2018 BIFA nominations: You Were Never Really Here, Roma join The Favourite
David Farnor | On 01, Nov 2018
Amazon Studios and Netflix have joined this year’s nominees for the British Independent Film Awards, with You Were Really Here and Roma among The Favourites.
Or, to be more specific, The Favourite: Yorgos Lanthimos’ black comedy about the 18th century court of Queen Anne leads the pack with 13 nominations, including Best British Independent Film, Best Director, Best Actress (Olivia Colman), Best Supporting Actress (Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz) and a whole host of technical categories, newly introduced for the 2017 awards.
American Animals is in second place with 11 nominations, followed by Beast with 10. Amazon’s You Were Never Really Here, though, is in a strong third place, with 8 nods, including Lynne Ramsay nominated for Best Director and Best Screenplay. Joaquin Phoenix also secures his second BIFA Best Actor nomination for his role as a tortured hitman in Amazon’s psychological noir thriller, with Jonny Greenwood and Tom Townend being recognised for Best Music and Best Cinematography respectively.
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.
The list also highlights the role Amazon Studios, Netflix and other VOD platforms can play in supporting independent film find audiences: Netflix titles in competition at the BIFAs this year include Tinge Krishnan’s musical Been So Long – nominated for Most Promising Newcomer (Michaela Coel) – and Scottish thriller Calibre – Best Debut Director and Screenwriter (Matt Palmer) and Breakthrough Producer (Anna Griffin) – as well as Alfonso Cuaron’s Roma, up for Best International Independent Film. There, it competes with Amazon’s Cold War, directed by Pawel Pawlikowski. Amazon’s Peterloo, directed by Mike Leigh, is also up for multiple technical prizes. Ben Wheatley’s Happy New Year, Colin Burstead – snapped up by BBC iPlayer – meanwhile, is up for Best Editing.
The winners will be announced at the 21st British Independent Film Awards ceremony on Sunday 2nd December at Old Billingsgate. Read on for the full list of nominees:
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
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