Three up-and-coming young actors —
Fruitvale Station
‘s
Michael B. Jordan
,
The Book Thief
‘s
Sophie Nelisse
and
Lee Daniels’
The Butler
‘s
David Oyelowo
— will be recipients of this year’s Hollywood Spotlight Awards at the 17th annual Hollywood Film Awards, the first awards show of the 2013 season, on Oct. 21 at the Beverly Hilton,
The Hollywood Reporter
has learned.
Jordan, a 26-year-old American actor, has been widely cheered for his portrayal of a real person who was unjustly killed by police in the powerful drama
Fruitvale Station
, which The Weinstein Co. released July 12. Previously, he was best known for his roles on the popular television series
The Wire
,
Friday Night Lights
and
Parenthood
.
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Nelisse, a 13-year-old Canadian actress, is said to be terrific as a plucky young German girl who is sent to live with a new family during World World II in
The Book Thief
, which 20th Century Fox will release Nov. 15. She was previously best known for her co-starring role in
Monsieur Lazhar
,
Canada’s best foreign language film Oscar nominee of two years ago
.
And Oyelowo, a 37-year-old British actor, earned rave reviews for his role as the rebellious oldest son of a White House employee in
The Butler
, which The Weinstein Co. released Aug. 5. He was previously best known for his work in the British theater (he was the first black actor to play an English monarch in a Royal Shakespeare Company production) and TV (he starred on
BBC1’s
acclaimed series
Spooks
), as well as his appearances in
The Last King of Scotland
(2006),
The Help
(2011),
Middle of Nowhere
(2012),
Lincoln
(2012) and
The Paperboy
(2012). On the big screen, he will soon be seen as
Martin Luther King
, Jr.
in
Selma
.
The Hollywood Film Awards are determined by founder and executive director
Carlos de Abreu
and an advisory committee. De Abreu tells
THR
, “We are very excited that we will be able to recognize these acting talents on their road to discovery and stardom.” (Full disclosure: Dick Clark Productions, which shares the same parent company as
THR
, has an undisclosed investment in the Hollywood Film Awards.)
Previous recipients of the Hollywood Spotlight Award, which recognizes the year’s top young talent, include
Berenice Bejo
(
The Artist
),
Jean Dujardin
(
The Artist
),
Elle Fanning
(
Super 8
),
Amber Heard
(
The Rum Diary
),
Milla Jovovich
(
Stone
),
Mila Kunis
(
Black Swan
),
Melanie Lynskey
(
Up in the Air
),
Leighton Meester
(
Country Strong
),
Robert Pattinson
(
Twilight
),
Barry Pepper
(
Casino Jack
),
Noomi Rapace
(
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
),
Andrea Riseborough
(
W.E.
),
Paul Schneider
(
Bright Star
),
Shailene Woodley
(
The Descendants
),
Anton Yelchin
(
Like Crazy
),
Samantha Barks
(
Les Miserables
),
Bella
Heathcote
(
Not Fade Away
),
Tom Holland
(
The Impossible
),
John
Magaro
(
Not Fade Away
),
Ezra Miller
(
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
) and
Kelly Reilly
(
Flight
).
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Last month, the Hollywood Film Awards and Dick Clark Productions, which also produce the Golden Globe Awards,
entered into a
partnership
that could lead to the ceremony being televised in future years. Over the past 10 years, Hollywood Film Awards honorees went on to garner a total of 96 Oscar nominations and 34 Oscars.
Other 2013 honorees who have
already been announced
include
12 Years a Slave
director
Steve McQueen
and supporting actress
Lupita Nyong’o
;
42
‘s supporting actor
Harrison Ford
;
August: Osage County
‘s ensemble and supporting actress
Julia Roberts
;
Before Midnight
‘s lead actress/co-screenwriter
Julie Delpy
, lead actor/co-screenwriter
Ethan Hawke
and co-screenwriter/director
Richard Linklater
;
Behind the Candelabra
producer
Jerry Weintraub
;
Captain Phillips
producer
Michael De Luca
;
Dallas Buyers Club
‘s lead actor
Matthew McConaughey
and supporting actor
Jared Leto
;
Gravity
‘s lead actress
Sandra Bullock
;
Lee Daniels’ The Butler
director
Lee Daniels
;
Monsters University
director
Dan Scanlon
and producer
Kori Rae
;
Pacific Rim
visual effects supervisor
John Knoll
; and
Prisoners
‘ supporting actor
Jake Gyllenhaal
.
Twitter:
@ScottFeinberg