Behind the scenes of BAFTA’s EE Rising Star Award

If there’s one thing we’re more excited for than Christmas, it’s 2022’s BAFTA Awards. It’s been one hell of a year (or two) for the film industry, so giving its rising stars their flowers feels more important than ever. After all, many of these young actors are the ones who kept us from going stir crazy during the worst months of the pandemic, by bringing some much-needed magic to our screens.

Today, a jury panel got together at the BAFTA headquarters in central London, to whittle down a shortlist of this year’s most impressive acting talent for the EE Rising Star Award. BAFTA chair Krishnendu Majumdar, Black Panther and Lord of the Rings star Andy Serkis, actresses Sadie Frost and Michelle Dockery, casting director Lucy Bevan and THE FACE’s editor Matthew Whitehouse were among those selecting some of Britain’s most promising performers.

This marks the 17^th iteration of the EE Rising Star Award. The shortlist will be announced on 1^st February 2022, when voting opens to the British public. Nominations will then be revealed on 3^rd February, and the winners will be announced during the BAFTA ceremony, airing on Sunday 13^th March on BBC One.

This is the only BAFTA category that gives the public their say on who gets to win big and follow in the footsteps of previous recipients, an exhaustive list of household names, which includes Bukky Bakray (we called it!) Michael Ward, Daniel Kaluuya, John Boyega, Jack O’Connell, Will Poulter and Tom Hardy. Whew.

“I’m thrilled to be a part of the process in selecting this year’s hugely talented candidates,” Andy Serkis says. ​“It’s been incredibly hard to just pick five actors, but I have no doubt I will enjoy watching their performances for a long time to come.”

Go on, join us in celebrating the film industry’s best up and coming talent on 13^th March and bookmark this link to have your say in the run-up.