The Favourite leads the list of nominations for the 2018 British Independent Film Awards (BIFAs) announced this morning by British actors Ellie Bamber and Arinzé Kene at the Everyman Cinema, King’s Cross. Yorgos Lanthimos’s black comedy about the 18th century court of Queen Anne is recognized for Best British Independent Film, Best Director sponsored by Broadsword Event House and Best Screenplay sponsored by BBC Films. Olivia Colman is nominated for Best Actress sponsored by MAC, with her co-stars in the female-led ensemble, Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz, competing in the Best Supporting Actress category, Weisz also receives a Best Actress nominaton 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 supported by Blackmagic Design, Best Make-up & Hair Design and Best Costume Design.

The Best British Independent Film nominees are American Animals (11 nominations), Beast (10 nominations), Disobedience (5 nominations), The Favourite (13 nominations) and You Were Never Really Here (8 nominations). The nominations list demonstrates a record year for female representation, with over 40% of the individual nominations recognising women in the industry across directing, writing, producing, performance and craft. Female nominees make up over 50% of the talent nominated for Best British Independent Film and dominate both Most Promising Newcomer and Breakthrough Producer supported by Creativity Media, with four out of five nominations for each award. Over 140 British films were submitted for consideration and 37 different British feature films have been nominated across the BIFA categories.

The broad recognition for American Animals and You Were Never Really Here marks the return of previous award winners, writer-directors Lynne Ramsay and Bart Layton. Layton won Best Debut Director for his documentary The Imposter in 2012 and his true-crime heist drama American Animals secures him nominations for Best Director and for both Best Screenplay and Debut Screenwriter. The film sees Evan Peters and Barry Keoghan compete in the Best Supporting Actor category, marking their first BIFA nominations. Ramsay continues her long association with BIFA, with her third nomination for Best Screenplay and her second for Best Director, following past recognition for Ratcatcher, Morvern Callar and We Need To Talk About Kevin. Joaquin Phoenix secures his second BIFA Best Actor nomination for his role as a tortured hitman in the psychological noir thriller, with Jonny Greenwood and Tom Townend being recognized for Best Music sponsored by Universal Music Publishing Group and Best Cinematography respectively.

Following a breakout year for British directorial debuts at the 2017 awards, this year’s nominations list continues the trend with acclaim for Michael Pearce‘s romantic thriller Beast and Daniel Kokotajlo’s Apostasy, a sensitive drama set within the Jehovah’s Witness community. 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 sponsored by Kodak & Pinewood. 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.

The Richard Harris Award and The Variety Award are to be announced in November. The Richard Harris Award, introduced in 2002 in honour of Richard Harris, recognizes outstanding contribution to British Film by an actor. Previous winners have been Daniel Day Lewis, Julie Walters, John Hurt, Emma Thompson and Vanessa Redgrave in 2017. The Variety Award recognizes a director, actor, writer or producer who has made a global impact and helped focus the international spotlight on the UK. Past winners include Kate Winslet, Richard Curtis, Benedict Cumberbatch, Sir Michael Caine and Dame Helen Mirren.

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

Best British Independent Film
AMERICAN ANIMALS
BEAST
DISOBEDIENCE
THE FAVOURITE
YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE

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
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 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 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 Make Up & 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 supported 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

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