The Favourite Leading In 2018 British Independent Awards Nominations

The Favourite Yorgos Lanthimos’s absurdist period comedy leads the list of nominations for the 2018 British Independent Film Awards (BIFAs). The news was announced this morning by British actors Ellie Bamber and Arinzé Kene.

Yorgos Lanthimos’s black comedy about the 18th century court of Queen Anne has won 13 nominations. Those nominations include Best British Independent Film, Best Director and Best Screenplay. Olivia Colman is nominated for Best Actress, with her co-stars in the female-led ensemble, Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz, competing in the Best ing Actress category, Weisz also receives the Best Actress nominations for Sapphic drama Disobedience.

The Favourite also sweeps the technical categories, newly introduced for the 2017 awards, with nominations for seven of the nine awards, including Best Production Design, Best Cinematography, Best Make-up & Hair Design and Best Costume Design.

Bart Layton‘s You Were Never Really Here (8 nominations), lead the other big nominees.

The nominations list demonstrates a record year for female representation, with over 40% of the individual nominations recognising women in the industry across acting, directing, writing, producing, performance and craft.  Over 140 British films were submitted for consideration and 37 different British feature films have been nominated across the BIFA categories.

Following a breakout year for British directorial debuts at the 2017 awards, this year’s nominations list continues the trend with acclaim for  Beast and Apostasy. In addition to its Best British Independent Film nomination, Beast receives nods for Pearce in all directing and screenwriting categories: Best Director, Best Screenplay, Debut Screenwriter and The Douglas Hickox Award for Best Debut Director . Lead Jessie Buckley receives nominations for both Best Actress and Most Promising Newcomer, alongside Apostasy’s Molly Wright who also receives nods in both categories. Kokotajlo features alongside Pearce with nominations for Best Debut Director and Debut Screenwriter.

Joe Cole (A Prayer Before Dawn), Rupert Everett (The Happy Prince) and Charlie Plummer (Lean on Pete) all feature in the Best Actor category as first time BIFA nominees, alongside Steve Coogan (Stan & Ollie) and Joaquin Phoenix. Gemma Arterton (The Escape) and Maxine Peake (Funny Cow) round out the Best Actress category with Peake making her debut on the list.

Winners will be announced at the British Independent Film Award Ceremony on Sunday 2 December at Old Billingsgate

Here are this year’s nominations…

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 ing 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 ing Actor

STEVE BUSCEMI Lean on Pete
BARRY KEOGHAN American Animals
ALESSANDRO NIVOLA Disobedience
EVAN 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 ed 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 ed 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 ed 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 Linn

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

Best Makeup & Hair Design

CHRISTINE BLUNDELL Peterloo
MARK COULIER, JEREMY WOODHEAD Stan & Ollie
STACEY LOUISE HOLMAN A Prayer Before Dawn
IVANA PRIMORAC Colette
NADIA STACEY The Favourite

Best Music sponsored by Universal Music Publishing Group

AARON CUPPLES Island of the Hungry Ghosts
JONNY GREENWOOD You Were Never Really Here
RICHARD HAWLEY Funny Cow
ANNE NIKITIN American Animals
JIM WILLIAMS Beast

Best Production Design

MICHAEL CARLIN Colette
FIONA CROMBIE The Favourite
SUZIE DAVIES Peterloo
JOHN PAUL KELLY Stan & Ollie
BECK RAINFORD Ray & Liz

Best Sound ed by Silk Factory

JOHNNIE BURN The Favourite
PAUL DAVIES You Were Never Really Here
SÉVERIN FAVRIAU A Prayer Before Dawn
CJ MIRRA Time Trial
ANDREW STIRK American Animals