Sunday night at the EE BAFTA Film Awards, a star-studded list of names from across the creative industries stopped by as they arrived on the red carpet to speak to EE’s Red Carpet Hosts and previous winners of BAFTA’s Young Presenters Competition, 11-year-old Elsie Adams from Edinburgh and 14-year-old Braydon Bent from Warrington.
The Young Presenters had the chance to interview some of their favourite stars, including Richard E. Grant (Saltburn), previous EE Rising Star Award winners, Emma Mackey and Lashana Lynch, and Sophie Ellis-Bextor who later performed her hit song ‘Murder on the Dancefloor’ during the ceremony.
Whist being interviewed by Elsie and Braydon, the 2024 EE Rising Star Winner Mia McKenna-Bruce (How to Have Sex) gave her expert advice for any budding actors and creatives, before taking home the sought-after prize in the only category at the EE BAFTA Film Awards voted for by the British public. Nominees Phoebe Dynevor (Fair Play) and Sophie Wilde (Talk to Me) also stopped by to give some tips on how to be the most confident version of yourself.
When speaking about how to build confidence, Emma Mackey said, “Confidence takes time and it takes nurturing. You have to really cultivate it and know what makes you feel good. Don’t worry if it doesn’t happen right away, take the time and try to surround yourself with people that give you the boost that you need.”
And Lashana Lynch, giving her advice for young, aspiring actors said, “Acting is about responding, and you can only respond if you listen.”
Other famous faces seen at the EE stage included; Leading Actress and Supporting Actress nominee Sandra Hüller (Anatomy of a Fall and Zone of Interest), actors Daisy Edgar-Jones, Ed Westwick, Amy Jackson, India Amarteifio, Martin Compston, former EE Rising Star nominees, Sheila Atim and Kingsley Ben-Adir and presenters Vogue Williams, Clara Amfo and Alex Zane.
This follows the launch of EE’s ‘The Stage is Yours’ campaign, which delves into the mindset of secondary school children, shining a light on the importance of the arts for life outside the classroom. The campaign focuses on liberating learning from the classroom, with former EE Rising Star and star of Top Boy, Micheal Ward as well as other well-known actors and influencers creating a series of confidence-building digital workshops via EE’s LearnSmart platform.
The campaign also saw the launch of a TikTok competition, leveraging the platform’s stitch feature to give 13-17-year-olds the opportunity to showcase their talent by portraying the ultimate villain in an improvised duet with Micheal Ward. Audition tapes can be submitted by stitching them to Micheal Ward’s video on EE’s TikTok profile @EE, accompanied by the hashtag #eethestageisyours. The winner will be chosen by a panel of film experts and will earn a role in ‘NAZ,’ the highly anticipated biopic of boxing legend Prince Naseem Hamed, produced by the acclaimed team behind the BAFTA-nominated ‘Boiling Point’.
EE is a long-standing partner of the BAFTA Film Awards, committed to nurturing and championing emerging talent through the EE Rising Star Award. EE also continues to use its tools and resources to support the aspirations of the next generation, highlighting its dedication to being the UK’s most personal and customer-focused brand.
The BAFTA Young Presenter Competition opens again this year for children and young people aged between 10-18. Entrants are invited to create and submit a short video on why “My Voice Matters”, linked to the theme of Children’s Mental Health Week. 2024 will mark the eighth year of the Young Presenter Competition, with the coveted award forming part of a wide-ranging programme of Young BAFTA activity including its Young Game Designers (YGD) initiative and the Young BAFTA Roadshow with Place2Be which visits primary schools across the UK.
Karen Woodham is the founder and owner of the Blazing Minds. She is also a Cinema reviewer and works with RealD 3D reviewing the latest 3D releases and IMAX, she has also had several articles published in various publications including the first edition of SFW Magazine. In 2015 she became an Award Winning Blogger and also has her website listed as one of the UK’s Top 10 Film Blogs.
