Bird star Lauren Grace Wilson on Bafta list at 14

By ALASTAIR DALTON
Published on 18/03/2012 00:00

A TEENAGE actress will be among 30 nominees competing for an honour at a ceremony this week celebrating new Scottish talent in the film industry.

Lauren Grace Wilson, 14, from Johnstone in Renfrewshire, will be among nearly 300 upcoming stars, film and programme makers and talent scouts attending the Bafta in Scotland New Talent awards.

She has been shortlisted in the best actor/actress category for her starring role in Bird, a short film about adolescence and growing up in Scotland.

Author and broadcaster Muriel Gray will present the awards at the ceremony at Oran Mor in Glasgow on Thursday.

Bafta in Scotland director Jude MacLaverty said: “The nominees this year have been of a particularly high standard, with those in the animation category massively strong.

“The New Talent awards is all about rewarding excellence in the industry, and the final shortlist reflects the sheer breadth of talent, creativity, and originality here in Scotland.”

The awards have been staged as a separate event for three years after being part of Bafta in Scotland’s main awards ceremony.

Also among the 30 nominees across ten categories is Blair Mowat for his music for Electric Man, a comedy shot in Edinburgh about the world’s most expensive comic, featuring former Marillion frontman Fish.

Other nominees include first-time Polish film-maker Agata Jagodzinska, 26, who graduated last summer from Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh. She has been shortlisted in the Fiction: Under 30 Minutes and Writer categories for her short film, Secret of Confession.

The film was written and edited in Scotland and shot in Poland, with the cast and crew comprising her friends and family.

The ceremony will include a Best New Work award for the first time, sponsored by Channel 4.

MacLaverty said: “The standard of work never ceases to impress and this year is no exception, with a fantastic array of work shortlisted across all categories.”