EE Rising Star Award in 2013

Elizabeth Olsen

At 17, Elizabeth moved to New York to study acting at the Tisch School of the Arts. After graduating she took Sundance by storm in 2011 when she appeared in not one but two of the most highly praised films in the festival: Martha Marcy May Marlene and Silent House. Most recently Elizabeth has completed production on the Spike Lee directed remake of Oldboy, opposite Samuel L. Jackson and Josh Brolin.

Suraj Sharma

Until recently 19 year old Suraj was living a quiet, middle class life with his parents in the suburbs of South Delhi. But, after an extensive search throughout India, Suraj was picked from 3,000 hopefuls to star in director Ang Lee’s 3D epic, Life of Pi. Before taking on the role, Suraj had no previous acting experience. The director had complete faith in his young lead, describing Suraj as a “gift from god” and a “great actor in a past life”.

About the EE Rising Star Award:

The EE Rising Star Award honours a young actor or actress who has demonstrated exceptional talent and ambition and has begun to capture the imagination of the British public. It is the only award voted for by the public at the EE British Academy Film Awards in 2013. The Award was previously known as the Orange Wednesdays Rising Star Award buat was renamed following the announcement in November that EE is the title sponsor of the EE British Academy Film Awards in 2013, replacing sister brand Orange.

Courtesy of EE

The Judging Process

This year’s judging panel included jury chair Pippa Harris, Deputy Chairman of BAFTA’s Film Committee and producing partner of Sam Mendes (Revolutionary Road, Jarhead), British actor Benedict Cumberbatch, Scottish director Kevin Macdonald (The Last King of Scotland, Touching the Void, Marley), film critic Mark Kermode, casting director Nina Gold (The King’s Speech, The Iron Lady, Prometheus) and film publicist Kate Lee, as well as leading film and entertainment journalists.