Mia McKenna-Bruce will join Letitia Wright and Will Sharpe on the jury panel for the 2025 EE Rising Star Award at the EE BAFTA Film Awards.
The 27-year-old actress received the award herself in 2024 and has now proclaimed that it is an "incredible honour" to be helping the prestigious awards body decide who else should be recognised for their potential in the prize's 20th anniversary year.
Mia said: “Winning the 2024 EE Rising Star Award was an incredible honour, and to have my work recognised amongst such a talented group of actors meant so much. I’m very grateful to everyone who voted for me. Now, being part of the 2025 judging panel is a privilege, and I feel lucky to be able to play a role in celebrating the next wave of brilliant creatives.”
The actress was given the award at last year's ceremony following her leading role in the coming-of-age drama 'How to Have Sex', whilst Letita, 31, received the honor shortly after she starred in 'Avengers: Infinity War' and 'Black Panther' as Shuri in 2018.
Letitia said: "As someone who’s been in their shoes, it’s an absolute joy to help select the nominees for this year’s EE Rising Star Award. The talent pool was incredible, making it a tough decision, but I’m confident we’ve chosen five truly exceptional actors who deserve this recognition. It feels like just yesterday I was getting my first big break, and it’s so fulfilling to now be in a position to spotlight these emerging stars who are on the brink of something amazing in their careers. I can’t wait to see who wins the award next year."
Meanwhile, Will Sharpe, 38, was nominated for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer after the release of his film 'Black Pond' in 2012 and then won Best Supporting Actor at the 2020 BAFTA Television Awards for his role in 'Giri/Haji'.
He said: "I am thrilled to join the jury panel for the EE Rising Star Award. It's a really important award that highlights and celebrates the emerging talent in our industry, giving the public a chance to recognise the stars of tomorrow.
"These are the people who are keeping the industry on its toes and will help define its future. I've watched so much brilliant work and have been frankly blown away by them all."
EE Rising Star Award jury chair and BAFTA Chair of the Film Committee, Anna Higgs, said: “At BAFTA, our mission is to celebrate, support and inspire talent at all stages of their careers. We are thrilled to continue our work with EE on the Rising Star Award, which is so special as the only category in the Film Awards chosen by the public. We have an outstanding group of nominees this year, and I'm looking forward to seeing their work captivate audiences on the big screen leading up to the EE BAFTA Film Awards ceremony. It will also be wonderful to witness their careers continue to flourish, like so many of our Rising Stars before them, creating a veritable constellation of EE Rising Stars thanks to an extraordinary twenty years of partnership”.
The nominations for the EE BAFTA Film Awards will be announced on 15 January 2025, with the ceremony held the following month on Sunday 16 February 2025
