Marisa Abela leads the nominees for the EE BAFTA Rising Star Award for her portrayal as Amy Winehouse in the 2024 film Back To Black.
The shortlist, announced on Tuesday, is made up of Marisa, Jharrel Jerome (Unstoppable), David Jonsson (Alien: Romulus), Mikey Madison (Anora) and Nabhaan Rizwan (In Camera).
Coincidentally, David, Nabhaan and Marisa were all stars of BBC drama Industry.
The award is seen as the pathway to A-list success with previous winners including Tom Holland, James McAvoy, Tom Hardy, Lashana Lynch and Kristen Stewart.
The announcement was made by the actress’s Back To Black co-star Jack O’Connell, who played Blake Fielder-Civil in the film, and Radio 1 presenter Ali Plumbs at The Savoy Hotel.
Jack, 34, won the award back in 2015 after playing the lead in Angelina Jolie‘s war film Unbroken and posed with the nominees.
Industry actress Marisa Abela leads the nominees for the EE BAFTA Rising Star Award for her portrayal as Amy Winehouse in the 2024 film Back To Black
The actress will battle with two of her Industry co-stars David Jonsson and Nabhaan Rizwan for the sought after gong. She posed for a picture with them at the nominations announcement
Marisa, David and Nabhaan pictured in Industry
Marisa, who cut a chic figure in a white shirt, black blazer and long champagne coloured skirt, said of the moment she found out about her nomination: ‘I was on my way to meet my friend’s baby for the first time and I got a call and they told me and it was actually great because obviously, you’re not allowed to say anything.
‘I was spending so much time, being like “your baby is so beautiful”. There was no space for me.’
The film, directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson tells the life story of Amy, who died in 2011 aged 27 from alcohol poisoning.
Jharrel, meanwhile, most recently appeared as the lead in the biopic Unstoppable. Starring alongside Jennifer Lopez and Don Cheadle, the biographical sports drama sees Jharrel play Anthony Robles, who was born without a leg and was determined to pursue his dreams of becoming a wrestler.
The actor made his on-screen debut in 2016, in the Academy Award-winning film Moonlight, while his 2019 performance in When They See Us won him a Primetime Emmy Award, as well as an NAACP Image Award.
He said: ‘Receiving this nomination fills me with gratitude and pride. It’s an incredible privilege to tell stories and bring joy to people. Being recognised by the EE BAFTA Film Awards, I hope to inspire young people in the industry to pursue their dreams with passion and perseverance.’
David most recently starred in Alien: Romulus, where he plays Andy.
The sci-fi horror film follows a group of space colonizers as they come face-to-face with the most terrifying life form in the universe while scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station.
Nominees Marisa, David and Nabhaan posed with former winner Jack O’Connell. Jack, 34, won the award back in 2015 after playing the lead in Angelina Jolie’s war film Unbroken
Marisa cut a chic figure in a white shirt, black blazer and long champagne coloured skirt with black and silver embroidery
Marisa and former Rising Star winner Jack starred alongside each other in the biopic chartering Amy’s turbulent life
They posed together for a photo
David and Nabhaan also posed for solo shots at the nominations event announcement
David rose to fame following his performances in Industry, and his film debut in Rye Lane, which received critical acclaim. He is set to appear in Wasteman, The Long Walk, and Scandalous over the coming years, and was recently featured on Variety’s 2024 10 actors to watch list.
Mikey stars in Sean Baker’s award season contender, the comedy drama, Anora. The film, which won the Palme d’Or at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, follows a young sex worker from Brooklyn whose life takes an unexpected turn when she meets and impulsively marries the son of a Russian oligarch.
In 2022, Mikey appeared in the fifth installment of Scream alongside the cast of the original 1996 cult classic. She also performed in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, alongside Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio, garnering her international recognition.
Nabhaan can be seen in the British independent film, In Camera. The film, which received critical acclaim when released, follows Aden (Rizwan) who dreams of becoming a successful actor, but the nightmarish grind of the audition circuit, with its callous rejections and upsetting micro-aggressions, is starting to take its toll.
BAFTA 2025 Rising Star Award – The Nominees
Marisa Abela: Back To Black
Back To Black, directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson tells the life story of Amy, who died in 2011 aged 27 from alcohol poisoning
Jharrel Jerome: Unstoppable
Jharrel Jerome, 27, featured in Unstoppable and rose to prominence in the Oscar-winning 2017 Best Picture Moonlight
David Jonsson: Alien: Romulus
David Johnson, 31, has been shortlisted for his role in this year’s Alien: Romulus. He played Andy, an android reprogrammed by Rain’s late father
Mikey Madison: Anora
Mikey Madison, 25, starred in the 2024 film Anora and is best known for her role in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Nabhaan Rizwan: In Camera
Nabhaan Rizwan, 27, appeared in the TV series Kaos alongside Jeff Goldblum. He has been nominated for his role In Camera
The actor was most recently seen alongside Jeff Goldblum in KAOS, a darkly comedic and contemporary reimagining of Greek mythology. He made his screen debut with the leading role in BBC’s thriller Informer, winning him the Breakthrough Award at the RTS Awards.
The winner will be announced at the BAFTA Film Awards, which will take place on February 16 at the Royal Festival Hall in London.
At the press conference, Jack said his award is still ‘pride of place’ on his mantlepiece.
He said: ‘It’s wonderful. It was a brilliant thing to get to witness and be around from the audition right the way through. It was just a phenomenal undertaking.
‘The first hand experience of what Marisa had to put herself through in order to do the role. But also begin to live the role and it’s just a massive thrill to get to witness that as an artist and as a colleague. So I’m really buzzing from Marisa and think it is fully deserving.’
It is the only award at the BAFTA film ceremony which is voted on by the public and is now open at ee.co.uk/BAFTA.
Last month, it was announced David Tennant will host of the EE BAFTA Awards 2025 for a second year in a row
Last month, it was announced David Tennant will host of the EE BAFTA Awards 2025 for a second year in a row.
The actor, 53, first hosted the awards show last year, taking over from Richard E Grant.
The ceremony will feature some exciting new updates including a new Children’s & Family Film category which will celebrate the very best films appealing to inter-generational audiences.
The new category is the first to be featured in five years marking the first new EE BAFTA Film Award in five years.
Another new feature will see an updated voting process has been introduced to the Outstanding British Film category.
The minimum number of theatrical screenings has also been significantly increased to ensure British cinema audiences have ample access to Best Film contenders on the big screen.
Last year’s ceremony saw fans treated to a hilarious Staged-style sketch with David’s co-star Michael Sheen and his dog.
Viewers were also no doubt chuckling after David pitched a new TV show to Loki star Tom Hiddleston and many viewers took to social media to praise the star for making last year’s show the best they had seen for a while.
Source link
