BAFTAs 2021: 8 Ups & 7 Downs

1. Bukky Bakray Wins The BAFTA Rising Star Award

And finally, the BAFTA Rising Star Award is typically awarded to an on-the-rise talent in the film industry, intended to showcase and elevate them at a pivotal point in their career.

This year the award went to a truly deserving winner in Bukky Bakray, who made her debut in the BAFTA-nominated film Rocks and, at 19 years of age, is the youngest Rising Star nominee in history.

Historically, the Rising Star Award has devolved into a bit of a popularity contest due to the winner being decided by a public vote, with actors such as Shia LaBeouf, Kristen Stewart, Tom Hardy, John Boyega, Tom Holland, and Daniel Kaluuya receiving the award after they've appeared in a huge blockbuster movie or two.

But Bakray's win felt far more in the spirit of the award's actual intent, foregrounding someone who is on the cusp of stardom, considering that three of her four fellow nominees - Kingsley Ben-Adir, Morfydd Clark, and Sope Dirisu - are already well-known talents in the industry.

Hopefully future Rising Star winners will follow suit, because Bakray's ecstatic response to her win was massively heart-warming.