NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED FOR
BRITISH INDEPENDENT FILM AWARDS 2020
Saint Maud leads with 17 nominations
His House follows with 16 nominations, Rocks has 15
Calm With Horses receives 10 nominations, Mogul Mowgli has 7, The Father has 6
27 British feature films nominated
Winners will be announced in early February 2021
Saint Maud leads the list of nominations for the 2020 British Independent Film Awards (BIFAs), announced by British actors Holliday Grainger and Micheal Ward. The nominations reveal a wealth of new UK filmmaking talent, with a strong showing for first-time filmmakers across the board; they also showcase the diversity of talent working in the UK, with female directors and filmmakers and performers of colour well represented in many categories.
Rose Glass’ sharp and smart psychological horror, a chilling hit with audiences on release in October, is nominated for Best British Independent Film, Best Screenplay sponsored by BBC Film and Best Director, as well as in the debut categories: Breakthrough Producer, Debut Director and Debut Screenwriter sponsored by Film4. Morfydd Clark is nominated for Best Actress and Jennifer Ehle for Supporting Actress. The film also features heavily in the technical categories with nominations for Best Casting sponsored by Casting Society of America & Spotlight, Best Cinematography sponsored by Dirty Looks, Best Costume Design, Best Editing sponsored by Intermission Film, Best Make Up & Hair Design, Best Production Design sponsored by Studio Juice, Best Sound and Best Effects.
Saint Maud will be taking on Remi Weekes’ His House, which has 16 nominations across the Director, Screenplay, debut and technical categories. Weaving the real-life horrors faced by asylum seekers with terrors altogether more supernatural, Weekes’ powerful debut also received nominations in Best Actress and Best Actor for Wunmi Mosaku and Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù.
Rocks, Sarah Gavron and Anu Henrique’s fresh, poignant and genuinely uplifting take on life as a marginalised British teen has 15 nominations, including double nominations for stars Bukky Bakray and Kosar Ali in Best Actress and Supporting Actress and Most Promising Newcomer. D’angleou Osei Kissiedu is nominated for Best Supporting Actor.
Director Nick Rowland and producer Daniel Emmerson’s first feature Calm With Horses has 10 nominations in the debut categories as well as recognition for performers Cosmo Jarvis (Best Actor), Niamh Algar (Best Supporting Actress, Most Promising Newcomer) and Barry Keoghan (Best Supporting Actor) and for casting director Shaheen Baig.
Florian Zeller’s The Father completes the Best British Independent Film line up. The film has six nominations in total, including a first BIFA nomination for Anthony Hopkins for his portrayal of the titular Father, a man struggling - quite literally - with the realities of the changing circumstances ageing brings.
Riz Ahmed has four BIFA nominations this year: as Best Actor, Debut Screenwriter and Best Screenplay for Mogul Mowgli and also for The Long Goodbye, a short film which he wrote and starred in. Riz’s Mogul Mowgli co-star Alyy Khan is also recognised in the Supporting Actor category.
Andrea Riseborough is nominated for Best Actress for her performance as a British aid worker haunted by past choices in Luxor; Clare Dunne is nominated for her performance in Herself, which she also co-wrote.
Debut Director Henry Blake is nominated for County Lines, alongside lead actor Conrad Khan, nominated for Most Promising Newcomer, and supporting actors Ashley Madekwe and Harris Dickinson.
Frankie Box is named a Most Promising Newcomer for her role in Perfect 10. Eva Riley is nominated for Best Debut Director and the film is nominated for The Raindance Discovery Award.
Amongst four nominations for the film, Amir El-Masry is nominated for Best Actor for Limbo.
Merab Ninindze is nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in cold war thriller The Courier opposite Benedict Cumberbatch.
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 and Kristin Scott Thomas in 2019. This year’s recipient will be announced in January.
Winners will be announced in early February. More details of the event will be released in January.
BIFA NOMINATIONS 2020
Best British Independent Film
CALM WITH HORSES Nick Rowland, Joe Murtagh, Daniel Emmerson
THE FATHER Florian Zeller, Christopher Hampton, David Parfitt, Jean-Louis Livi, Philippe Carcassonne
HIS HOUSE Remi Weekes, Martin Gentles, Edward King, Roy Lee, Aidan Elliott, Arnon Milchan
ROCKS Sarah Gavron, Theresa Ikoko, Claire Wilson, Faye Ward, Ameenah Ayub Allen
SAINT MAUD Rose Glass, Oliver Kassman, Andrea Cornwell
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Best Director SARAH GAVRON Rocks [associate director Anu Henriques] ROSE GLASS Saint Maud NICK ROWLAND Calm With Horses REMI WEEKES His House FLORIAN ZELLER The Father |
Best Screenplay sponsored by BBC Film ROSE GLASS Saint Maud THERESA IKOKO, CLAIRE WILSON Rocks BASSAM TARIQ, RIZ AHMED Mogul Mowgli REMI WEEKES His House FLORIAN ZELLER, CHRISTOPHER HAMPTON The Father |
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Best Actress BUKKY BAKRAY Rocks MORFYDD CLARK Saint Maud CLARE DUNNE Herself WUNMI MOSAKU His House ANDREA RISEBOROUGH Luxor |
Best Actor RIZ AHMED Mogul Mowgli ṢỌPẸ́ DÌRÍSÙ His House AMIR EL-MASRY Limbo ANTHONY HOPKINS The Father COSMO JARVIS Calm With Horses |
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Best Supporting Actress NIAMH ALGAR Calm With Horses KOSAR ALI Rocks JENNIFER EHLE Saint Maud ASHLEY MADEKWE County Lines FIONA SHAW Kindred |
Best Supporting Actor HARRIS DICKINSON County Lines BARRY KEOGHAN Calm With Horses ALYY KHAN Mogul Mowgli MERAB NINIDZE The Courier D'ANGELOU OSEI KISSIEDU Rocks |
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The Douglas Hickox Award (Debut Director) sponsored by Kodak & Pinewood HENRY BLAKE County Lines ROSE GLASS Saint Maud EVA RILEY Perfect 10 NICK ROWLAND Calm With Horses REMI WEEKES His House |
Breakthrough Producer DOUGLAS COX Host [also produced by Emily Gotto, Samuel Zimmerman] DANIEL EMMERSON Calm With Horses IRUNE GURTUBAI Limbo [also produced by Angus Lamont] OLIVER KASSMAN Saint Maud [also produced by Andrea Cornwell] EDWARD KING, MARTIN GENTLES His House [also produced by Aidan Elliott, Roy Lee, Arnon Milchan] |
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Debut Screenwriter sponsored by Film4 RIZ AHMED Mogul Mowgli [also written by Bassam Tariq] ROSE GLASS Saint Maud THERESA IKOKO, CLAIRE WILSON Rocks JOE MURTAGH Calm With Horses REMI WEEKES His House |
Most Promising Newcomer NIAMH ALGAR Calm With Horses KOSAR ALI Rocks BUKKY BAKRAY Rocks FRANKIE BOX Perfect 10 CONRAD KHAN County Lines |
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Best Documentary THE AUSTRALIAN DREAM Daniel Gordon, Stan Grant, Sarah Thomson, Nick Batzias, Virginia Whitwell, John Battsek BEING A HUMAN PERSON Fred Scott, Mike Brett, Steve Jamison, Jo-Jo Ellison THE REASON I JUMP Jerry Rothwell, Jeremy Dear, Stevie Lee, Al Morrow RISING PHOENIX Ian Bonhôte, Peter Ettedgui, Greg Nugent, John Battsek, Tatyana McFadden WHITE RIOT Rubika Shah, Ed Gibbs |
The Raindance Discovery Award JUSTINE Jamie Patterson, Jeff Murphy, Jason Rush, Sarah Drew, Julius Beltrame LOOTED Rene van Pannevis, Kefi Chadwick, Jennifer Eriksson, Jessie Mangum ONE MAN AND HIS SHOES Yemi Bamiro, Will Thorne PERFECT 10 Eva Riley, Jacob Thomas, Bertrand Faivre, Valentina Brazzini ROSE: A LOVE STORY Jennifer Sheridan, April Kelley, Sara Huxley, Matt Stokoe, Rob Taylor, Sophie Rundle |
Best British Short Film supported by BFI NETWORK
FILIPIÑANA Rafael Manuel, Naomi Pacifique
THE FORGOTTEN C Molly Manning Walker, Jessi Gutch
THE LONG GOODBYE Aneil Karia, Riz Ahmed, Tom Gardner
MANDEM John Ogunmuyiwa, Emily Everdee
SUDDEN LIGHT Sophie Littman, Tom Wood
Best International Independent Film sponsored by Champagne Taittinger
BABYTEETH Shannon Murphy, Rita Kalnejais, Alex White
LES MISÉRABLES Ladj Ly, Giordano Gederlini, Alexis Manenti, Toufik Ayadi, Christophe Barral
NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES ALWAYS Eliza Hittman, Adele Romanski, Sara Murphy
NOMADLAND Chloé Zhao, Frances McDormand, Peter Spears, Mollye Asher, Dan Janvey
NOTTURNO Gianfranco Rosi, Donatella Palermo, Paolo Del Brocco, Serge Lalou, Camille Laemlé, Orwa Nyrabia, Eva-Maria Weerts
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Best Casting sponsored by Casting Society of America & Spotlight SHAHEEN BAIG Calm With Horses KHARMEL COCHRANE Saint Maud CARMEN CUBA His House DAN JACKSON Limbo LUCY PARDEE Rocks |
Best Cinematography sponsored by Dirty Looks NICK COOKE Limbo BEN FORDESMAN Saint Maud HÉLÈNE LOUVART Rocks ANNIKA SUMMERSON Mogul Mowgli JO WILLEMS His House |
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Best Costume Design MICHELE CLAPTON The Secret Garden RUKA JOHNSON Rocks TINA KALIVAS Saint Maud MICHAEL O’CONNOR Ammonite CHARLOTTE WALTER Misbehaviour |
Best Editing sponsored by Intermission Film JULIA BLOCH His House YORGOS LAMPRINOS The Father MAYA MAFFIOLI Rocks BRENNA RANGOTT Host MARK TOWNS Saint Maud |
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Best Effects AGNES ASPLUND, MARTIN MALMQVIST Undergods SCOTT MACINTYRE, BARIŞ KARELI, KRISTYAN MALLETT Saint Maud PEDRO SABROSA, STEFANO PEPIN His House |
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Best Make Up & Hair Design JACQUETTA LEVON Saint Maud SHARON A MARTIN His House IVANA PRIMORAC Ammonite NORA ROBERTSON Rocks JILL SWEENEY Misbehaviour |
Best Music sponsored by Universal Music Publishing Group ROQUE BAÑOS His House PAUL CORLEY Mogul Mowgli NAINITA DESAI The Reason I Jump CONNIE FARR, EMILIE LEVIENAISE-FARROUCH Rocks ADAM JANOTA BZOWSKI Saint Maud |
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Best Production Design sponsored by Studio Juice JACQUELINE ABRAHAMS His House CRISTINA CASALI Misbehaviour PETER FRANCIS The Father MARKETA KORINKOVA, ELO SOODE Undergods PAULINA RZESZOWSKA Saint Maud |
Best Sound supported by Halo Post ADRIAN BELL, GLENN FREEMANTLE, FRANK KRUSE, BRENDAN NICHOLSON, RICHARD PRYKE His House PAUL DAVIES Saint Maud PAUL DAVIES, ROBERT FARR, NIGEL ALBERMANICHE, IAN MORGAN Mogul Mowgli NICK RYAN, BEN BAIRD, SARA DE OLIVEIRA LIMA The Reason I Jump CALUM SAMPLE Host |
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