‘The Favourite’ Leads British Independent Film Awards Nominations – Full List

Yorgos Lanthimos’ Venice Special Grand Jury Prize winner The Favourite leads nominations for this year’s British Independent Film Awards with 13 in its court. The twisted take on the British monarchy and period cinema, which Fox Searchlight releases November 23 in North America, has nods for Venice Best Actress laureate Olivia Colman as well as for Best Film, Director, Screenplay and for its supporting cast Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz. The latter is also up for Best Actress in Oscar winner Sebastian Lelio’s Disobedience, which likewise scored a Best Film nom and put Rachel McAdams in the Supporting Actress category.

Following The Favourite is Bart Layton’s heist pic American Animals with 11 nominations, Michael Pearce’s Beast with 10 and Lynne Ramsay’s You Were Never Really Here scooping eight. Each is also competing in the Best British Independent Film race. (Film4 has a particularly strong showing with a total 58 nominations and a hand in all of the Best Film, Director and Screenplay nominees.)

BIFA noted today that the nominations list demonstrates a record year for female representation, with over 40% of the individual nominations recognizing women in the industry across directing, writing, producing, performance and craft. Female nominees make up over 50% of the talent nominated in Best British Independent Film and dominate both Most Promising Newcomer and Breakthrough Producer.

Ramsay notably continues her long association with BIFA, scoring her third nomination for Best Screenplay and her second for Best Director. With her You Were Never Really Here, Joaquin Phoenix scores his second BIFA Best Actor nomination for his role as a tortured hitman in the psychological noir thriller.

Joe Cole (A Prayer Before Dawn), Rupert Everett (The Happy Prince), Charlie Plummer (Lean On Pete) and Steve Coogan (Stan & Ollie) round out Best Actor. The Best Actress category also features Gemma Arterton (The Escape), Maxine Peake (Funny Cow) and Jessie Buckley (Beast).

The BIFA ceremony will be held on Sunday December 2 at London’s Old Billingsgate. Below is the full list of nominations.

BIFA NOMINATIONS 2018
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
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 Director sponsored by Broadsword Event House
ANDREW HAIGH Lean on Pete
YORGOS LANTHIMOS The Favourite
BART LAYTON American Animals
MICHAEL PEARCE Beast
LYNNE RAMSAY You Were Never Really Here

Best Screenplay sponsored by BBC Films
DEBORAH DAVIS, TONY McNAMARA The Favourite
BART LAYTON American Animals
SEBASTIÁN LELIO, REBECCA LENKIEWICZ Disobedience
MICHAEL PEARCE Beast
LYNNE RAMSAY You Were Never Really Here

Best Actress sponsored by MAC
GEMMA ARTERTON The Escape
JESSIE BUCKLEY Beast
OLIVIA COLMAN The Favourite
MAXINE PEAKE Funny Cow
RACHEL WEISZ Disobedience

Best Supporting Actress
NINA ARIANDA Stan & Ollie
RACHEL McADAMS Disobedience
EMMA STONE The Favourite
RACHEL WEISZ The Favourite
MOLLY WRIGHT Apostasy

Best Actor
JOE COLE A Prayer Before Dawn
STEVE COOGAN Stan & Ollie
RUPERT EVERETT The Happy Prince
JOAQUIN PHOENIX You Were Never Really Here
CHARLIE PLUMMER Lean on Pete

Best Supporting Actor
STEVE BUSCEMI Lean on Pete
BARRY KEOGHAN American Animals
ALESSANDRO NIVOLA Disobedience E
VAN PETERS American Animals
DOMINIC WEST Colette

Most Promising Newcomer
JESSIE BUCKLEY Beast
MICHAELA COEL Been So Long
LIV HILL Jellyfish
MARCUS RUTHERFORD Obey
MOLLY WRIGHT Apostasy

The Douglas Hickox Award (Best Debut Director) sponsored by Kodak & Pinewood
RICHARD BILLINGHAM Ray & Liz
DANIEL KOKOTAJLO Apostasy
MATT PALMER Calibre
MICHAEL PEARCE Beast
LEANNE WELHAM Pili

Debut Screenwriter
KAREN GILLAN The Party’s Just Beginning
DANIEL KOKOTAJLO Apostasy
BART LAYTON American Animals
MATT PALMER Calibre
MICHAEL PEARCE Beast

Breakthrough Producer supported by Creativity Media
KRISTIAN BRODIE Beast
JACQUI DAVIES Ray & Liz
ANNA GRIFFIN Calibre
MARCIE MACLELLAN Apostasy
FAYE WARD Stan & Ollie

The Discovery Award sponsored by Raindance
THE DIG Andy Tohill, Ryan Tohill, Stuart Drennan, Brian J. Falconer
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

Best Documentary
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 Christopher Martin, Tom Brisley

Best British Short Film 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
TO KNOW HIM Ted Evans, Kellie Smith, Jennifer Monks, Michelle Stein

Best International Independent Film sponsored by Champagne Taittinger
CAPERNAUM Nadine Labaki, Jihad Hojeily, Michelle Keserwani, Khaled Mouzanar, Michel Merkt
COLD WAR Pawel Pawlikowski, Janusz Glowacki, Ewa Puszczynska, Tanya Seghatchian
THE RIDER Chloé Zhao, Mollye Asher, Sacha Ben Harroche, Bert Hamelinck
ROMA Alfonso Cuarón, Nicolás Celis, Gabriela Rodriguez
SHOPLIFTERS Hirokazu Koreeda

Best Casting sponsored by Casting Society of America & Spotlight
DIXIE CHASSAY The Favourite
JULIE HARKIN Beast
AVY KAUFMAN American Animals
ANDY PRYOR Stan & Ollie
MICHELLE SMITH Apostasy

Best Cinematography supported by Blackmagic Design
OLE BRATT BIRKELAND American Animals
MAGNUS NORDENHOF JØNK Lean on Pete
ROBBIE RYAN The Favourite
TOM TOWNEND You Were Never Really Here
DAVID UNGARO A Prayer Before Dawn

Best Costume Design
JACQUELINE DURRAN Peterloo
ANDREA FLESCH Colette
SANDY POWELL The Favourite
GUY SPERENZA Stan & Ollie
ALYSSA TULL An Evening With Beverly Luff Lin

Best Editing sponsored by Intermission Film
JOE BINI You Were Never Really Here
MARC BOUCROT A Prayer Before Dawn
NICK FENTON, JULIAN HART, CHRIS GILL American Animals
YORGOS MAVROPSARIDIS The Favourite
BEN WHEATLEY Happy New Year, Colin Burstead

Best Effects
HOWARD JONES Early Man
MATTHEW STRANGE, MARK WELLBAND Dead in a Week (Or Your Money Back)
GEORGE ZWIER, PAUL DRIVER Peterloo

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