October 29, 2007 www.wheretogonext.com
Kathy Bates, Pierce Brosnan, Helen Fielding, Jodie Foster, Famke Janssen, Bill Nighy, Reese Witherspoon Are Presenting Awards To Honorees
Valencia, CA - October 26, 2007 - Michael Sheen, who will soon be seen on screen
in "Music Within" and recently completed Ron Howard's film version of
"Frost/Nixon," will be taking to the stage as host of the 16th Annual British
Academy of Film and Television Arts/Los Angeles (BAFTA/LA) Cunard Britannia
Awards on Thursday, November 1, 2007 at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel.
"Michael's talent and ability to cross over between the big screen, stage, and
television has established him as one of the best actors of his generation. He's
also a fellow BAFTA/LA Member, whom we know is always looking for new
challenges. We are especially delighted that he has accepted our invitation to
host what has now become a traditional and highly anticipated event in the
entertainment community," says BAFTA/LA Chairman Peter Morris.
Kathy Bates, Pierce Brosnan, Jodie Foster, Famke Janssen, Bill Nighy, Reese
Witherspoon and Helen Fielding will be among the presenters at this year's
event.
"Congratulations to the honorees and to Mr. Sheen - we are proud to celebrate
their notable achievements and consistent excellence in the film industry," said
Carol Marlow, president and managing director of Cunard Line. "We look forward
to honouring them during what is sure to be another unforgettable evening."
As previously announced, Denzel Washington will be receiving the highly
prestigious Stanley Kubrick Britannia Award for Excellence in Film; esteemed
actress Kate Winslet will be honored with the Britannia Award for British Artist
of the Year; BAFTA award-winning filmmaker Martin Campbell will be presented
with the John Schlesinger Britannia Award for Artistic Excellence in Directing;
New Line Cinema's Co-Chairmen and Co-CEOs Bob Shaye and Michael Lynne will be
receiving the Cunard Britannia Award for Lifetime Contributions to International
Film; and Richard Curtis will receive the inaugural BAFTA/LA Humanitarian Award
presented by Volvo.
Three-time BAFTA nominee Michael Sheen has gained a prominent place among the
talented new generation of British actors, on stage and screen. He earned a
BAFTA nod as Best Supporting Actor in "The Queen" for his portrayal of Tony
Blair opposite Helen Mirren's Queen, and garnered two more for Best Actor in the
television dramas Kenneth Williams:"Fantabulosa!" and "Dirty Filthy Love." "The
Queen" also brought him the Los Angeles Film Critics Award for Best Supporting
Actor.
Last year, in addition to starring as Prime Minister Tony Blair in Stephen
Frears' "The Queen," he appeared in Edward Zwick's "Blood Diamond," opposite
Leonardo DiCaprio and Djimon Hounsou. "The Queen" marked Sheen's third
collaboration with Frears. He first played the British Prime Minister in Frears'
television feature "The Deal" and made his feature film debut in the director's
"Mary Reilly," playing Dr. Jekyll's footman. Sheen's other feature film credits
include Ridley Scott's "Kingdom of Heaven," "Laws of Attraction" starring Pierce
Brosnan and Julianne Moore, Stephen Fry's "Bright Young Things," "Underworld,"
Shekhar Kapur's "The Four Feathers" and "Wilde" with Stephen Fry and Jude Law.
Trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, in his second year Sheen
won the coveted Laurence Olivier Bursary for consistently outstanding
performances. While still a student at RADA, Sheen landed a starring role
opposite Vanessa Redgrave in 1991's "When She Danced," which marked his West End
debut. Sheen has since earned Olivier Award nominations for his work in
"Amadeus," "Look Back in Anger," and "Caligula," for which he also won a London
Critics Circle Award and the London Evening Standard Award. He has also received
acclaim for his performances in such plays as "Romeo and Juliet," "Peer Gynt"
and "Henry V." In 1999, Sheen made his Broadway debut, reprising the title role
in the revival of Peter Hall's "Amadeus."
On stage, Sheen recently starred on Broadway in the hit "Frost/Nixon," in which
he played David Frost to Frank Langella's Nixon, which was written by Peter
Morgan ("The Queen"). This followed the sold-out run in London, where Sheen
received nominations for Best Actor from both the Olivier Awards and Evening
Standard Awards. The play centers around Frost and the disgraced former
president accepting his lucrative offer in 1977 to participate in a series of
television interviews about the events that led Nixon to resign. Sheen recently
completed the film version of "Frost/Nixon," from Morgan's screen adaptation of
his play that is directed by Ron Howard.
Serving as the bridge between the American and British entertainment
communities, BAFTA/LA is a professional non-profit organization founded in
California in 1987 to promote and advance original work in film, television and
interactive media.
BAFTA/LA's outreach programs benefit members and other professionals working
within the entertainment industry, as well as the Los Angeles community at
large. BAFTA/LA provides exclusive access to screenings, Q&A's with talent and
filmmakers, conversations with leading UK-based film and television executives,
and the Heritage Archive, featuring broadcast-quality interviews with
distinguished British members of the film and television industries. Educational
outreach for students and the Los Angeles community includes an after-school
screening program for inner-city youth at the Helen Keller Park Recreation
Center and a recent partnership with FilmAid to mentor young filmmakers.
Additional programs include seminars in association with local universities and
festivals, scholarships for post-graduate programs, and recognizing professional
and student talent with awards at film festivals throughout the U.S.
Maintaining a long tradition of recognizing the finest filmmaking and television
talent, BAFTA/LA hosts a series of social networking events, including the
Annual BAFTA/LA-Cunard Britannia Awards, the BAFTA Film Awards Brunch, the
Annual Garden Party, and the Awards Season Film and Television Tea Parties in
January and September. BAFTA/LA is affiliated with BAFTA in London, and members
vote annually for the prestigious BAFTA Film Awards. BAFTA/LA also presents its
annual Britannia Awards every November, where it has honored such luminaries as
Clint Eastwood, Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Anthony
Hopkins, Helen Mirren, Elizabeth Taylor, Michael Caine, and Martin Scorsese with
the Stanley Kubrick Britannia Award for Excellence in Film.
For more information on BAFTA/LA, visit www.baftala.org.