British Independent Film Awards Nominations 2021

Winners will be announced at the BIFA ceremony on Sunday 5 December

The British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) have announced the 2021 nominees. This year’s nominees again highlight the wealth of talent and diversity within the British film industry, with 2021’s list featuring some of the greatest names in British cinema and its brightest new talent side by side.

Belfast, Kenneth Branagh’s moving autobiographical tale of life as a young boy in Belfast in 1969 in the midst of the Troubles, receives 11 nominations, with a Best Actress nomination for Caitríona Balfe, Best Supporting Actress for Judi Dench, Best Supporting Actor for Ciarán Hinds and a Breakthrough Performance nomination for newcomer Jude Hill. Belfast also receives seven craft nominations, including Best Casting sponsored by Casting Society & Spotlight, Best Cinematography sponsored by Dirty Looks & Kodak, Best Editing, Best Make-Up and Hair Design, Best Music sponsored by Universal Music Publishing Group, Best Production Design and another nomination for BIFA 2020’s Best Costume Design winner Charlotte Walter.

Alongside nominations for Best British Independent Film and Best Director, Philip Barantini’s adrenaline-fuelled, single-take Boiling Point, which follows an up-and-coming chef under extreme pressure, scores a Best Actor nomination for Stephen Graham, Best Supporting Actor for Ray Panthaki, Best Supporting Actress for Vinette Robinson and a Breakthrough Performance nomination for Lauryn Ajufo, as well as a Breakthrough Producer sponsored by Pinewood Studio Group nomination for Hester Ruoff. Further nominations include Best Casting sponsored by Spotlight & Casting Society, Best Cinematography sponsored by Dirty Looks & Kodak, Best Production Design and Best Sound supported by Halo. The short version of the film was nominated at BIFA in 2019.

Debut feature directors Aleem Khan (After Love) and Prano Bailey-Bond (Censor) go head-to-head with their films with nine nominations apiece.

Aleem Khan is the only debut filmmaker to receive a Best British Independent Film nomination this year for his film After Love. Khan also earns nominations for Best Director,Best Screenplay sponsored by BBC Film, The Douglas Hickox Award (Best Debut Director)and Best Debut Screenwriter sponsored by Film4. In the acting categories, Joanna Scanlon picks up Best Actress, Nathalie Richard Best Supporting Actress and Talid Ariss a Best Supporting Actor nomination. Shaheen Baig is nominated for Best Casting sponsored by Spotlight & Casting Society.

Prano Bailey-Bond is nominated for Best Debut Director and Best Debut Screenwriter sponsored by Film4 for Censor, her psychological-horror-mystery set in the world of 1980s video nasties, which also receives a nomination for Breakthrough Producer sponsored by Pinewood Studio Group for Helen Jones. BIFA 2020 nominees Annika Summerson (Best Cinematography sponsored by Dirty Looks and Kodak), Mark Towns (Best Editing) andPaulina Rzeszowska (Best Production Design) score nominations again, with Best Effects, Best Make-Up & Hair and Best Sound supported by Halo also featuring.

The Souvenir Part II also receives nine nominations: Best British Independent Film, Best Director and Best Screenplay sponsored by BBC Film for Joanna Hogg, Best Supporting Actor for Richard Ayoade and Best Supporting Actress for Tilda Swinton. Best Costume Design, Best Editing, Best Production Design and Best Make-Up & Hair Design round off its nominations.

Clio Barnard is nominated in the Best Director and Best Screenplay sponsored by BBC Film categories for Ali & Ava, which also received a Best British Independent Film nomination, Best Actor for Adeel Akhtar and Best Actress for Claire Rushbrook. Shaheen Baig receives a second nomination for Best Casting sponsored by Casting Society & Spotlight and 2020 nominee Connie Farr gets a nomination for Best Music Universal Music Publishing Groupalongside Harry Escott.

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, Judi Dench, Kristin Scott Thomas and Glenda Jackson in 2021. This year’s recipient will be announced in the coming weeks, as will the ceremony host and this year’s juries. Winners will be announced at the Awards Ceremony on Sunday 5 December. 

The Richard Harris Award for Outstanding Contribution by an Actor to British Film

TO BE ANNOUNCED

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 British Short Film supported by BFI Network

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 sponsored by Champagne Taittinger

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

More info:  www.bifa.film