The Newport Beach Film Festival has today revealed the raft of exceptional talent being honoured in its Breakout and Spotlight categories at this year’s UK and Ireland Honours event. Now in its ninth year, the star-studded ceremony will be returning to London’s Raffles at the OWO on 19th February, hosted by Edith Bowman and Nick Mohammed.
The Breakout award is given to early career talent, recognising an extraordinary performance in an impactful project in the last 12-18 months. This year’s Breakout artists are EE BAFTA Rising Star nominee Archie Madekwe (Lurker), BIFA nominee Harry Melling (Pillion), BIFA winner Jay Lycurgo (Steve) and Noah Jupe (Hamnet).
Madekwe’s recognition follows his leading role as Oliver in Alex Russell’s debut feature Lurker, a gripping exploration of the darker edges of fame, parasocial relationships, and contemporary fan culture. Melling is being honoured for his work in Harry Lighton’s BAFTA nominated and BIFA award-winning Pillion, in which he stars as Colin, a meek, suburban London traffic warden and barbershop singer who enters a, sub/dom, kinky queer romance with Ray (Alexander Skarsgård). Lycurgo’s Breakout role is Shy in Netflix’s Steve, in which he stars opposite Cillian Murphy, and for which he was awarded ‘Best Supporting Performance’ at the 2025 BIFAs. Jupe’s recognition comes after his acclaimed role as Hamlet in Chloe Zhao’s Hamnet, produced by this year’s ‘Outstanding Contribution to Global Entertainment’ recipients Neal Street Productions, and ahead of his professional stage debut in Robert Icke’s West End production of Romeo & Juliet, opposite Stranger Things star Sadie Sink.
This year’s Spotlight category comprises Damson Idris (F1), Simone Ashley (Picture This) and Oscar and BAFTA nominee Wunmi Mosaku (Sinners). This award recognises talent who are at a pivotal moment in their career, following an outstanding contribution to a particularly talked about project(s).
Idris’s credits include Oscar-nominated F1 and FX’s SNOWFALL, and he will next be seen in Gina Prince-Bythewood’s Children of Blood and Bone for Paramount, continuing to showcase his remarkable range and depth on screen. Ashley’s recognition follows starring roles in Netflix’s hit show Bridgerton and Prime Video’s Picture This, ahead of her upcoming role in 20th Century Studios’ highly anticipated sequel The Devil Wears Prada 2 (May 1, 2026). Mosaku’s role as Annie in Sinners has led to widespread awards recognition including Oscar and BAFTA nominations for Supporting Actress. Upcoming work includes Idris Elba’s This Is How It Goes for Apple TV+ and Aaron Sorkin’s The Social Reckoning, a sequel to The Social Network.
President & CEO of Visit Newport Beach, Gary Sherwin said: “This latest raft of exceptional talent underscores the Newport Beach Film Festival’s commitment to celebrating and championing artists from across the industry. From historical fiction to horror and everything in between, our Breakout and Spotlight artists represent a broad range of genres and backgrounds, and speak to the rich diversity of the film industry this side of the Atlantic”.
This news follows last week’s unveiling of Edith Bowman and Nick Mohammed as event hosts. Also in attendance at the ceremony will be Sir Sam Mendes and Dame Pippa Harris, who are accepting the ‘Outstanding Contribution to Global Entertainment’ award on behalf of Neal Street Productions. Further honourees will be announced in the coming days, including trade partner Variety’s list of ‘10 Brits to Watch’.
2026 marks the ninth year of the Newport Beach Film Festival’s UK and Ireland Honours event. Last year’s ceremony, hosted by Edith Bowman and Cat Deeley, saw an exciting range of talent honoured, including Marisa Abela, David Jonsson, Joe Alwyn, Will Sharpe, Sharon Horgan, Emma Corrin and Felicity Jones, with Sir Stephen Fry receiving the prestigious Icon award.
For 27 years, the Newport Beach Film Festival, one of the largest luxury lifestyle film festivals in the United States, has included a dedicated UK showcase during its eight-day program. In 2015, the Film Festival and Visit Newport Beach partnered to elevate the connection to the UK industry by honouring talent via the Newport Beach Film Festival UK Honours.
