Kenneth Branagh’s Belfast and Philip Barantini’s Boiling Point head the nominations for the 2021 British Independent Film Awards with 11 each.
Boiling Point, Barantini’s second feature as director, scored a nomination for best British independent film, with nominations for Barantini in best director, Stephen Graham for best actor, Vinette Robinson for best supporting actress, Ray Panthaki for best supporting actor and Hester Ruoff for breakthrough producer.
Scroll down for the full list of nominations
Barantini’s short of the same name was nominated at the 2019 BIFAs.
Belfast’s 11 nominations included best actress for Caitriona Balfe, best supporting actress for Judi Dench, and best supporting actor for Ciaran Hinds.
Three films followed with nine nominations each. Aleem Khan’s After Love’s nine nominations included best British independent film, Joanna Scanlan in best actress and Khan in director, screenplay, debut director and debut screenwriter. Khan is the only debut filmmaker in the best British independent film category this year.
Prano Bailey-Bond’s Censor also secured nine nominations, including for Bailey-Bond in debut director and debut screenwriter; while The Souvenir Part II’s nine slots included best British independent film, best director and best screenplay for Joanna Hogg, best supporting actress for Tilda Swinton and best supporting actor for Richard Ayoade.
Clio Barnard’s Ali & Ava secured seven nominations; Sean Durkin’s The Nest had six; while Marley Morrison’s Sweetheart scored five.
Shaheen Baig scored a remarkable triple nomination in best casting, securing three of the five slots for After Love, Ali & Ava and Pirates. The latter film also secured nominations in best debut screenwriter for Reggie Yates; and best music for Iain Cooke.
The best international independent film category – often seen as a precursor for similar categories at upcoming awards shows – recognised Juho Kuosmanen’s Compartment No. 6, Kelly Reichardt’s First Cow, Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s Flee, Celine Sciamma’s Petite Maman and Ninja Thyberg’s Pleasure.
Screen Stars of Tomorrow received 18 nominations across 12 individuals, led by 2015 Star Khan with his five nominations.
Two of the five nominees in best director and best screenplay are women - Hogg and Barnard in both categories – with both their films nominated for best British independent film. Four of the five nominees in both the debut director and breakthrough producer categories are women.
The nominations were announced by actors Sam Adewunmi (a 2019 Star of Tomorrow) and Mimi Keene, live from the Curzon Soho cinema in London. Winners in the craft categories will be announced on November 19; with the remaining categories announced at the in-person ceremony on Sunday, December 5.
BIFA 2021 nominations
Best British Independent Film
After Love - Aleem Khan, Matthieu De Braconier
Ali & Ava - Clio Barnard, Tracy O’riordan
Boiling Point - Philip Barantini, James Cummings, Bart Ruspoli, Hester Ruoff
The Nest - Sean Durkin, Ed Guiney, Derrin Schlesinger, Rose Garnett, Amy Jackson, Cristina Piovesan
The Souvenir Part II - Joanna Hogg, Ed Guiney, Emma Norton, Andrew Lowe, Luke Schiller
Best Director
Philip Barantini - Boiling Point
Clio Barnard - Ali & Ava
Sean Durkin - The Nest
Joanna Hogg - The Souvenir Part II
Aleem Khan - After Love
Best Screenplay
Clio Barnard - Ali & Ava
Terence Davies - Benediction
Sean Durkin - The Nest
Joanna Hogg - The Souvenir Part II
Aleem Khan - After Love
Best Actress
Caitríona Balfe - Belfast
Carrie Coon - The Nest
Claire Rushbrook - Ali & Ava
Joanna Scanlan - After Love
Ruth Wilson - True Things
Best Actor
Riz Ahmed - Encounter
Adeel Akhtar - Ali & Ava
Stephen Graham - Boiling Point
Jude Law - The Nest
James Norton - Nowhere Special
Best Supporting Actress
Judi Dench - Belfast
Jo Hartley - Sweetheart
Nathalie Richard - After Love
Vinette Robinson - Boiling Point
Tilda Swinton - The Souvenir Part II
Best Supporting Actor
Talid Ariss - After Love
Richard Ayoade - The Souvenir Part II
Lucian-River Chauhan - Encounter
Ciarán Hinds - Belfast
Ray Panthaki - Boiling Point
The Douglas Hickox Award (Best Debut Director)
Prano Bailey-Bond - Censor
Celeste Bell - Poly Styrene: I Am A Cliché [also directed by Paul Sng]
Cathy Brady – Wildfire
Aleem Khan - After Love
Marley Morrison - Sweetheart
Breakthrough Producer
Michelle Antoniades - Sweetheart
Helen Jones - Censor
Jessica Malik - She Will [also produced by Bob Last]
Hester Ruoff - Boiling Point [also produced by Bart Ruspoli]
Rob Watson - The Power [also produced by Matthew James Wilkinson]
Breakthrough Performance
Lauryn Ajufo - Boiling Point
Nell Barlow - Sweetheart
Max Harwood - Everybody’s Talking About Jamie
Jude Hill - Belfast
Ellora Torchia - In The Earth
Best Debut Screenwriter
Prano Bailey-Bond - Censor [also written by Anthony Fletcher]
Cathy Brady - Wildfire
Aleem Khan - After Love
Marley Morrison - Sweetheart
Reggie Yates – Pirates
Best Documentary
Cow - Andrea Arnold, Kat Mansoor
Dying To Divorce - Chloë Fairweather, Sinead Kirwan
I Am Belmaya - Sue Carpenter, Christopher Hird
Keyboard Fantasies - Posy Dixon, Liv Proctor
Poly Styrene: I Am A Cliché - Paul Sng, Celeste Bell, Zoë Howe, Rebecca Mark-Lawson, Matthew Silverman, Daria Nitsche
The Discovery Award
Bank Job - Daniel Edelstyn, Hilary Powell, Christopher Hird
The Bike Thief - Matt Chambers, Pk Fellowes, Sophia Gibber, Lene Bausager
I Am Belmaya - Sue Carpenter, Christopher Hird
Poly Styrene: I Am A Cliché Paul Sng, Celeste Bell, Zoë Howe, Rebecca Mark-Lawson, Matthew Silverman, Daria Nitsche
Rebel Dykes - Harri Shanahan, Siân A. Williams, Siobhan Fahey
Best British Short Film
Egúngún (Masquerade) - Olive Nwosu, Alex Polunin
Femme - Sam H. Freeman, Ng Choon Ping, Sam Riztenberg, Hayley Williams, Rienjke Attoh
Night Of The Living Dread - Ida Melum, Laura Jayne Tunbridge, Hannah Kelso, Danielle Goff
Play It Safe - Mitch Kalisa, Chris Toumazou
Precious Hair & Beauty - John Ogunmuyiwa, Sophia Gibber, Tony Longe, Lene Bausager
Best International Independent Film
Compartment No. 6 - Juho Kuosmanen, Livia Ulman, Andris Feldmanis, Jussi Rantamäki, Emilia Haukka
First Cow - Kelly Reichardt, Jon Raymond, Neil Kopp, Vincent Savino, Anish Savjani
Flee - Jonas Poher Rasmussen, Amin Nawabi, Monica Hellstrøm, Signe Byrge Sørensen
Petite Maman - Céline Sciamma, Bénédicte Couvreur
Pleasure - Ninja Thyberg, Peter Modestij, Erik Hemmendorff, Eliza Jones, Markus Waltå
Best Casting
Shaheen Baig - After Love
Shaheen Baig - Ali & Ava
Shaheen Baig - Pirates
Lucy Bevan, Emily Brockmann - Belfast
Carolyn Mcleod - Boiling Point
Best Cinematography
Mátyás Erdély - The Nest
Magdalena Kowalczyk - Cow
Matthew Lewis - Boiling Point
Annika Summerson - Censor
Haris Zambarloukos – Belfast
Best Costume Design
Michael O’Connor - The Electrical Life Of Louis Wain
Grace Snell - The Souvenir Part II
Guy Speranza - Everybody’s Talking About Jamie
Annie Symons - Benediction
Charlotte Walter – Belfast
Best Editing
Helle Le Fevre - The Souvenir Part II
Rebecca Lloyd, Jacob Schulsinger, Nicolas Chaudeurge - Cow
Úna Ní Dhonghaíle - Belfast
Mark Towns - Censor
Ben Wheatley - In The Earth
Best Music
Iain Cooke - Pirates
Connie Farr, Harry Escott - Ali & Ava
Jed Kurzel - Encounter
Clint Mansell - In The Earth
Van Morrison – Belfast
Best Make-Up & Hair
Siobhan Harper-Ryan - The Souvenir Part II
Vickie Lang, Kristyan Mallett, Donald McInnes - The Electrical Life Of Louis Wain
Ruth Pease - Censor
Nadia Stacey - Everybody’s Talking About Jamie
Wakana Yoshihara – Belfast
Best Effects
Steven Bray, Mike Knights - DASHCAM
Gary Brown, István Molnár, Dan Martin - Censor
Rupert Davies - The Electrical Life Of Louis Wain
Best Production Design
Jim Clay - Belfast
Stéphane Collonge - The Souvenir Part II
Suzie Davies - The Electrical Life Of Louis Wain
Aimee Meek - Boiling Point
Paulina Rzeszowska – Censor
Best Sound
Nicolas Becker, Cyril Holtz, Linda Forsen - Cow
James Drake - Boiling Point
Tim Harrison, Jamie Roden, Adele Fletcher - Censor
Martin Pavey - In The Earth
Andrew Stirk, Paul Davies, Morgan Muse, Bernard O’reilly, Julian Howarth - Encounter
No comments yet