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 Director
PHILIP BARANTINI Boiling Point CLIO BARNARD Ali & Ava 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 Supporting Actress JUDI DENCH Belfast JO HARTLEY Sweetheart NATHALIE RICHARD After Love VINETTE ROBINSON Boiling Point TILDA SWINTON The Souvenir Part II
The Douglas Hickox Award 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 Performance LAURYN AJUFO Boiling Point NELL BARLOW Sweetheart MAX HARWOOD Everybody’s Talking About Jamie JUDE HILL Belfast ELLORA TORCHIA In the Earth
Best Documentary sponsored by Intermission 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
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Best Screenplay sponsored by BBC Film
CLIO BARNARD Ali & Ava TERENCE DAVIES Benediction SEAN DURKIN The Nest JOANNA HOGG The Souvenir Part II ALEEM KHAN After Love
Best Actor RIZ AHMED Encounter ADEEL AKHTAR Ali & Ava STEPHEN GRAHAM Boiling Point JUDE LAW The Nest JAMES NORTON Nowhere Special
Best Supporting Actor TALID ARISS After Love RICHARD AYOADE The Souvenir Part II LUCIAN-RIVER CHAUHAN Encounter CIARÁN HINDS Belfast RAY PANTHAKI Boiling Point
Breakthrough Producer sponsored by Pinewood Studio Group 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]
Best Debut Screenwriter sponsored by Film4 PRANO BAILEY-BOND Censor [also written by Anthony Fletcher] CATHY BRADY Wildfire ALEEM KHAN After Love MARLEY MORRISON Sweetheart REGGIE YATES Pirates
The Raindance 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
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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
| Best Casting sponsored by Spotlight & Casting Society
SHAHEEN BAIG After Love SHAHEEN BAIG Ali & Ava SHAHEEN BAIG Pirates LUCY BEVAN, EMILY BROCKMANN Belfast CAROLYN MCLEOD Boiling Point
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Best Cinematography sponsored by Dirty Looks & Kodak
MÁTYÁS ERDÉLY The Nest MAGDALENA KOWALCZYK Cow MATTHEW LEWIS Boiling Point ANNIKA SUMMERSON Censor HARIS ZAMBARLOUKOS Belfast
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| 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 Music sponsored by Universal Music Publishing IAIN COOKE Pirates CONNIE FARR, HARRY ESCOTT Ali & Ava JED KURZEL Encounter CLINT MANSELL In the Earth VAN MORRISON Belfast
Best Effects STEVEN BRAY, MIKE KNIGHTS Dashcam GARY BROWN, ISTVÁN MOLNÁR, DAN MARTIN Censor RUPERT DAVIES The Electrical Life of Louis Wain
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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 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 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
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| Best Sound supported by Halo
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
BIFA 2021 Craft Winners To be announced on 19th November 2021 |
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More info: www.bifa.film