Thandie Newton and Makosi to bring Southern African entertainment to the BAFTA's

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Thandie Newton and MakosiBRITISH BROADCAST LEGEND MOIRA STUART AND ACTOR MORGAN FREEMAN TO BE HONOURED

The annual Screen Nation Film and TV Awards - often referred to as the Black BAFTA's - returns to the West End of London on October 15th, as the UK’s only international celebration of Black achievement in Film and TV.

Now in its fifth year and firmly established on the awards circuit, the star studded ceremony will once again be hosted by TV presenter Josie D'Arby and Bond actor Colin Salmon. Joining them on the night, will be some of the finest black British and internationally established Film & TV stars, celebrating the achievements black talent has made to popular culture globally.

The 2007 awards ceremony will see Hollywood screen legend Morgan Freeman, honoured with the Outstanding Contribution Award, British broadcast legend and newsreader Moira Stuart will be honoured with the Edric Connor Inspiration award and veteran American TV Director/Producer Stan Lathan (Def Jam Poetry, Moesha and Martin) - the new Vanguard Award. A final honorary award, the Classic TV Award will be presented to the seminal television series Roots in what is its 30th anniversary year.

Thandie NewtonThandie Newton is one of the nominees for best Female Performance in Film for her role in the film (The Pursuit of Happyness and Norbit). Thandie who was born in Zambia, to a Zimbabwean health-care worker Nyasha and a and a white English lab technician and artist Nick Newton, made her film debut in Flirting (1991). This Australian movie was also a launch pad for a young Nicole Kidman, with whom she has remained friends. She gained international recognition opposite Nick Nolte in the Merchant-Ivory production of Jefferson in Paris as Sally Hemmings, which led to her being cast in Jonathan Demme's Beloved (1998), in which she played the title character and costarred with Danny Glover, Kimberly Elise, and Oprah Winfrey. She played the female lead Nyah Hall in the film Mission: Impossible II. When this film went over schedule, she had to pull out of the film Charlie's Angels, and her character ultimately went to Lucy Liu.

Between 2003 and 2005, Newton played Kem, the love interest of Dr. John Carter on the American television series ER, and in 2004 also appeared in The Chronicles of Riddick. She appeared in Crash as a wealthy black woman who, along with her husband, finds herself the target of a racist policeman (played by Matt Dillon). The policeman molests her before ultimately saving her life. Newton was honoured with a BAFTA award for Best Supporting Actress in 2006. Crash also won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2005.

Newton was an introducer at Wembley Stadium on July 7, 2007 for the UK leg of Live Earth. She was due to introduce Al Gore to the concert, but he was delayed, leaving Newton to tell jokes to try and entertain the audience, and talking about how she was thinking while driving to the concert.

Makosi MusambasiZimbabwean reality TV star, Makosi Musambasi who earned fame as a contestant on the UK's Big Brother 6, and finished third on the show - the highest female finisher is nominated for Favourite Reality Star. Makosi together with former Big Brother housemates Kinga Karolczak and Faria Alam was cast in the comedy thriller Cash and Curry.

To mark the bi-centenary of the abolition of slavery year and the 50th anniversary of Ghana’s independence, Screen Nation will be re-introducing a set of African Awards in the 'Best from the West' category. Nominations for the awards will be announced in early September and the ceremony will be screened for the second year running on Sky Movies late October. Current Sponsors include: BSKYB, BBC, UK Film Council, Barclays, LDA, Mayor of London, ACBN, Thinc Group, Gap Network, Virgin Nigeria and L’Oreal.