I, Daniel Blake leads the charge at the BIFAs

American Honey, Notes On Blindness and Under The Shadow get six apiece.

by Jennie Kermode

I, Daniel Blake
I, Daniel Blake

Ken Loach's Cannes hit I, Daniel Blake, which has been condemned by some politicians but celebrated by others and has sparked a public outcry about the UK's welfare system, has been nominated in seven categories at this year's British Independent Film Awards (BIFAs). It's closely followed by Andrea Arnold's American Honey, Peter Middleton and James Spinney Notes On Blindness, Rachel Tunnard's Adult Life Skills and Babak Anvari's Under The Shadow, each of which has six nominations.

The winners will receive their awards at a ceremony in Old Billingsgate, London, on December 4.

Those nominations in full:-

Best British independent film

Best international independent film

Best director

Best Screenplay

Best Actress

Best Actor

Best supporting actor

Best supporting actress

Best Documentary

The Douglas Hickox award (debut director)

Best debut screenwriter

Breakthrough producer

Discovery Award

  • Jamie Adams, Jon Rennie, Black Mountain Poets
  • Tom Kingsley, Will Sharpe, Tiani Ghosh, Jo-Jo Ellison, The Darkest Universe
  • Gareth Tunley, Jack Healy Guttmann, Tom Meeten, The Ghoul
  • Miranda Bowen, Leo Scott, Gozo
  • Jim Hosking, Toby Harvard, Daniel Noah, Andrew Starke, Ant Timpson, Josh C Waller, Elijah Wood, The Greasy Strangler

Outstanding Achievement in Craft

Most promising Newcomer

Best British Short

  • Rene Pannevis, Ashish Ghadiali, Jennifer Eriksson, Jacked
  • Leo Leigh, Scott O’Donnell, Mother
  • Jörn Threlfall, Jeremy Bannister, Over
  • Fyzal Boulifa, Taina Galis, Rate Me
  • Terri Matthews, Chris Cornwell, Sam Bank, The Wrong End Of The Stick

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