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23 March 2018

Rakuten TV Empire Awards 2018 – Winners Announcement

• Star Wars Legend Mark Hamill also honoured as an Empire Icon
• Filmmaking giant Steven Spielberg attends the ceremony to collect Empire’s Legend of Our Lifetime Award presented by Rakuten TV
• Box Office hits Wonder Woman and Get Out celebrated as fans award them the Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy and Best Horror prizes

London, 18 March 2018: The winners have been revealed for this year’s Rakuten TV Empire Awards, which celebrates the best in film and entertainment of the past year, as voted for by movie fans. Box-office phenomenon Star Wars: The Last Jedi picked up the most awards on the night including the prestigious Best Film (presented by Sky Cinema) honour. Daisy Ridley also attended to collect her award for Best Actress (presented by Rakuten TV), as did Rian Johnson who was chosen as Best Director (presented by Vue Entertainment). The film was also honoured in the Visual Effects and Costume categories. Star Wars hero Mark Hamill was there to round off the sci-fi epic’s celebrations and was honoured with Empire’s Icon Award (presented by BMW).

Titan of cinema Steven Spielberg also attended the 23rd annual awards to receive Empire’s Legend of Our Lifetime Award (presented by Rakuten TV). Empire bestowed two further honourary awards at the ceremony to celebrate the industry’s greatest talents. Firstly, Amma Asante (A United Kingdom) was awarded the Empire Inspiration Award in recognition of her commitment to British filmmaking and her importance as a trailblazer for female filmmakers and people of colour. Baby Driver director Edgar Wright was also celebrated with Empire’s brand-new Visionary Award.

Hollywood mega-star Hugh Jackman attended to collect the Best Actor Award (presented by Rakuten TV) for his definitive lead performance in critically-acclaimed fan-favourite Logan. Jackman was joined by his talented young co-star Dafne Keen who was voted Best Female Newcomer (presented by Hilton Park Lane).
The flag for British film and television was flying high, with God’s Own Country in particular taking home Best British Film (presented by The Hollywood Reporter), and Josh O’Connor picking up Best Male Newcomer for his role as Johnny Saxby in the film. Whilst in the world of TV, The Crown picked up the award for Best TV Series (presented by Three).

Empire’s Editor-In-Chief Terri White commented: “This year’s Empire Awards might just be the most exciting yet! It was a hugely important year for cinema, both on screen and off, and from Get Out to Wonder Women to Star Wars: The Last Jedi and God’s Own Country, I’m thrilled to see such a rich, diverse and diverse group of winners. The Empire readers really know their stuff”

Other awards won on the night included: Best Actress in a TV Series, which went to Nicole Kidman for
her role in Big Little Lies and Best Actor In A TV Series, which was awarded to Jason Isaacs for his role
in Star Trek: Discovery; Get Out, which won Best Horror and Best Screenplay and Wonder Woman,
which was awarded Best Sci-Fi/ Fantasy (presented by Three); The Death Of Stalin won Best Comedy,
(presented by Monkey Shoulder) and Kingsman: The Golden Circle received Best Thriller (presented
by Absolute Radio). Best Documentary went to I Am Not Your Negro, and Best Animated Film was
awarded to Coco; Baby Driver was voted the winner of Best Soundtrack and Best Production Design;
Best Make-Up and Hairstyling was awarded to Beauty and the Beast.

All films can be found on the Rakuten TV platform here: https://uk.rakuten.tv/gardens/empireawards”

#RakutenTVEmpireAwards

ENDS

For further information, please contact:
Jess Blake at Bauer Media
E: jess.blake@bauermedia.co.uk
T: +44 (0) 07739 516 345

DDA
E: empireawards@ddapr.com
T: +44 (0) 207 932 9800
Footage of red carpet b-roll and acceptance speeches will be available on the following FTP site
following the show:

HOUSE FOOTAGE DETAILS:
RakutenTV Empire Awards EPK: https://mega.nz/#F!7joAgDoB
P: !aHK5ScFmbqFIUjKFVyzfhQ

NOTES TO EDITORS
About Empire:
Empire is the world’s biggest movie magazine brand. Constantly evolving, it has expanded its breadth
of content to cover every cinematic form, from movies and TV to streaming and mobile. Connecting
with three million fans across its multiple touchpoints, Empire continues to deliver compelling
entertainment content and unique creative cover treatments, with world-first reveals.

About Bauer Media:
Bauer Media UK reaches over 25 million UK consumers through a portfolio of world-class, multiplatform
media and entertainment brands including heat, Kiss, Grazia, Empire, TV Choice, Take A
Break, Bella, Magic and Absolute Radio. It creates and curates entertaining media content that
audiences love whenever, wherever and however they want through a multi-channel strategy and a
focus on product excellence and audience insight. The result is an exciting array of influential brands,
content and talent which provide compelling and engaging advertising opportunities with valuable
audiences for UK commercial partners. Bauer Media UK is part of the Bauer Media Group, one of the
world’s largest privately owned media businesses with media assets all over the globe.

About Rakuten TV:
Rakuten TV is “Your cinema at home” and one of the leading Video-On-Demand platforms in Europe
providing the latest movie releases with the latest technology in a true cinematic experience available
on Smart TVs. Rakuten TV is currently distributed in 12 countries and it is part of the Internet and ecommerce
Japanese giant Rakuten, now sponsor of FC Barcelona and The Golden State Warriors.
www.rakuten.tv / rtv-press@rakuten.com

THE 2018 EMPIRE NOMINATIONS & WINNERS
EMPIRE ‘LEGEND OF OUR LIFETIME’ AWARD, PRESENTED BY RAKUTEN TV

• Honouree: Steven Spielberg

EMPIRE ICON PRESENTED BY BMW

• Honouree: Mark Hamill

EMPIRE INSPIRATION AWARD

• Honouree: Amma Asante

EMPIRE VISIONARY AWARD

• Honouree: Edgar Wright

BEST FILM, PRESENTED BY SKY CINEMA

• Winner: Star Wars: The Last Jedi
• Get Out
• Call Me By Your Name
• Thor: Ragnarok
• Wonder Woman

BEST DIRECTOR, PRESENTED BY VUE ENTERTAINMENT

• Winner: Rian Johnson – Star Wars: The Last Jedi
• Edgar Wright – Baby Driver
• Jordan Peele – Get Out
• Patty Jenkins – Wonder Woman
• Taika Waititi – Thor: Ragnarok

BEST MALE NEWCOMER

• Winner: Josh O’Connor — God’s Own Country
• Fionn Whitehead – Dunkirk
• Ansel Elgort – Baby Driver
Daniel Kaluuya – Get Out
• Timothée Chalamet – Call Me By Your Name

BEST FEMALE NEWCOMER: THE HILTON PARK LANE

• Winner: Dafne Keen – Logan
• Emily Beecham – Daphne
Florence Pugh – Lady Macbeth
• Tessa Thompson – Thor: Ragnarok
• Kelly Marie Tran – Star Wars: The Last Jedi

BEST ACTRESS, PRESENTED BY RAKUTEN TV

• Winner: Daisy Ridley – Star Wars: The Last Jedi
• Gal Gadot – Wonder Woman
• Frances McDormand – Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
• Tiffany Haddish – Girls Trip
• Emma Watson – Beauty And The Beast

BEST ACTOR, PRESENTED BY RAKUTEN TV

• Winner: Hugh Jackman – Logan
• John Boyega – Star Wars: The Last Jedi
• Andy Serkis — War For The Planet Of The Apes
• Armie Hammer – Call Me By Your Name
• Gary Oldman – Darkest Hour

BEST SCREENPLAY

• Winner: Get Out
• God’s Own Country
• Call Me By Your Name
• The Death Of Stalin
• Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

BEST SCI-FI/FANTASY, PRESENTED BY THREE

• Winner: Wonder Woman
• Logan
• Star Wars: The Last Jedi
• Thor: Ragnarok
• Blade Runner 2049

BEST BRITISH FILM, PRESENTED BY THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

• Winner: God’s Own Country

• The Death Of Stalin
• Dunkirk
• The Darkest Hour
• Paddington 2

BEST HORROR
• Winner: Get Out
• Mother!
• The Autopsy Of Jane Doe
• It
• Split

BEST DOCUMENTARY
• Winner: I Am Not Your Negro
• I Called Him Morgan
• City Of Ghosts
• An Inconvenient Sequel
• Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond

BEST COMEDY, PRESENTED BY MONKEY SHOULDER
• Winner: The Death Of Stalin
• Toni Erdmann
• The Big Sick
• The Disaster Artist
• Girls Trip

BEST THRILLER, PRESENTED BY ABSOLUTE RADIO
• Winner: Kingsman: The Golden Circle
• Baby Driver
• John Wick: Chapter 2
• The Handmaiden
• Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

BEST ANIMATED FILM
• Winner: Coco
• The Lego Batman Movie
• My Life As A Courgette
• The Red Turtle
• Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie

BEST SOUNDTRACK
• Winner: Baby Driver
• Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2
• Logan Lucky
• Beauty And The Beast
• Call Me By Your Name

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
• Winner: Star Wars: The Last Jedi
• The Greatest Showman
• The Death Of Stalin
• Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2
• Thor: Ragnarok

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
• Baby Driver
• Dunkirk
• Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2
• Thor: Ragnarok
• Star Wars: The Last Jedi

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS, PRESENTED BY VUE ENTERTAINMENT
• Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2
• War For The Planet Of The Apes
• Thor: Ragnarok
• Star Wars: The Last Jedi
• Ghost In The Shell

BEST MAKE-UP AND HAIRSTYLING
• Winner: Beauty And The Beast
• Murder On The Orient Express
• The Greatest Showman
• Thor: Ragnarok
• Ghost In The Shell

BEST TV SERIES, PRESENTED BY THREE
• Winner: The Crown
• The Handmaid’s Tale
• Big Little Lies
• Twin Peaks: A Limited Event Series
• Stranger Things 2

BEST ACTRESS IN A TV SERIES
• Winner: Nicole Kidman (Big Little Lies)
• Claire Foy (The Crown)
• Reese Witherspoon (Big Little Lies)
• Elisabeth Moss (The Handmaid’s Tale)
• Millie Bobby Brown (Stranger Things 2)

BEST ACTOR IN A TV SERIES
• Winner: Jason Isaacs (Star Trek: Discovery)
• Alexander Skarsgård (Big Little Lies)
• Kyle MacLachlan (Twin Peaks: A Limited Event Series)
• Matt Smith (The Crown)
• Dan Stevens (Legion)

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