London,
05
January
2017
|
10:04
Europe/London

NOMINEES ANNOUNCED FOR THE 2017 EE RISING STAR AWARD

 

NOMINEES ANNOUNCED FOR THE 2017 EE RISING STAR AWARD

  • The EE Rising Star Award nominees for 2017 are: Laia Costa, Lucas Hedges, Tom Holland, Ruth Negga and Anya Taylor-Joy
  • The winner will be announced at the EE British Academy Film Awards ceremony on Sunday 12 February 2017, at the Royal Albert Hall
  • Nominees were selected by an influential group of jurors including actor Will Poulter, presenter Edith Bowman and casting director Lucy Bevan
  • Voting is now open to the public at ee.co.uk/BAFTA

Thursday 5 January 2017, London: Today, the nominations for this year’s prestigious EE Rising Star Award were revealed at BAFTA’s headquarters, 195 Piccadilly in London. The nominations represent five actors and actresses who have shown truly outstanding talent on the big screen in the past year and captured the attention of both the public and the film industry.

The nominees for 2017 are:

  • LAIA COSTA starred in Sebastian Schipper’s critically-acclaimed Victoria, a film which was almost entirely improvised by the actors and shot in one single take – in turn landing her a series of awards wins. Prior to this, she played the lead role of Lucià in the Russian film Fort Ross, directed by Russian director Yuriy Moroz, and also starred in Palm Trees in the Snow. Costa has worked extensively in her native country, Spain, starring in TV shows such as Cites, the Spanish remake of British TV series Dates, Carlos, Rey Emperador, and Polseres Vermelles. Up next, Costa will be seen starring opposite Thomas Mann in Matthew Brown’s latest Independent film Maine, and Martin Hodara’s Nieve negra with Richard Darin.

Laia Costa, commenting on her nomination, said: "Thank you to BAFTA and the jury. I am honored to be considered for the EE Rising Star Award in this company and for accomplishing this for a German film, shot in English by a German director and Norwegian cinematographer and as a Spanish actress myself--a great example of how the collaboration of so many cultures can result in something truly wonderful.”

  • LUCAS HEDGES can currently be seen on the big screen alongside Casey Affleck, Michelle Williams and Gretchen Mol, in Kenneth Lonergan’s Manchester by the Sea. Hedges broke onto the scene when director Wes Anderson cast him in his first role as Redford in Moonrise Kingdom. Anderson first caught glimpse of Hedges after sitting in the audience of one of his middle school plays and has since then cast him in The Grand Budapest Hotel, starring alongside Ralph Fiennes. Other notable roles include Richard in Jason Reitman’s Labor Day and starring opposite Christoph Waltz in Terry Gilliam’s The Zero Theorem. Hedges has recently wrapped production on Greta Gerwig’s directorial debut, Lady Bird alongside Saoirse Ronan and Tracy Letts, and Martin McDonagh’s film Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, which is set for release this year.

Lucas Hedges, commenting on his nomination, said: “It’s really exciting to be recognised for an award that has nominated many of my favourite actors over the years. I’ve always been enamored with English culture and have dreamed of living in England, so this nomination is particularly meaningful for me."

  • TOM HOLLAND, trained actor and dancer, is best known for his role as the iconic Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Holland starred in Captain America: Civil War alongside Robert Downey Jr and Chris Evans and has recently finished filming for Spider-Man: Homecoming where he appears opposite Michael Keaton. Holland made his screen debut opposite Ewan McGregor and Naomi Watts in Juan Antonio Bayona's The Impossible. Prior to this, Holland has worked with a number of big names including Chris Hemsworth and Cillian Murphy in Ron Howard’s In the Heart of the Sea, Saoirse Ronan in Kevin MacDonald’s How I Live Now and Tom Hardy in Steven Knight’s Locke. 2017 spells another busy year as Holland features in James Gray’s The Lost City of Z with Robert Pattinson and begins shooting for The Current War opposite the acclaimed Benedict Cumberbatch.

Tom Holland, commenting on his nomination, said “I have to say thank you to BAFTA for recognising my work and nominating me for the EE Rising Star Award. What a huge honour this is and what a great category to be nominated in, so thank you thank you thank you!”

  • RUTH NEGGA is currently starring in Jeff Nichols’ critically acclaimed film, Loving, opposite Joel Edgerton, which was inspired by the documentary The Loving Story and follows Mildred and Richard Loving, the couple behind the pivotal 1967 civil rights case. After enjoying a successful career in theatre, Negga made her screen debut in the Irish film Capital Letters, playing the lead role of Taiwo. She went on to play the lead role of Mary in Isolation the following year, and has also starred as Tulip O’Hare in the critically acclaimed series Preacher opposite Dominic Cooper. Her award-winning theatre credits include Lolita, Duck, Phaedre and Titus Andronicus.

Ruth Negga, commenting on her nomination, said “I am so honoured to be nominated for an EE Rising Star Award and to be in such fine company as previous nominees and winners. Thank you BAFTA - it’s so surreal to be recognised for doing something I love. I can’t wait for the ceremony in London!”

  • ANYA TAYLOR-JOY is most notably known for her breakthrough and debut film role of Thomasin in Robert Egger’s The Witch. Following this, Taylor-Joy starred in the science fiction horror film Morgan, directed by Luke Scott, and Vikram Gandhi’s film Barry where she played Charlotte opposite Devon Terrell. Next up for release is M. Night Shyamalan’s thriller Split where Taylor-Joy will be seen in the leading role alongside the first ever EE Rising Star Award winner, James McAvoy, in the gripping story of a man with 23 personalities who is compelled to abduct three teenage girls.

Anya Taylor-Joy, commenting on her nomination, said: “Thank you so, so much for my EE Rising Star Award nomination! I can't quite put into words how it feels to be in the company of such talent, past and present. All my love and gratitude.”

This year the EE Rising Star jury, who were tasked with whittling down the five nominees from a vast list of upcoming talented actors and actresses, included jury chair Marc Samuelson, former EE Rising Star Award winner Will Poulter, presenter Edith Bowman, film critic James King, casting director Lucy Bevan and other leading industry specialists and entertainment journalists.

Marc Samuelson, EE Rising Star Award jury chair said: “It’s a true honour to be asked to chair the EE Rising Star Award jury for what is now my second year. One would think that the deliberation of choosing the final five nominees would begin to get easier, however year on year the list of talent coming through is outstanding, and 2017 is no different.”

In a BAFTA first, three of the 2017 EE Rising Star Award nominees were able to ‘virtually’ attend the press conference thanks to Google Daydream View VR technology. Despite filming commitments around the world, Laia Costa, Tom Holland and Anya Taylor-Joy pre-recorded 360 degree film footage to give a special message about how they feel to be nominated for the 2017 EE Rising Star Award.

Mat Sears, Director of Communications & Sponsorship at EE, added: “This year we're excited to celebrate not only the 12th year of the EE Rising Star Award, but also the 20th anniversary of our partnership with BAFTA, and what better way to mark this achievement, than with this superb shortlist of nominees announced today. It’s an absolute honour that we get to play a part in recognising young film talent and I wish them all the best ahead of the awards.”

2017 celebrates the 12th year of the EE Rising Star Award, the only award at the EE British Academy Film Awards voted for by the British public. Voting is now open at ee.co.uk/BAFTA and the winner will be announced at the EE British Academy Film Awards on Sunday 12 February 2017.

- ENDS -

For more information, please contact M&C Saatchi PR on eebafta@mcsaatchi.com

Notes to editors:

The EE Rising Star Award was created in honour of the esteemed BAFTA-winning Casting Director Mary Selway who, over her distinguished career, contributed greatly to the film industry, paving the way for young stars. In celebration of her work the award has set a standard for identifying talent destined for future film stardom.

In 2006, James McAvoy was crowned the first ever Rising Star who has since then been followed by a plethora of talented winners including the likes of Eva Green in 2007, Shia LaBeouf in 2008, Noel Clarke in 2009, Tom Hardy in 2011, Juno Temple in 2013, Will Poulter in 2014 and Jack O’Connell in 2015. Last year’s nominees were Brie Larson, Bel Powley, Taron Egerton, Dakota Johnson, with the leading Star Wars actor, John Boyega, taking home the award.

About EE

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About BAFTA

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts is an independent charity that supports, develops and promotes the art forms of the moving image by identifying and rewarding excellence, inspiring practitioners and benefiting the public. In addition to its Awards ceremonies, BAFTA has a year-round programme of learning events and initiatives – featuring workshops, masterclasses, scholarships, lectures and mentoring schemes – in the UK, USA and Asia; it offers unique access to the world’s most inspiring talent and connects with a global audience of all ages and backgrounds. BAFTA relies on income from membership subscriptions, individual donations, trusts, foundations and corporate partnerships to support its ongoing outreach work. To access the best creative minds in film, television and games production, visit www.bafta.org/guru. For more, visit www.bafta.org.