The Big Screen Awards unveils 2023 nominations

The shortlist for The Big Screen Awards 2023 has been announced, with Disney leading the way with 19 nominations, followed by Picturehouse with 16.

The Awards have seen a 47% increase in the number of entries from last year’s first edition of the relaunched Big Screen Awards, with 243 entries across all categories this year compared to 165 in 2022.

Disney is nominated in multiple categories including Theatrical Campaign of the Year for Studio/Saturation releases in 500+ cinemas, Big Screen Event of the Year (Premiere) and Brand Partnership of the Year. Its 19 nominations include those for Searchlight Pictures titles, including four for Rye Lane, which is up for PR Campaign of the Year and Theatrical Campaign of the Year for Independent/Specialty/Mid-Range releases.

Picturehouse’s 16 nominations include 11 for distributor Picturehouse Entertainment for its titles including Scrapper, Corsage and Broker, and a further five for Picturehouse Cinemas.

Mubi has secured nine nominations, including two for International Feature Campaign of the Year for Close and Decision To Leave; and a Team of the Year nod for its distribution team.

Warner Bros’ Barbie is the most-nominated individual film of the year with eight nominations including Theatrical Campaign – Studio/Saturation release, Blockbuster of the Year, two for Brand Partnership and two in Cinema Marketing Campaign; while Mubi’s Aftersun and Picturehouse Entertainment’s Scrapper led amongst independent films, with four each.

Nominees for the prestigious Independent Distributor of the Year award are Mubi, Picturehouse Entertainment and Trinity CineAsia.

Ceremony details

This year’s ceremony will take place on November 23, at The Brewery in London. Tickets are available to purchase here. 

Nominations for the Best British Film award and the Breakthrough British Actor and Filmmaker categories, which are curated by the Screen International editorial team, will be announced next week.

The latest selection of judges for The Big Screen Awards were announced last week, including former Bafta chair Krishnendu Majumdar and former Netflix director of UK features Fiona Lamptey.

Winners at the inaugural Big Screen Awards event last year – rebranded after the pandemic from the long-running Screen Awards – included Paramount Pictures’ Top Gun: Maverick as Blockbuster of the Year, Mubi’s The Worst Person In The World in two categories including International Feature Film Campaign and Boiling Point director Philip Barantini as Breakthrough British filmmaker.

The Big Screen Awards are sponsored by Eikon with support from UKCA.

The Big Screen Awards 2023 nominations:

Big Screen Event of the Year (premieres)

• Barbie’s Best Day Ever! – Warner Bros
• Black Panther: Wakanda Forever European premiere – The Walt Disney Company
• The Greatest Days world premiere – Elysian Film
• Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny UK premiere – The Walt Disney Company
• John Wick: Chapter 4 UK premiere – Lionsgate UK
• The Little Mermaid UK premiere – The Walt Disney Company

Big Screen Event of the Year (festivals/seasons/single-night events)

• Barbican Outdoor Screenings – Barbican Centre
• Countdown to Oppenheimer: Christopher Nolan IMAX 70mm season – BFI IMAX
• Edinburgh International Film Festival 2023 – Edinburgh International Film Festival
• Evil Dead Rise experiential screening – Organic
• Lyra: Good Friday Agreement screening – Queen’s Film Theatre
• Prey For The Devil experiential screening – Lionsgate UK
• Sundance Film Festival: London – Picturehouse Cinemas
• The Woman King BFI IMAX screening – We Are Parable

Blockbuster of the Year

• Avatar: The Way Of Water – The Walt Disney Company
• Barbie – Warner Bros
• Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One – Paramount Pictures UK
• Oppenheimer – Universal Pictures UK
• The Super Mario Bros. Movie – Universal Pictures UK

Brand Partnership of the Year

• Barbie & Propercorn – Warner Bros Discovery & Bridge
• Barbie & Tango Ice Blast – Vue Entertainment, Frozen Brothers & Warner Bros Discovery
• Black Panther: Wakanda Forever & NHS Blood and Transplant – The Walt Disney Company
• Empire Of Light & UK Cinema Association – Searchlight Pictures
• The Little Mermaid, Ocean Bottle & Swim England – The Walt Disney Company
• Till & Into Film – Into Film& Universal Pictures UK
• The Unlikely Pilgrimage Of Harold Fry & Forestry England – Lime Communications

Cinema Marketing Campaign of the Year

• BFI IMAX relaunch – BFI IMAX
• Bring a Ken – Vue Entertainment
• Feel Unlimited - Cineworld
• My Way of Water – Cineworld
• Picturehouse Membership – Picturehouse Cinemas
• Share the Magic of Christmas – The Light
• Ultimate Barbie cinema experience – Odeon
• Vue’s 20^th Birthday – Vue Entertainment

Cinema of the Year (24 screens or under)

• BFI Southbank, London
• Ealing Project, London
• Highland Cinema, Fort William
• Jam Jar Cinema, Whitley Bay
• The Living Room Cinema, Liphook
• The Montrose Playhouse, Montrose
• Palace Cinema, Broadstairs
• Parkway Cinema Barnsley
• Queen’s Film Theatre, Belfast

Cinema of the Year (25 screens or over)

• Cineworld Boldon, Tyne & Wear
• Curzon Kingston
• Greenwich Picturehouse
• The Light, Walsall
• Odeon Luxe Derby
• Vue Manchester Printworks
• WTW-Scott Cinemas, Bridgwater 

Distributor of the Year – Independent

• MUBI
• Picturehouse Entertainment
• Trinity CineAsia

Diversity & Inclusion Initiative

• Autism-friendly screenings – Cineworld Dalton Park
• Momentum: supporting Black British filmmakers – We Are Parable
• ‘Our Incredible Differences’ – Odeon Cinemas
• Origins by Organic
• Queer East Festival
• Reclaim The Frame
• Showcasing East & Southeast Asian (ESEA) cinema – MilkTea
• X-Pollinator

Documentary Film Campaign of the Year

• All The Beauty And The Bloodshed – Altitude
• A Bunch Of Amateurs – Met Film Distribution
• Meet Me In The Bathroom – Universal Pictures Content Group & Dogwoof
• Moonage Daydream – Universal Pictures Content Group
• Name Me Lawand – BFI Distribution

Event Cinema Campaign of the Year

• Eurovision Song Contest Grand Final – Vue Entertainment
• Life Of Pi – National Theatre Live
• Metallica: 72 Seasons (global premiere) – Trafalgar Releasing
• The Queen’s Funeral – Vue Entertainment
• Vermeer: The Greatest Exhibition – Seventh Art Productions 

Green Screen Award

• Exeter Phoenix
• GreenEyes
• Leigh Film Factory
• Odeon Cinemas
• Picturehouse Cinemas
• Savoy Cinemas

Industry Rising Star Award

• Valeria Calza, Everyman
• Toby Connell-Cooke, National Theatre Live
• Ella Dar, Organic
• Emma Farrugia, MUBI
• Claire Furner, BFI
• Jasmine Haniff, Bertha DocHouse
• Elena Martinez Pelaez, Odeon
• Oteri Otobor, Cineworld
• Lucy Summerton, Strike Media

International Feature Film Campaign of the Year

• Broker – Picturehouse Entertainment
• Close – MUBI
• Corsage – Picturehouse Entertainment
• Decision To Leave – MUBI
• Godland – Curzon Film
• Joyland – Studio Soho Distribution
• Sick Of Myself – Modern Films
• The Wandering Earth II – Trinity CineAsia

Poster Design of the Year

• Aftersun
• Corsage
• Harka
• Living
• Reality
• Rye Lane
• Scrapper
• See How They Run
• Talk To Me
• Triangle Of Sadness

PR Campaign of the Year (studio release)

• The Banshees Of Inisherin – Searchlight Pictures & Premier PR
• Barbie – Warner Bros.
• Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – The Walt Disney Company
• The Little Mermaid – The Walt Disney Company
• Moonage Daydream – Universal Pictures Content Group
• Rye Lane – Searchlight Pictures, Organic & Vamp

PR Campaign of the Year (independent release)

• Aftersun – MUBI, Organic 
• Enys Men – BFI Distribution
• How To Blow Up A Pipeline – Vertigo Releasing & Jon Rushton
• No Bears – Picturehouse Entertainment & Jon Rushton
• Reality – Vertigo Releasing & Chris Lawrance
• Scrapper – Picturehouse Entertainment & DDA 

Team of the Year

• Distribution team – Altitude
• Digital team – The DDA Group
• Distribution team – MUBI
• Spotlight team – Odeon
• UK film team – Organic
• Marketing team – Picturehouse Cinemas
• Marketing & publicity team – Warner Bros. 

Theatrical Campaign of the Year – Independent/Specialty/Mid-Range release

• Aftersun – MUBI
• Living – Lionsgate UK
• Rye Lane – Searchlight Pictures
• Scrapper – Picturehouse Entertainment
• Talk To Me – Altitude

Theatrical Campaign of the Year – Studio/Saturation (500 Cinemas & over)

• Avatar: The Way Of Water – The Walt Disney Company
• The Banshees Of Inisherin – Searchlight Pictures
• Barbie – Warner Bros.
• Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol.3 – The Walt Disney Company
• John Wick: Chapter 4 – Lionsgate UK
• The Little Mermaid – The Walt Disney Company
• M3gan – Universal Pictures UK
• Smile – Paramount Pictures UK

Trailer of the Year

• Aftersun
• Blue Jean
• Corsage
• Decision To Leave
• The Dive
• Hatching
• Kurosawa: A Complete Film Season
• Living
• NT Live: Good
• Otto Baxter: Not A F***ing Horror Story
• Rye Lane
• Scrapper