Film - BIFA Award Nominations

The Favourite is the favourite as the list of nominations for the 2018 British Independent Film Awards (BIFAs) was announced yesterday. See the full list...

 Yorgos Lanthimos’s black comedy about the 18th century court of Queen Anne boasts 13 nominations as it is recognised for Best British Independent Film, Best Director sponsored by Broadsword Event House and Best Screenplay sponsored by BBC Films. Olivia Colman is nominated for Best Actress sponsored by MAC, with her co-stars in the female-led ensemble, Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz, competing in the Best Supporting Actress category, Weisz also receives a Best Actress nomination for Sapphic drama Disobedience.

The Favourite also sweeps the technical categories, newly introduced for the 2017 awards, with nominations for seven of the nine awards, including Best Production Design, Best Cinematography supported by Blackmagic Design, Best Make-up & Hair Design and Best Costume Design.

The broad recognition for American Animals (with 11 nominations) and You Were Never Really Here (with 8 nominations) marks the return of previous award winners, writer-directors Lynne Ramsay and Bart Layton. Layton won Best Debut Director for his documentary The Imposter in 2012 and his true-crime heist drama American Animals secures him nominations for Best Director and for both Best Screenplay and Debut Screenwriter. The film sees Evan Peters and Barry Keoghan compete in the Best Supporting Actor category, marking their first BIFA nominations. Ramsay continues her long association with BIFA, with her third nomination for Best Screenplay and her second for Best Director, following past recognition for Ratcatcher, Morvern Callar and We Need To Talk About Kevin. Joaquin Phoenix secures his second BIFA Best Actor nomination for his role as a tortured hitman in the psychological noir thriller, with Jonny Greenwood and Tom Townend being recognised for Best Music sponsored by Universal Music Publishing Group and Best Cinematography respectively.

Following a breakout year for British directorial debuts at the 2017 awards, this year’s nominations list continues the trend with acclaim for Michael Pearce’s romantic thriller Beast (garnering 10 nominations) and Daniel Kokotajlo’s Apostasy (with 6 nominations), a sensitive drama set within the Jehovah’s Witness community. In addition to its Best British Independent Film nomination, Beast receives nods for Pearce in all directing and screenwriting categories: Best Director, Best Screenplay, Debut Screenwriter and The Douglas Hickox Award for Best Debut Director sponsored by Kodak & Pinewood. Lead Jessie Buckley receives nominations for both Best Actress and Most Promising Newcomer, alongside Apostasy’s Molly Wright who also receives nods in both categories. Kokotajlo features alongside Pearce with nominations for Best Debut Director and Debut Screenwriter.

Joe Cole (A Prayer Before Dawn), Rupert Everett (The Happy Prince) and Charlie Plummer (Lean on Pete) all feature in the Best Actor category as first time BIFA nominees, alongside Steve Coogan (Stan & Ollie) and Joaquin Phoenix. Gemma Arterton (The Escape) and Maxine Peake (Funny Cow) round out the Best Actresscategory with Peake making her debut on the list.

The Richard Harris Award and The Variety Award are to be announced in November. The Richard Harris Award, introduced in 2002 in honour of Richard Harris, recognises outstanding contribution to British Film by an actor. Previous winners have been Daniel Day Lewis, Julie Walters, John Hurt, Emma Thompson and Vanessa Redgrave in 2017. The Variety Award recognises a director, actor, writer or producer who has made a global impact and helped focus the international spotlight on the UK. Past winners include Kate Winslet, Richard Curtis, Benedict Cumberbatch, Sir Michael Caine and Dame Helen Mirren.

Over 140 British films were submitted for consideration and 37 different British feature films have been nominated across the BIFA categories. Winners will be announced at the British Independent Film Award Ceremony on Sunday 2nd December at Old Billingsgate

Here's the full list of nominations, along with the ones that Susan Omand thinks will win. She will, of course, be completely wrong.

Best British Independent Film

American Animals - Bart Layton / Katherine Butler / Dimitri Doganis / Derrin Schlesinger / Mary Jane Skalski
Beast - Michael Pearce / Kristian Brodie / Lauren Dark / Ivana Mackinnon
Disobedience - Sebastián Lelio / Rebecca Lenkiewicz / Ed Guiney / Frida Torresblanco / Rachel Weisz
** WILL WIN ** The Favourite - Yorgos Lanthimos / Deborah Davis / Tony Mcnamara / Ceci Dempsey / Ed Guiney / Lee Magiday
You Were Never Really Here - Lynne Ramsay / Pascal Caucheteux / Rosa Attab / James Wilson / Rebecca O’Brien


Best Screenplay (Sponsored By BBC Films)

American Animals - Bart Layton
Beast - Michael Pearce
Disobedience - Sebastián Lelio / Rebecca Lenkiewicz
** WILL WIN ** The Favourite - Deborah Davis / Tony Mcnamara
You Were Never Really Here - Lynne Ramsay


Best Director (Sponsored By Broadsword Event House)

American Animals - Bart Layton
Beast - Michael Pearce
The Favourite - Yorgos Lanthimos
Lean On Pete - Andrew Haigh
** WILL WIN ** You Were Never Really Here - Lynne Ramsay


Best British Short (Supported By BFI Network)

The Big Day - Dawn Shadforth / Kellie Smith / Michelle Stein
Bitter Sea - Fateme Ahmadi / Emma Parsons
The Field - Sandhya Suri / Balthazar De Ganay / Thomas Bidegain
Pommel - Paris Zarcilla / Sebastian Brown / Ivan Kelava
** WILL WIN ** To Know Him - Ted Evans / Kellie Smith / Jennifer Monks / Michelle Stein

Best Actor

The Happy Prince - Rupert Everett
Lean On Pete - Charlie Plummer
A Prayer Before Dawn - Joe Cole
Stan & Ollie - Steve Coogan
** WILL WIN ** You Were Never Really Here - Joaquin Phoenix


Best Actress (Sponsored By M.A.C Cosmetics)

Beast - Jessie Buckley
Disobedience - Rachel Weisz
The Escape - Gemma Arterton
** WILL WIN ** The Favourite - Olivia Colman
Funny Cow - Maxine Peake


Best Supporting Actor

American Animals - Evan Peters
American Animals - Barry Keoghan
Colette - Dominic West
Disobedience - Alessandro Nivola
** WILL WIN ** Lean On Pete - Steve Buscemi


Best Supporting Actress

Apostasy - Molly Wright
** WILL WIN ** Disobedience - Rachel Mcadams
The Favourite - Emma Stone
The Favourite - Rachel Weisz
Stan & Ollie - Nina Arianda


Most Promising Newcomer

Apostasy - Molly Wright
Beast - Jessie Buckley
Been So Long - Michaela Coel
Jellyfish - Liv Hill
** WILL WIN ** Obey - Marcus Rutherford

The Discovery Award (Sponsored By Raindance)

The Dig - Andy Tohill / Ryan Tohill / Stuart Drennan / Brian J. Falconer
** WILL WIN ** Irene’s Ghost - Iain Cunningham / Rebecca Mark-Lawson / David Arthur / Ellie Land
A Moment In The Reeds - Mikko Makela / James Watson
Super November - Douglas King / Josie Long
Voyageuse - May Miles Thomas


The Douglas Hickox Award (Debut Director) (Sponsored By Kodak & Pinewood)

Apostasy - Daniel Kokotajlo
** WILL WIN ** Beast - Michael Pearce
Calibre - Matt Palmer
Pili - Leanne Welham
Ray & Liz - Richard Billingham


Debut Screenwriter

American Animals - Bart Layton
Apostasy - Daniel Kokotajlo
Beast - Michael Pearce
** WILL WIN ** Calibre - Matt Palmer
The Party’s Just Beginning - Karen Gillan


Best Documentary

** WILL WIN ** Being Frank: The Chris Sievey Story - Steve Sullivan
Evelyn - Orlando Von Einsiedel / Joanna Natasegara
Island - Steven Eastwood / Elhum Shakerifar
Nae Pasaran - Felipe Bustos Sierra
Under The Wire - Chris Martin / Tom Brisley


Breakthrough Producer (Supported By Creativity Media)

Apostasy - Marcie Maclellan
Beast - Kristian Brodie
** WILL WIN ** Calibre - Anna Griffin
Ray & Liz - Jacqui Davies
Stan & Ollie - Faye Ward

Best International Independent Film (Sponsored By Champagne Taittinger)

Capernaum - Nadine Labaki / Jihad Hojeily / Michelle Keserwani / Khaled Mouzanar / Michel Merkt
** WILL WIN ** Cold War - Pawel Pawlikowski / Janusz Glowacki / Tanya Seghatchian / Ewa Puszczynska
The Rider - Chloé Zhao / Mollye Asher / Sacha Ben Harroche / Bert Hamelinck
Roma - Alfonso Cuarón / Gabriela Rodriguez / Nicolás Celis
Shoplifters - Hirokazu Koreeda


Best Casting (Sponsored By Casting Society Of America & Spotlight)

American Animals - Avy Kaufman
Apostasy - Michelle Smith
Beast - Julie Harkin
** WILL WIN ** The Favourite - Dixie Chassay
Stan & Ollie - Andy Pryor


Best Cinematography (Supported By Blackmagic Design)

American Animals - Ole Bratt Birkeland
The Favourite - Robbie Ryan
Lean On Pete - Magnus Nordenhof Jønck
A Prayer Before Dawn - David Ungaro
** WILL WIN ** You Were Never Really Here - Tom Townend


Best Costume Design

Colette - Andrea Flesch
An Evening With Beverly Luff Linn - Alyssa Tull
** WILL WIN ** The Favourite - Sandy Powell
Peterloo - Jacqueline Durran
Stan & Ollie - Guy Speranza

Best Editing (Sponsored By Intermission Film)

American Animals - Nick Fenton / Julian Hart / Chris Gill
The Favourite - Yorgos Mavropsaridis
** WILL WIN ** Happy New Year, Colin Burstead - Ben Wheatley
A Prayer Before Dawn - Marc Boucrot
You Were Never Really Here - Joe Bini


Best Make-Up & Hair Design

Colette - Ivana Primorac
** WILL WIN ** The Favourite - Nadia Stacey
Peterloo - Christine Blundell
A Prayer Before Dawn - Stacey Louise Holman
Stan & Ollie - Mark Coulier / Jeremy Woodhead


Best Music (Sponsored By Universal Music Publishing Group)

** WILL WIN ** American Animals - Anne Nikitin
Beast - Jim Williams
Funny Cow - Richard Hawley
Island Of The Hungry Ghosts - Aaron Cupples
You Were Never Really Here - Jonny Greenwood


Best Production Design

Colette - Michael Carlin
The Favourite - Fiona Crombie
Peterloo - Suzie Davies
Ray & Liz - Beck Rainford
** WILL WIN ** Stan & Ollie - John Paul Kelly


Best Sound (Supported By Silk Factory)

American Animals - Andrew Stirk
The Favourite - Johnnie Burn
A Prayer Before Dawn - Séverin Favriau
Time Trial - CJ Mirra
** WILL WIN ** You Were Never Really Here - Paul Davies

Best Effects

** WILL WIN ** Dead In A Week (Or Your Money Back) - Matthew Strange / Mark Wellband
Early Man - Howard Jones
Peterloo - George Zwier / Paul Driver

Images & info - BIFA