Screen unveils 2023 UK & Ireland Stars of Tomorrow

Screen International has unveiled the 2023 edition of Stars of Tomorrow, spotlighting the hottest up-and-coming actors and filmmakers in the UK and Ireland.  

This year marks a special milestone for Stars of Tomorrow – its 20^th edition, and the annual talent showcase has demonstrated an unparalleled track record for spotting emerging UK and Irish talent, both in front of and behind the camera, since its launch in 2004.

Those selected this time include Heartstopper star Kit Connor, Mia McKenna-Bruce, who played the lead role in Cannes breakout How To Have Sex, David Jonsson, co-lead of critically acclaimed Rye Lane, and Marisa Abela, who stars as Amy Winehouse in Sam Taylor-Johnson’s upcoming biopic.

Scroll down for the full list of 2023 Stars  

The line-up was once again overseen by Fionnuala Halligan, Screen’s executive editor, reviews and new talent. Halligan said: “Two decades is enough to confidently say Stars of Tomorrow has the best track record in the business of identifying creative talent with a dazzling future, all the way through from this story you are reading to Baftas and Oscars, with Cannes and Venice in between. Next stop: the red carpet.”

She added: “The line-up in 2023 is as stellar as ever, coming to you from across both countries, and the aim is to present a snapshot of where we are in the independent filmmaking sector. It’s impressive for an industry that’s struggling — these are the people dedicated to it and whose energy will carry it forward. The same goes for so many others who applied.”

Stars of Tomorrow alumni include Benedict Cumberbatch and Andrea Arnold (2004), David Oyelowo and Ruth Negga (2005), Riz Ahmed and Andrea Riseborough (2006), Dev Patel, Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Andrew Haigh (2008), Daniel Kaluuya (2009), John Boyega (2011), Jack Lowden and Phoebe Waller-Bridge (2014), Florence Pugh and Jodie Comer (2016), Michaela Coel and Jessie Buckley (2017), Niamh Algar (2018), Ncuti Gawa, Paul Mescal and Emma Corrin (2020), and Daryl McCormack (2021).

Last year’s cohort included Yasmin Finney, who appears in Heartstopper and the upcoming Doctor Who; Rosy McEwen, a BIFA winner for Blue Jean; and Louis Partridge, who played Sid Vicious in FX’s Pistol.

Prime Video returns as headline sponsor for the fourth consecutive year, with ScreenSkills and the BFI London Film Festival continuing their longstanding relationships as supporting partner and in-kind partner respectively.

All of this year’s UK & Ireland Stars of Tomorrow will be celebrated in a special event in London on July 5.

Click on the names below for profiles of each star.

Actors

• Marisa Abela
• Ronke Adekoluejo
• Samuel Bottomley
• Kit Connor
• Emily Fairn
• Bilal Hasna
• Arthur Hughes
• Natey Jones
• David Jonsson
• Mia McKenna-Bruce
• Stephen McMillan
• Safia Oakley-Green
• Amaka Okafor
• Posy Sterling
• Ruby Stokes
• Leo Woodall
• Sky Yang

Actor/filmmaker

• Rory Fleck Byrne

Filmmakers

• Tasha Back (cinematographer)
• Nathan Bryon, Tom Melia (writers)
• Joseph Charlton (writer)
• Clare-Louise English, Jo Sargeant (director/writer/producers)
• Nadia Fall (director)
• Jack Benjamin Gill (writer/director)
• Danielle Goff (producer)
• Claire McCabe (producer)
• Adeyemi Michael (writer/director)
• Nathalie Pitters (cinematographer)
• Sandhya Suri (writer/director)
• Nour Wazzi (writer/director)

Profiles by: Nicholas Barber, Ellie Calnan, Sarah Cooper, Ben Dalton, Charles Gant, Dan Jolin, Elena Lazic, Mark Salisbury, Neil Smith, Mona Tabbara, Amber Wilkinson