Lashana Lynch, Paapa Essiedu and Russell Tovey Join BAFTA Rising Star Jury

Three well-known British actors are now helping pick who makes the shortlist for the EE BAFTA Rising Star Award, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Lashana Lynch, Paapa Essiedu and Russell Tovey have joined the jury that will choose the nominees for the award, which honours an up-and-coming performer.

The jury met at The Savoy in London to begin its work. Anna Higgs, managing director of the production company Character 7, presided over the panel. She is joined by director Molly Manning Walker, casting director Lucy Bevan, producer Nira Park and Anthony Andrews, deputy chair of the BAFTA Film Committee.

Lynch has been on the other side of this award before. She won the EE Rising Star Award in 2022.

The calendar is set. The jury's nominees will be announced in January. The winner is then chosen by the public, so audiences get the final say on who takes the prize home. The EE BAFTA Film Awards ceremony will take place on 21 February.

What this means for film fans is simple. The jury decides who is in the running, and the public decides who wins. A name on the January list will have already passed through a room of industry professionals before anyone casts a vote.

For readers who follow awards season, the Rising Star category is one of the few places where the public has a direct say in a BAFTA result. The jury's choices will set the field for that vote.