Will Poulter Wins the EE Rising Star Award

EE Rising Star winner Will Poulter
EE Rising Star winner Will Poulter 2
Dame Helen Mirren
Steve Coogan
Dame Judi Dench

We’re the Millers and Wild Bill actor tops the public vote
The EE Rising Star Award is the only one at the EE British Academy Film Awards to be voted for by the public
Previous winners are Juno Temple, Adam Deacon, Tom Hardy, Kristen Stewart, Noel Clarke, Shia LeBeouf, Eva Green and James McAvoy

EE is proud to announce Will Poulter as the winner of the EE Rising Star Award in 2014.

The EE Rising Star Award is the only publicly-voted award presented at the EE British Academy Film Awards, and a hotly contested accolade for up and coming acting talent. Will was one of five international actors nominated for their exceptional talent and recognised as a true star in the making. The other nominees were: Dane DeHaan, George MacKay, Lupita Nyong’o and Léa Seydoux.

Will Poulter made his feature debut in the quirky British comedy Son of Rambow, where he gained critical acclaim and earned himself a nomination for most promising newcomer at the 2007 British Independent Film Awards. He has proved to be as comfortable with Hollywood A-listers as he is with small-budget Brit flicks. He recently starred alongside Jason Sudeikis and Jennifer Aniston in the outrageous We’re the Millers, and more recently took the lead in Dexter Fletcher’s gritty UK independent film, Wild Bill. This performance saw Will pick up a nomination for young British performer of the year at the London Critics’ Circle Awards.

Spencer McHugh, Director of Brand at EE, said: “We’re absolutely delighted that the British public has chosen Will Poulter as their winner. With the award now in its 9th year we have seen a record response from the voting public, which is testament to the immense talent recognised in the EE Rising Star category this year. Congratulations to Will, a much-deserved winner.”

Pippa Harris, Deputy Chair of BAFTA’s Film Committee and Chair of the Jury for the EE Rising Star Award, added: “"This year has been a fantastic year for emerging film talent and all the nominees clearly have star quality. Congratulations to Will Poulter, I hope this award marks the beginning of a new and exciting chapter in his career.”

The EE Rising Star Award was created in honour of Mary Selway, the highly respected BAFTA-winning casting director whose career spanned three decades and over ninety films before she died in 2004. She worked with notable directors such as Steven Spielberg, Roman Polanski, Clint Eastwood and Ridley Scott, contributing to the creation of some of the silver screen's most memorable characters.

The five nominees for the EE Rising Star Award were selected from hundreds suggested by a jury featuring leading figures from across the film industry, including jury chair Pippa Harris, Deputy Chairman of BAFTA’s Film Committee and producing partner of Sam Mendes, actress Gemma Arterton, film critic Mark Kermode, director Kirk Jones and producer Pete Czernin, as well as leading film and entertainment journalists.
Unlike any other award at the EE British Academy Film Awards, the EE Rising Star Award was voted for by the British public via the EE website, www.ee.co.uk/bafta

The official hash-tag for the award is #EERisingStar and the ceremony hash-tag is #EEBAFTAs, EE’s Twitter handle is @EE.

For more information on the EE Rising Star Award please visit www.ee.co.uk/bafta

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For further information, please contact:

Polly Goddard
Polly.Goddard@mcsaatchi.com
020 3617 8461

Rik Salmon
Rik.Salmon@mcsaatchi.com
020 3617 6532

About EE

EE is the largest and most advanced digital communications company in Britain, delivering mobile and fixed communications services to consumers, businesses, government and the wholesale market. With approximately 15,000 employees and 600 retail stores, EE serves more than 27 million customers on EE, Orange and T-Mobile mobile and broadband plans.
EE runs the UK's biggest and fastest mobile network, having introduced the UK's first superfast 4G mobile service in 2012. EE's 4G coverage reaches almost 70% of the UK population. EE’s 2G coverage reaches 99% of the population while 3G reaches 98%. EE's superfast fibre broadband service covers 54% of the UK population, and ADSL broadband service covers 98.7% of the population.
EE has received extensive independent recognition including being ranked the UK's best overall network by RootMetrics®, Fastest Network at the 2013 uSwitch Awards, Best Network at the 2013 Mobile Choice Consumer Awards and What Mobile Awards, Network Innovation at the 2013 Recombu awards and Best Network for Business at the 2013 Mobile Industry awards.

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About BAFTA
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) 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, international programme of learning events and initiatives that offers unique access to some of the world’s most inspiring talent through workshops, masterclasses, scholarships, lectures and mentoring schemes, connecting with audiences of all ages and backgrounds across the UK, Los Angeles and New York. 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, TV and games production, visit www.bafta.org/guru. For more information, visit www.bafta.org.