonderful things found right there on the sidewalk.

Our Land

BAFTA TV Best Short Form Programme 2022
London
This short documentary was filmed in the north London areas of Tottenham, Wood Green and Edmonton. It follows the story of Black British farmers, food growers and activists taking on a predominantly white agricultural industry. You can access the capital with British Airways from three different airports and, while it might not typically be associated with food growing, there is an abundance of city farms and local food-growing initiatives, if you know where to look. Pay a visit to Hackney City Farm and meet the resident pigs and goats or head to the Surrey Docks Farm Shop and Café to buy some delicious homegrown produce. Connecting with the city’s local growers is a great way to get to know where your food is coming from and to support diversity in the British food industry.

Free Solo

BAFTA Film Best Documentary 2019
Yosemite National Park
This edge-of-your-seat thriller follows world-renowned free soloist climber and daredevil Alex Honnold as he prepares to scale the world’s most famous rock – the 3,000ft El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, California – without any rope. Spoiler alert: he achieves his childhood dream and in doing so performs one of the greatest, heart-in-your-mouth athletic achievements of all time. While most of us probably aren’t up to a climb of this scale, exploring this incredible National Park is an adventure in and of itself, and we offer direct flights to San Francisco, just a three-hour car ride from Yosemite. Enjoying the park responsibly is paramount to its survival. Whether you’re hiking or camping, make sure you follow the Leave No Trace guidelines and always remain respectful of its many inhabitants – from bobcats to butterflies.

The Island with Bear Grylls

BAFTA TV Best Reality and Constructed Factual 2015
Pacific Islands
Being abandoned on a remote, uninhabited island is a challenge of human endurance most would baulk at. But that’s exactly what Bear Grylls asked of brave Brits in this reality TV series, which saw one contributor fall backwards off a cliff while scavenging (he survived with minor injuries). While you can’t travel to the exact islands where this show is filmed, we do fly to nearby Costa Rica, which has miles of pristine beaches and tropical forests, and is one of the most richly biodiverse countries in the world. Not only can you witness first-hand some of thousands of unique flora and fauna, but you can also play a part in protecting this incredible landscape by volunteering with various wildlife conservation programmes.

Belfast

BAFTA Outstanding British Film 2022
Northern Ireland
This cinematic offering was written and directed by Kenneth Branagh and is an autobiographical coming-of-age story set against the Troubles. Starring Judi Dench and Jamie Dornan, it was described by critics as a “seductive piece of myth-making”. While Belfast is a much calmer place than it was in the 1960s when this film was set, there are many historical landmarks that act as a reminder that freedom is fragile. Notable sites include the ‘Peace Wall’, constructed to separate Protestant and Catholic communities (now covered in murals) and the Shankill Road Memorial Gardens.

The BAFTAs will be broadcast on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on 19 February

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This article has been tagged Destination, Culture