Rising Stars Set to Announce London Critics’ Nominations

The London-based media group Dover Street Entertainment returns as headline sponsor for the awards, which will be held for a seventh year at The May Fair Hotel.

LONDON, 6 DECEMBER 2018:
British actors Molly Wright and Lee Shone will announce the nominations for the 39th London Critics’ Circle Film Awards at a lunchtime event on Tuesday 18th December at The May Fair Hotel. The critics received their ballots this week, with all films released in a UK cinema between mid-February 2018 and mid-February 2018 eligible to be nominated.

Molly Wright is best known for her work as recurring characters on the BBC television dramas The A Word alongside Christopher Eccleston and Our Girl with Ben Aldridge. She made her feature debut this year in Daniel Kokotajlo’s acclaimed drama Apostasy. Wright said, “With such an inspiring year in film, I’m excited to see the nominations and I’m honoured to be announcing them on December 18th.”

Lee Shone was one of the first MMA fighters in the UK, then launched an acting career, starting with a role in Ron Scalpello’s 2017 crime biopic My Name Is Lenny. He has three films in production, and recently voiced a character in the videogameDeath Race: Beyond Anarchy. “I am so excited to be involved with this year’s Critics’ Circle Film Awards,” Shone said. “I think it’s a fantastic organisation and I am really looking forward to the event.”

Returning as headline sponsor is the London-based media group Dover Street Entertainment. The event is also sponsored by The May Fair Hotel, and talent agencies Millbank and Cooper Searle are also on board as sponsors for a third year. In-kind sponsors include Mionetto, which will provide prosecco for the pre-ceremony reception on 20th January, while Rémy Martin and Sacred will offer their signature cocktails for the after-party.

Graeme Scott and Kathy LoPrimo, co-founders of Dover Street Entertainment, in a joint statement said: “Dover Street Entertainment is honoured to be sponsoring the prestigious Critics’ Circle Film Awards. We consider ourselves to be storytellers and we are very proud to be part of an event that celebrates that achievement in both the UK and internationally. As an organisation we hope to continue to support those who strive to tell the stories that need to be told.”

Since the first edition in 1980, the Critics’ Circle Film Awards have become an anticipated and respected event in the annual film calendar. In recent years attending winners have included Cate Blanchett, Gary Oldman, Michael Fassbender, Emma Thompson, Marion Cotillard, Carey Mulligan, Naomie Harris, Maisie Williams, Steve McQueen, Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, Christoph Waltz and Richard Linklater.

The 2018 ceremony attracted a star-studded red carpet with guests including Hugh Grant, Jude Law, Armie Hammer, Timothée Chalamet, Lesley Manville, Florence Pugh, Harris Dickinson, Fionn Whitehead, Dafne Keen, Noah Jupe, Josh O’Connor, Alec Secareanu, Luca Guadagnino, Paul King, Jessica Barden and Simon Farnaby. The beloved actress Kate Winslet was presented with the Dilys Powell Award for Excellence in Cinema. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri was named Film of the Year, while British winners included God’s Own Country, Dunkirk andPaddington 2.

Rich Cline, chair of the Critics’ Circle Film Awards, commented: “Our awards stand out from the crowd because they are chosen by people who watch all of the films released in Britain every year. The ceremony is an integral part of the annual awards-season conversation and has consistently highlighted film achievements that may be overlooked by other groups. I am also delighted that we’re returning to the intimate, five-star glamour of The May Fair Hotel for a seventh year. The team there has been integral to our event, and we look forward to working with them to put on another great evening.”

Inderneel Singh, The May Fair Hotel’s Managing Director, said: “We’re excited to welcome back our friends from the Critics’ Circle Film Awards for the seventh year running. The Critics’ Circle Film Awards kick off the awards season and are often seen as a notable precursor to the other major awards that follow. They are the perfect match for the dynamic style of The May Fair Hotel and we can’t wait to welcome the best of the worldwide film industry’s talent to the hotel in January.”

The 39th London Critics’ Circle Film Awards ceremony will be held on Sunday 20th January 2019 at The May Fair Hotel. The red carpet event is expected to attract a host of stellar British and international film talent. The awards are presented by the 155-member Film Section of the Critics’ Circle, the UK’s longest-standing and most prestigious critical organisation.

Notes for Editors:

For further information, please contact: Rich Cline, chair: londonfilmcritics@gmail.com

Media contact: Jessica Askham at DDA: 020 7932 9835 / jessica.askham@ddapr.com

About The Critics’ Circle:
Established in 1913, The Critics’ Circle is the oldest organisation of its kind in the world, with more than 400 members who work in the UK media as critics of art and architecture, books, dance, drama, film, and music. Chaired by Anna Smith, who also currently serves as the Circle’s President, the Film Section membership is made up of more than 145 UK film critics, broadcasters and writers, including Guardian critic Peter Bradshaw, the BBC’s Mark Kermode and Metro’s Larushka Ivan-Zadeh, and has presented its awards annually since 1980. www.criticscircle.org.uk

About Dover Street Entertainment:
Founded by producers Graeme A Scott and Kathy A LoPrimo, the Dover Street Entertainment team has delivered films to cinema screens across the globe and produced television series with broadcasters including the BBC, Channel 4, ITV, Showtime, HBO and PBS. With each production, Dover Street works with internationally recognised talent, from Academy Award-winning documentary filmmakers to Emmy-nominated television producers, ensuring that when a story is told it is told right. Current projects include the feature-length documentary The Last Hope, which highlights the work of the Italian NGO Emergency from Kabul into Iraq and rescuing refugees in the Mediterranean off the coast of Libya; television docu-series, The Fight Club, which delves into the world of professional and amateur combat fighting; and An Irish Heartbeat (working title), a feature-length thriller based upon the novel by Paul Ferris.www.doverstreet.xyz

About The May Fair Hotel:
The luxury May Fair Hotel, opened by King George V in 1927 and owned and operated by Edwardian Group London, is located in the heart of London and boasts over 400 luxury bedrooms, including 40 of the capital’s most memorable signature suites. The residence encapsulates its Mayfair locality throughout, with the meat and seafood restaurant, May Fair Kitchen; The May Fair Bar; The May Fair Terrace and the relaxing May Fair Spa. The May Fair Hotel has an established partnership as the official hotel partner for both London Fashion Week and the BFI London Film Festival. www.themayfairhotel.co.uk

About Mionetto:
Refreshingly Italian, sensual and of outstanding quality, Mionetto is prosecco par excellence. Founded in 1887 by Francesco Mionetto, Mionetto Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG originates in the heart of the northern Italian prosecco growing region of Veneto and has tradition, excellence, quality and passion inherent in every detail. With a straw yellow hue, this velvet-smooth yet crisp prosecco releases a bouquet of floral notes intertwined with apple and peach, and a subtle touch of citrus. Available in more than 70 countries, Mionetto is the world’s bestselling prosecco (IWSR data 2018), bringing the joy of Italian prosecco to people around the globe.

About the 39th London Critics’ Circle Film Awards:
Britain’s top film critics vote annually for the Critics’ Circle Film Awards, with eligible films having been released in UK cinemas between 17th February 2018 and 9th February 2019. Nominations ballots are due on 14th December, with the nominees announced on Tuesday 18th December. Final-round votes will be due on 6th January, with winners announced at the ceremony on 20th January. In addition to the Dilys Powell Award for Excellence in Film and citations for Technical Achievement, the members of the Critics’ Circle Film Section will vote in the following categories:
• Film of the Year
• Foreign Language Film of the Year
• Documentary of the Year
• Director of the Year
• Actor of the Year
• Actress of the Year
• Supporting Actor of the Year
• Supporting Actress of the Year
• Screenwriter of the Year
• The Attenborough Award: British/Irish Film of the Year
• The Philip French Award: Breakthrough British/Irish Filmmaker
• British/Irish Actor of the Year
• British/Irish Actress of the Year
• Young British/Irish Performer of the Year
• British/Irish Short Film of the Year

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