Film Industry Talent Join BAFTA EE Rising Star Award Jury Panel to Decide the 2023 Nominees

Hayley Atwell (Captain America: The First Avenger) and BAFTA-nominated actor Joe Cole (Gangs of London and Peaky Blinders) joined actor and producer Jason Flemyng (Boiling Point and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), alongside a host of other industry experts, to select the EE Rising Star Award shortlist for the 2023 EE BAFTA Film Awards.

Now in its eighteenth year, it is the only EE BAFTA Film Awards category to be voted for by the British public. Celebrating new and up-and-coming talent within the film industry, past recipients of the EE Rising Star Award have gone on to achieve some of cinema’s highest accolades and become household names. The prestigious list of previous winners includes James McAvoy, Eva Green, Juno Temple, Tom Hardy, Kristen Stewart, Jack O’Connell, Will Poulter, John Boyega, Tom Holland, Daniel Kaluuya, Letitia Wright, Micheal Ward, Bukky Bakray and last year’s winner Lashana Lynch.

Accompanying Hayley Atwell, Joe Cole and Jason Flemyng on the jury panel were an outstanding line-up of industry experts, gathered at BAFTA’s headquarters 195 Piccadilly to debate the merits of the emerging talent longlist. The winner will be revealed at the ceremony on Sunday 19 February 2023 at the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall.

Chaired by Anna Higgs, BAFTA Film Committee Chair, the panel also included casting directors Lucy Bevan (The Batman), Leo Davis (The Queen and A Very English Scandal) and senior talent agent Ikki El-Amriti (Identity Agency Group). The jury was completed by prominent film, entertainment and arts journalists.

Jason Flemyng said, “I’m delighted to contribute to the process of selecting the nominees for this year’s EE Rising Star Award. There were some incredible candidates to choose from and it wasn’t easy, but I’m confident we’ve picked five really unique actors that are massively deserving. It feels like just yesterday I was getting my first big break and it’s so rewarding to be able to recognise these up-and-coming actors that are on the cusp of something very special in their respective careers. I can’t wait to see who takes home the award next year.”

EE Rising Star Award jury chair and BAFTA chair of the film committee, Anna Higgs, said, “BAFTA’s core purpose is all about nurturing emerging talent and celebrating excellence. That’s why we’re delighted to continue our longstanding partnership with EE and the EE Rising Star Award, the only BAFTA category voted for by the public. We have another stellar line up of nominees this year, following in the footsteps of phenomenal talent. I look forward to seeing their work exciting audiences on the big screen in the build up to the EE BAFTA Film Awards ceremony and to their careers continuing to develop beyond next year.”

Pete Jeavons, marketing communications director at EE said, “We’re so proud to continue our work with BAFTA in recognising emerging talent with the EE Rising Star Award, the only category voted for by the British public. We feel privileged to continue offering film fans a voice in celebrating the stars of tomorrow and look forward to being able to share the full list of nominees in January”.

The EE Rising Star award was created in honour of the late Mary Selway. A highly respected and BAFTA award-winning casting director whose 36-year career saw her work on more than ninety films and work with leading directors such as Steven Spielberg and Clint Eastwood. Mary’s work contributed to the creation of some of the silver screen’s most memorable characters and in 2001 she received BAFTA’s Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema Award.

The EE Rising Star Award shortlist will be announced in January 2023, at which point public voting will open and be available to all UK residents at ee.co.uk/BAFTA

The nominations for the EE BAFTA Film Awards will be announced on 19th January 2023, with the ceremony being broadcast on Sunday 19th February 2023 on BBC One, BBC One HD, BBC iPlayer, and syndicated globally. Further details including on the host for the 2023 Awards will be announced by BAFTA at a later date.

EE has been a long-standing partner of the EE BAFTA Film Awards, working to bring film fans closer to the BAFTAs through the magic of technology. Since the partnership began, EE has not only worked with BAFTA to introduce the EE Rising Star Award which is now in its eighteenth year, but also used its award-winning network to create new and exciting opportunities for film fans to be part of the action on the red carpet.