AND THE ORANGE RISING STAR AWARD NOMINEES FOR 2007 ARE�
Winner to be revealed at The Orange British Academy Film Awards

Earlier this week James McAvoy (The Last King of Scotland, Chronicles of Narnia), the 2006 winner of The Orange Rising Star Award, announced this year's nominees for The Orange British Academy Film Awards. The award recognises five young international actors and actresses who have demonstrated exceptional talent and have begun to capture the imagination of the public as a star in the making. The five nominees are:

Ben Whishaw (Perfume: The Story of a Murderer)

 To vote for Ben Whishaw text ORSA BEN to 81800

Cillian Murphy (The Wind that Shakes The Barley, Batman Begins)

 To vote for Cillian Murphy text ORSA CILLIAN to 81800

Emily Blunt (The Devil Wears Prada)

 To vote for Emily Blunt text ORSA EMILY to 81800

Eva Green (Casino Royale, Kingdom of Heaven) 

 To vote for Eva Green text ORSA EVA to 81800

Naomie Harris (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest)

 To vote for Naomie Harris text ORSA NAOMIE to 81800
 
The Orange Rising Star Award is unique as it is the only Award to be voted for by the British public. Film fans can have their say by voting via the Orange website orange.co.uk/bafta; or via text message*. The winner will be announced at The Orange British Academy Film Awards on Sunday 11 February 2007.

A jury consisting of respected industry figures, including Anthony Minghella CBE, Thandie Newton and last year's winner, James McAvoy, selected the five nominees from a long list of recommendations put forward by the film industry and BAFTA members.
 
Nominees must have featured in a film that qualified for this year's Orange British Academy Film Awards.  The Orange Rising Star Award is not intended to be a pure beginner's award, and nominees will have generally already appeared in several feature films in their career so far. 
 
The Orange Rising Star Award was created in honour of Mary Selway, the highly respected BAFTA-winning casting director whose career spanned three decades and over ninety films before she died in 2004.  Mary helped launch the careers of many stars in films as varied as Gosford Park, Master & Commander, Notting Hill and Withnail & I, among countless others.  She worked with notable directors such as Steven Spielberg, Roman Polanski, Clint Eastwood and Ridley Scott, contributing to the creation of some of the silver screen's most memorable characters.

James McAvoy commented: "This award is very special because it's in honour of Mary Selway, somebody who cared about nurturing talent and not just about finding the next big thing for the next five minutes. It's doubly special because the audience vote for it, it feels nice to know that they are rooting for you."

Hattie Evans, Head of Film at Orange, commented: "This year, as Orange celebrates a significant 10 year partnership with BAFTA, we are proud of our ongoing support to the British film industry and will continue to highlight emerging talent with the only award to be voted for by the British public.

"Like last year, there is a superb shortlist of acting talent for The Orange Rising Star Award. Although undoubtedly it will be a tough call, we are pleased to be able to offer the public the chance to have their say in who they think is the best emerging talent around."

David Parfitt, Chairman of the BAFTA Film Committee, said:  "As the only audience award, it certainly raises the profile of young actors and actresses within our industry.

"Promoting and supporting the next generation of talent is essential and this is why it's important to have awards in place such as The Orange Rising Star Award."

For more information on The Orange Rising Star Award, visit www.orange.co.uk/bafta.

*Text cost 25p plus a standard network charge. Network charges may vary.

NOMINEE SHORT BIOGRAPHIES

Ben Whishaw
Since graduating from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 2003 Ben has appeared in Enduring Love, a film adaptation of Ian McEwan's novel, and Layer Cake. Ben subsequently made his West End debut at the National Theatre in their stage adaptation of Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials and starred as Hamlet in Trevor Nunn's electric 'youth' version of the play at the Old Vic for which he has received tremendous critical acclaim and a Laurence Olivier nomination(2005). Most recently, Ben has appeared in Perfume and has just finished filming I'm Not Here, Todd Haynes film portrayal of Bob Dylan's life, alongside Cate Blanchett, Richard Gere and Christian Bale.

Cillian Murphy
Cillian Murphy first garnered international attention for his performance as the reluctant survivor Jim in Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later. Following a Golden Globe nomination for his performance in Breakfast On Pluto, Murphy starred in the 2006 Cannes Film Festival Palme d'Or winner, The Wind That Shakes The Barley, directed by Ken Loach.Murphy also made an indelible impression as Dr. Jonathan Crane/The Scarecrow in Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins, followed by a role opposite Rachel McAdams in Wes Craven's Red Eye. Next year, Murphy re-teams with Danny Boyle and Alex Garland for the sci-fi thriller Sunshine.

Emily Blunt
Emily Blunt shot to international prominence with her lead role in the multi award-winning British movie, My Summer of Love. In spring 2005, Emily moved to Australia to make Irresistible, co-starring Susan Sarandon and Sam Neill. Later in 2005, Emily flew to New York to start work on The Devil Wears Prada, as the intensely neurotic Emily Charlton for which she received great acclaim. Emily moved from New York to Canada in late 2005 to begin work on Wind Chill, produced by George Clooney and Steven Soderburgh. Emily is currently making The Jane Austen Book Club.

Eva Green
Born in Paris, France, Eva made her debut in Bernardo Bertolucci's critically acclaimed The Dreamers, where she played the lead role of Isabelle. Eva can currently be seen in the highly successful James Bond feature Casino Royale, where she plays Vesper Lynd. She has just started filming His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass directed by Chris Weitz. In 2005, Eva made her Hollywood debut, starring as the female lead in Ridley Scott's, Kingdom of Heaven. She played Sibylla, opposite Orlando Bloom and Liam Neeson. In 2004, she appeared in Jean-Paul Salome's French-language film, Arsene Lupin.

Naomie Harris
After graduating from Cambridge University, Naomie trained as an actress at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. Her break came in 2002 when she was cast as the co-lead in Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later. Since then she has featured in many high-profile movies, including After The Sunset, alongside Salma Hayek and Pierce Brosnan, Michael Mann's Miami Vice, and the box-office smash Pirates Of The Caribbean 2. She has also appeared on television - in 2002 she played the lead role in the adaptation of Zadie Smith's White Teeth. Naomie is currently working on Pirates Of The Caribbean 3.