29 January 2015

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29 January 2015 29 JANUARY 2015 Australian audiences won’t miss a moment of the action this February 9 when the 2015 EE British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs) premiere within minutes of the UK broadcast at 7.30am on UKTV with an encore at 8.30pm. Gold Coast-born Margot Robbie — the first and only Australian female to be nominated for an EE Rising Star Award is 10 days away from finding out if she’s won the coveted award for her scene-stealing performance in the Wolf of Wall Street. The EE Rising Star Award, now in its 10th year is voted by the UK public and presented to actors and actresses who are destined for greatness. Margot joins a long list of acclaimed actors to have been nominated for the award in past years including Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy and fellow Aussie Chris Hemsworth. Hosted by British actor and writer Stephen Fry, the BAFTAs recognise the talents of the world’s most eminent artists across film and are regarded as an important indicator of the frontrunners for the Academy Awards©. Key films in contention for the BAFTA glory include: The Grand Budapest Hotel, Birdman, The Theory of Everything, The Imitation Game; Boyhood, Whiplash, Mr. Turner, Nightcrawler, Interstellar and Pride. Other nominations include Ralph Fiennes for his role playing Monsieur Gustave in The Grand Budapest Hotel; Benedict Cumberbatch as Alan Turing in The Imitation Game; Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones for their roles as Lead Actor and Lead Actress in The Theory of Everything; and Rosamund Pike for Gone Girl, which also received a nomination for Adapted Screenplay. Tim Christlieb, Acting Director of Channels for BBC Worldwide Australia & New Zealand, says “The BAFTAs is now one of the highest profile and best attended events of the international awards season and we’re really excited to be bringing it express to Australians on UKTV. It’s a truly star-studded occasion and I’m certain audiences will be particularly excited by Margot Robbie’s nomination. I think every Australian movie fan is hopeful that her performance will be celebrated on the world stage.” The EE British Academy Film Awards will premiere within minutes of the UK broadcast on February 9 at 7.30am on UKTV with an encore at 8.30pm. -Ends- NOTES TO EDITORS Australian BAFTA Award Winners for best on-screen performances since 1948 Cate Blanchett, Nicole Kidman and Judy Davis are the only Australian women to have won an on-screen BAFTA for Best Performance in a film. Cate Blanchett is one of only 10 other female actresses to win two BAFTA Awards for an actress in a leading role. The wins were attributed to her epic performances in Blue Jasmine and The Aviator. The other actresses with dual BAFTA wins include: Rachel Roberts, Leslie Caron, Shirley MaClaine, Anne Bancroft, Patricia Neal, Katherine Hepburn, Jane Fonda, Meryl Streep, Emma Thompson, Judi Dench. Nicole Kidman won Best Performance for her role in The Hours alongside Meryl Streep and Julianne Moore. Russell Crowe won the BAFTA award for Best Actor in A Beautiful Mind. Geoffrey Rush won two BAFTAs: the first for his performance in the 1996 Australian biographical drama film Shine, and the second for his lead role in the 2001 acclaimed movie Quills. Rush also won Best Supporting Actor for Shakespeare in Love and The Kings Speech. Judy Davis won Lead Actress in 1993 for Husbands and Wives. For more information, please contact: Bryony Willis, Communications Executive, BBC Worldwide Australia and New Zealand T: +61 2 9744 4545 M: +61 413 255 920 E: [email protected] About BBC Worldwide Australia & New Zealand Australia & New Zealand (ANZ) is a priority territory for BBC Worldwide, focusing on growth across all its core business areas. Based in Macquarie Park, Sydney, BBC Worldwide ANZ wholly owns six channels: BBC First, UKTV, BBC Knowledge and CBeebies in Australia; UKTV and BBC Knowledge in New Zealand; and is responsible for the distribution and promotion of BBC World News which transmits in both countries. BBC Worldwide ANZ distributes great British content from the BBC and other producers to all free-to-air and most subscription channels in Australia and New Zealand. It works with partners to bring BBC Worldwide DVDs, magazines, digital apps, innovative products and live events to the local market, as well as offering advertising opportunities for the BBC’s world renowned bbc.com news site. .
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