Will Poulter and Edith Bowman join the EE Rising Star Award jury

Actor Will Poulter and BBC Radio 6 Music presenter Edith Bowman joined a panel of film industry heavyweights and media experts at BAFTA’s headquarters to choose the five EE Rising Star nominees for 2017
Other jury members included This Is England producer Mark Herbert, Our Kind of Traitor director Susanna White, renowned casting directors Lucy Bevan and Leo Davis and popular TV film critic James King
The shortlist will be announced on Thursday 5 January 2017 when voting will open to the British public

LONDON, 04-Nov-2016 — /EuropaWire/ — British Actor and former EE Rising Star Award winner Will Poulter and presenter Edith Bowman joined the EE Rising Star Award jury to help choose the shortlist for the 2017 award.

Since its launch in 2006, the EE Rising Star Award has recognised a plethora of young actors who have each demonstrated exceptional star quality and ambition. The past nominees and winners list reads like a who’s who of the acting world, with all continuing to enjoy major film roles and huge box office success. It is the only award at the prestigious ceremony to be voted for by the British public and previous winners include James McAvoy, Juno Temple, Tom Hardy, Kristen Stewart, Noel Clarke, Jack O’Connell, last year’s winner John Boyega and this year’s jury panellist Will Poulter.

The jury met at BAFTA’s headquarters at 195 Piccadilly, London to debate which five nominees deserve to face the public vote ahead of the 2017 British Academy Film Awards. The shortlist will be announced on Thursday 5 January and the winner will be revealed at the EE British Academy Film Awards on Sunday 12 February.

As well as Will Poulter and Edith Bowman, the jury featured a stellar line up of industry experts including producer and jury chair, Marc Samuelson; film critic James King; This is England producer, Mark Herbert; Cinderella, Pirates of the Caribbean and Testament of Youth casting director, Lucy Bevan; The Lobster producer Lee Magiday, director of Our Kind Of Traitor, Susanna White, and renowned casting director for The Boy In Striped Pyjamas, Philomena, Layer Cake and The Constant Gardener, Leo Davis, alongside a group of esteemed film and arts journalists.

Will Poulter said: “Winning the EE Rising Star Award was a very important moment for me and I felt a huge sense of responsibility being here judging my peers today. The final list was decided without getting too heated thankfully, but, with such a strong list to choose from, there were no easy decisions.”

Mat Sears, director of communications & sponsorship at EE, said: “This year marks the 20^th anniversary of our partnership with BAFTA and we plan to celebrate this impressive milestone with our best campaign yet. The EE Rising Star Award continues to be an integral part of our BAFTA activity, and each year we are proud to be able to play a role in recognising some of the finest young talent in film today.”

EE Rising Star Award jury chair, Marc Samuelson, said: “I am honoured to have been asked to chair the EE Rising Star Award jury again this year. The past 12 months of film making have delivered yet another exciting line up of potential nominees. If today’s jury debate is anything to go by, the British public are going to find it pretty tough when deciding who to vote for when we release the names in January.”

The award was created in honour of the late Mary Selway. A highly respected, BAFTA-winning casting director, Selway’s career spanned three decades and more than ninety films. 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 EE Rising Star nominees will be announced on Thursday 5 January, at which point public voting will open and be available to all UK residents, regardless of which phone network they are on.

For more information visit: ee.co.uk/BAFTA

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

About EE

EE, part of BT Group, is the largest and most advanced mobile communications company in the UK, delivering mobile and fixed communications services to consumers.

EE runs the UK’s biggest and fastest mobile network, having pioneered the UK’s first superfast 4G mobile service in October 2012 and was the first European operator to surpass 14 million 4G customers in Dec 2015. EE has more than 550 shops across the UK. EE’s 4G coverage today reaches more than 98% of the UK population, equal to 70% of the UK geography. EE plans to extend 4G to 95% geographic coverage by 2020.

EE has received extensive independent recognition, including being ranked the UK’s best overall network by RootMetrics®; Best Network at the 2014 and 2015 Mobile News Awards; Best Consumer Network at the 2015 & 2016 Mobile Industry Awards; as well as Fastest Network at the 2014 and 2016 uSwitch Mobile Awards.

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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.

SOURCE: EE LIMITED