British Independent Film Awards Nominations Announced British Independent Film Awards Nominations Announced
Lady Macbeth topped the list of nominations for the 2017 British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) announced this morning by Maisie Williams and Hayley Squires... British Independent Film Awards Nominations Announced

Lady Macbeth topped the list of nominations for the 2017 British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) announced this morning by Maisie Williams and Hayley Squires at The London EDITION.

Debut features dominate the nominations list, with the first-time writers, producers and directors of Lady Macbeth, I Am Not a Witch and God’s Own Country all recognised in the three newcomer categories – Debut Screenwriter, Breakthrough Producer sponsored by Creativity Media and The Douglas Hickox Award for Best Debut Director – as well as Best Screenplay sponsored by BBC Films, Best Director and Best British Independent Film.

Included in Lady Macbeth’s 15 nominations are nods for Florence Pugh, Naomi Ackie and Cosmo Jarvis for their performances; Naomi is nominated twice, for Best Supporting Actress and Most Promising Newcomer sponsored by The London EDITION. The film has also been nominated for five technical categories, newly introduced this year, including Best Cinematography sponsored by Blackmagic Design, Best Production Design and Best Casting.

I Am Not a Witch‘s Margaret Mulubwa is nominated for Best Actress and the film has picked up six technical category nominations. God’s Own Country‘s leads Josh O’Connor and Alec Secareanu are both nominated in Best Actor and the film also has nominations for Ian Hart for Best Supporting Actor as well as Best Casting and Best Sound.

Past BIFA winners Armando Iannucci and Martin McDonagh are the writer-directors of this year’s other two Best British Independent Film nominees, The Death of Stalin and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. Both films have two nominees in the Best Supporting Actor category, with The Death of Stalin’s Simon Russell Beale and Steve Buscemi taking on Three Billboards’ Woody Harrelson and Sam Rockwell. Frances McDormand is nominated for Best Actress sponsored by MAC for her performance in Three Billboards and Andrea Riseborough for Supporting Actress for The Death of Stalin. Both films also have nominations for Best Director, Best Screenplay. The Death of Stalin also has seven technical nominations, and Three Billboards has five.

Johnny Harris wrote and starred in Jawbone and has nominations for both Best Actor and Debut Screenwriter. The film’s director Thomas Napper is also recognized in the Best Debut Director category. The film has seven nominations in total, with four technical nods, including Best Music for its score by Paul Weller.

Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool has four nominations including two for past BIFA winners Jamie Bell and Julie Walters, nominated for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress. Bell won Most Promising Newcomer for Billy Elliot in 2000; Walters received The Richard Harris Award in 2013.

All five nominees for Best Actress sponsored by MAC this year are first-time BIFA nominees. Amongst them are Emily Beecham, nominated for Daphne and Ruth Wilson for Dark River. In Best Supporting Actress Kelly Macdonald receives her first BIFA nomination in for Goodbye Christopher Robin and Patricia Clarkson features at BIFA for the first time for her role in Sally Potter’s The Party.

Journeyman has three nominations, including Best Actor for Paddy Considine. This is Considine’s sixth BIFA nomination. He won Best Debut Director in 2011 for Tyrannosaur.

BIFA said, “This year’s nominations showcase the range and quality of British independent filmmaking. It’s a diverse and varied list, in terms of the teams making the films and also the kinds of stories being told. It is especially encouraging to see so much exciting work from so many new filmmakers; this points to a very bright future for British cinema and we’re proud to be at the heart of it, celebrating these exceptional films.”

As previously announced, Gary Oldman will receive The Variety Award. This year’s recipient of The Richard Harris Award will be announced soon. The Variety Award recognises a director, actor, writer or producer who has made a global impact and helped to focus the international spotlight on the UK. Past winners include Kate Winslet, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Greengrass, Jude Law, Kenneth Branagh, Liam Neeson, Sir Michael Caine, Naomie Harris, Daniel Craig, Helen Mirren and Richard Curtis.

Introduced in 2002 in honour of Richard Harris, recognises outstanding contribution to British film by an actor. Previous winners have been John Hurt, David Thewlis, Bob Hoskins, Jim Broadbent, Daniel Day-Lewis, Helena Bonham Carter, Ralph Fiennes, Michael Gambon, Julie Walters, Emma Thompson, Chiwetel Ejiofor and in 2016, Alison Steadman.

Winners will be announced by host Mark Gatiss at the British Independent Film Awards Ceremony on Sunday 10 December at Old Billingsgate.

Mark has had a long and varied career as a writer and producer behind the camera, as well as being a critically-acclaimed actor and published author. He is the co-creator and executive producer of the hit BBC Series Sherlock and has written for all series to date of Doctor Who’s modern revival. His television acting roles include BBC’s Wolf Hall and HBO’s Game of Thrones, while on stage, he has starred in Coriolanus and Turgenev’s Three Days in the Country for which he received the Olivier Award.  Mark will also be appearing in forthcoming films The Favourite from director Yorgos Lanthimos alongside Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz and Olivia Colman and in Disney’s live action Christopher Robin with Ewan McGregor and Hayley Atwell both of which are due for release in 2018.

Mark said: “It’s a delight to take a break from my on-going experiments in the reanimation of dead tissue to present these awards which reflect the brightest talents in our industry.”

BRITISH INDEPENDENT FILM AWARDS 2017 NOMINATIONS

Best British Independent Film

THE DEATH OF STALIN Armando Iannucci, David Schneider, Ian Martin, Yann Zenou, Kevin Loader, Nicolas Duval Adassovsky, Laurent Zeitoun

GOD’S OWN COUNTRY Francis Lee, Jack Tarling, Manon Ardisson

I AM NOT A WITCH Rungano Nyoni, Juliette Grandmont, Emily Morgan

LADY MACBETH William Oldroyd, Alice Birch, Fodhla Cronin O’Reilly

THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI Martin McDonagh, Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin

 

Best International Independent Film sponsored by Champagne Taittinger

THE FLORIDA PROJECT Sean Baker, Chris Bergoch, Kevin Chinoy, Andrew Duncan, Alex Saks, Francesca Silvestri, Shih-Ching Tsou

GET OUT Jordan Peele, Jason Blum, Edward H Hamm Jr, Sean McKittrick

I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO Raoul Peck, James Baldwin, Hébert Peck, Rémi Grellety

LOVELESS Andrey Zvyaginstev, Oleg Negin, Gleb Fetisov, Sergey Melkumov, Alexander Rodnyansky

THE SQUARE Ruben Östlund, Erik Hemmendorff

 

Best Director

ARMANDO IANNUCCI The Death of Stalin

FRANCIS LEE God’s Own Country

MARTIN McDONAGH Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

RUNGANO NYONI I Am Not a Witch

WILLIAM OLDROYD Lady Macbeth

 

Best Screenplay sponsored by BBC Films

ALICE BIRCH Lady Macbeth

ARMANDO IANNUCCI, DAVID SCHNEIDER, IAN MARTIN The Death of Stalin

FRANCIS LEE God’s Own Country

MARTIN McDONAGH Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

RUNGANO NYONI I Am Not a Witch

 

Best Actress sponsored by MAC Cosmetics

EMILY BEECHAM Daphne

FRANCES McDORMAND Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

MARGARET MULUBWA I Am Not a Witch

FLORENCE PUGH Lady Macbeth

RUTH WILSON Dark River

 

Best Actor

JAMIE BELL Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool

PADDY CONSIDINE Journeyman

JOHNNY HARRIS Jawbone

JOSH O’CONNOR God’s Own Country

ALEC SECAREANU God’s Own Country

 

Best Supporting Actress

NAOMI ACKIE Lady Macbeth

PATRICIA CLARKSON The Party

KELLY MACDONALD Goodbye Christopher Robin

ANDREA RISEBOROUGH The Death of Stalin

JULIE WALTERS Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool

 

Best Supporting Actor

SIMON RUSSELL BEALE The Death of Stalin

STEVE BUSCEMI The Death of Stalin

WOODY HARRELSON Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

IAN HART God’s Own Country

SAM ROCKWELL Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

 

Most Promising Newcomer sponsored by The London EDITION

NAOMI ACKIE Lady Macbeth

HARRY GILBY Just Charlie

COSMO JARVIS Lady Macbeth

HARRY MICHELL Chubby Funny

LILY NEWMARK Pin Cushion

 

The Douglas Hickox Award (Best Debut Director)

DEBORAH HAYWOOD Pin Cushion

FRANCIS LEE God’s Own Country

THOMAS NAPPER Jawbone

RUNGANO NYONI I Am Not a Witch

WILLIAM OLDROYD Lady Macbeth

 

Debut Screenwriter

ALICE BIRCH Lady Macbeth

GABY CHIAPPE Their Finest

JOHNNY HARRIS Jawbone

FRANCIS LEE God’s Own Country

RUNGANO NYONI I Am Not a Witch

 

Breakthrough Producer sponsored by Creativity Media

GAVIN HUMPHRIES Pin Cushion

EMILY MORGAN I Am Not a Witch

BRENDAN MULLIN, KATY JACKSON Bad Day for the Cut

FODHLA CRONIN O’REILLY Lady Macbeth

JACK TARLING, MANON ARDISSON God’s Own Country

 

The Discovery Award sponsored by Raindance

EVEN WHEN I FALL Sky Neal, Kate McLarnon, Elhum Shakerifar

HALFWAY Ben Caird, Jonny Paterson

IN ANOTHER LIFE Jason Wingard, Hannah Stevenson, Rebecca Clare Evans

ISOLANI R Paul Wilson, Lisa Hague

MY PURE LAND Sarmad Masud, Bill Kenwright

 

Best Documentary

ALMOST HEAVEN Carol Salter

HALF WAY Daisy-May Hudson

KINGDOM OF US Lucy Cohen, Julia Nottingham, Lucas Ochoa, Thomas Benski, Bill Rudgard

UNCLE HOWARD Aaron Brookner, Paula Vaccaro

WILLIAMS Morgan Matthews, Hayley Reynolds, Sarah Hamilton

 

Best British Short Film supported by BFI NETWORK

1745 Gordon Napier, Morayo Akandé, John McKay

FISH STORY Charlie Lyne, Catherine Bray, Anthony Ing

THE ENTERTAINER Jonathan Schey, Jodie Brown, Jun Bung Lee

WORK Aneil Karia, Scott O’Donnell

WREN BOYS Harry Lighton, John Fitzpatrick, Sorcha Bacon

 

Best Cinematography sponsored by Blackmagic Design

BEN DAVIS Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

DAVID GALLEGO I Am Not a Witch

TAT RADCLIFFE Jawbone

THOMAS RIEDELSHEIMER Leaning Into the Wind

ARI WEGNER Lady Macbeth

 

Best Casting

SHAHEEN BAIG Lady Macbeth

SHAHEEN BAIG, LAYLA MERRICK-WOLF God’s Own Country

SARAH CROWE The Death of Stalin

SARAH HALLEY FINN Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

DEBBIE McWILLIAMS Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool

 

Best Costume Design

DINAH COLLIN My Cousin Rachel

SUZIE HARMAN The Death of Stalin

SANDY POWELL How to Talk to Girls at Parties

HOLLY REBECCA I Am Not a Witch

HOLLY WADDINGTON Lady Macbeth

 

Best Editing

JOHNNY BURKE Williams

DAVID CHARAP Jawbone

JON GREGORY Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

PETER LAMBERT The Death of Stalin

JOE MARTIN Us and Them

 

Best Effects

NICK ALLDER, BEN WHITE The Ritual

LUKE DODD Journeyman

EFFECTS TEAM The Death of Stalin

DAN MARTIN Double Date

CHRIS REYNOLDS Their Finest

 

Best Make Up & Hair Design

JULENE PATON I Am Not a Witch

JAN SEWELL Breathe

NADIA STACEY Journeyman

NICOLE STAFFORD The Death of Stalin

SIAN WILSON Lady Macbeth

 

Best Music

CARTER BURWELL Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

FRED FRITH Leaning into the Wind

MATT KELLY I Am Not a Witch

PAUL WELLER Jawbone

CHRISTOPHER WILLIS The Death of Stalin

 

Best Production Design

JACQUELINE ABRAHAMS Lady Macbeth

CRISTINA CASALI The Death of Stalin

JAMES MERIFIELD Final Portrait

NATHAN PARKER I Am Not a Witch

EVE STEWART Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool

 

Best Sound

ANNA BERTMARK God’s Own Country

MAIKEN HANSEN I Am Not a Witch

ANDY SHELLEY, STEVE GRIFFITHS Jawbone

JOAKIM SUNDSTRÖM Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

SOUND TEAM Breathe

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Jon Dingle Editor

A film journalist, writer and a filmmaker in business for over 20 years. I am passionate about movies, television series, music and online games.