BAFTA picks Rising Star nominees

Michael Fassbender, Rebecca Hall shortlisted

By ARCHIE THOMAS

LONDON — Michael Fassbender, Rebecca Hall, Michael Cera, Noel Clarke and Toby Kebbell are the five thesps in the running for the BAFTA Orange Rising Star award.

Nominees must have featured in a film that has been entered for this year’s British Academy Film Awards.

The winner, who will be decided by a public vote via Orange’s website or via text, will be unveiled at the BAFTA awards ceremony, which takes place on Feb. 8.

Hall is twice nommed on the BAFTA longlists — for her lead role in “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” and supporting turn in “Frost/Nixon” — which were revealed earlier this week. Fassbender is longlisted for his arresting portrayal of Irish Republican prisoner Bobby Sands in “Hunger.”

The Rising Star nominees were unveiled at BAFTA’s London headquarters Thursday ayem.

A jury, led by producer and chair of BAFTA, David Parfitt, and industry figures including casting director Fiona Weir, and actors James McAvoy and Kelly Macdonald, selected the five nominees from a long list of recommendations put forward by the film industry and BAFTA members.

This is the fourth edition of the prize, which was created in honor of the late casting director Mary Selway.

Previous winners are LaBeouf, Eva Green and McAvoy.