Kneecap dominates BIFA nominations

Kneecap leads the race at the BIFAs

This year’s British Independent Film Awards nominations have been released, and Belfast-based comedy Kneecap is in the lead with an impressive 14 nominations. Directed by whistleblowing journalist Rich Peppiat, the Irish language film, in which members of the titular band play themselves, attracted controversy on release but quickly proved popular with the viewing public.

Following close on its heels are Love Lies Bleeding, with 12 nominations, and The Outrun, with nine. Bird, Unicorns and On Becoming A Guinea Fowl took seven apiece.

The winners will be revealed on 8 December.

Those nominations in full:

Best British independent film

• Kneecap - Rich Peppiatt, Trevor Birney, Jack Tarling
• Love Lies Bleeding - Rose Glass, Weronika Tofilska, Andrea Cornwell, Oliver Kassman
• On Becoming A Guinea Fowl - Rungano Nyoni, Tim Cole, Ed Guiney, Andrew Lowe
• The Outrun - Nora Fingscheidt, Amy Liptrot, Sarah Brocklehurst, Dominic Norris, Jack Lowden, Saoirse Ronan
• Santosh - Sandhya Suri, Mike Goodridge, James Bowsher, Balthazar de Ganay, Alan McAlex

Best international independent film

• [film id]All We Imagine As Light[/film] - Payal Kapadia, Thomas Hakim, Julien Graff
• Anora - Sean Baker, Alex Coco, Samantha Quan
• La Chimera - Alice Rohrwacher, Carlo Cresto-Dina, Paolo Del Brocco
• No Other Land - Basel Adra, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham, Fabrien Greenberg, Bård Kjøge Rønning
• The Seed Of The Sacred Fig - Mohammad Rasoulof, Rozita Hendijanian, Amin Sadraei, Jean-Christophe Simon, Mani Tilgner

Best director

• Andrea Arnold - Bird
• Nora Fingscheidt - The Outrun
• Rose Glass - Love Lies Bleeding
• Rungano Nyoni - On Becoming A Guinea Fowl
• Rich Peppiatt – Kneecap

Best screenplay

• Nora Fingscheidt, Amy Liptrot - The Outrun
• Rose Glass, Weronika Tofilska - Love Lies Bleeding
• Rungano Nyoni - On Becoming A Guinea Fowl
• Rich Peppiatt - Kneecap
• Sandhya Suri – Santosh

Best lead performance

• Radhika Apte - Sister Midnight
• Susan Chardy - On Becoming A Guinea Fowl
• Marianne Jean-Baptiste - Hard Truths
• Elliot Page - Close To You
• Saoirse Ronan - The Outrun
• Alicia Vikander - The Assessment

Best supporting performance

• Michele Austin - Hard Truths
• Elizabeth Chisela - On Becoming A Guinea Fowl
• Barry Keoghan - Bird
• Jack O’Connell - Back To Black
• Franz Rogowski - Bird
• Hayley Squires – Hoard

Best joint lead performance

• Joseph Quinn, Saura Lightfoot Leon - Hoard
• Katy O’Brian, Kristen Stewart - Love Lies Bleeding
• Liam Óg Ó Hannaidh, Naoise Ó Cairealláin, JJ Ó Dochartaigh - Kneecap
• Jason Patel, Ben Hardy – Unicorns

Best debut director

• Christopher Andrews - Bring Them Down
• Luna Carmoon - Hoard
• James Krishna Floyd - Unicorns [also directed by Sally El Hosaini]
• Karan Kandhari - Sister Midnight
• Rich Peppiatt – Kneecap

Breakthrough producer

• Hollie Bryan, Lucy Meer - The Ceremony
• Balthazar De Ganay, James Bowsher - Santosh [also produced by Mike Goodridge, Alan McAlex]
• Jacob Swan Hyam - Bring Them Down [also produced by also produced by Julianne Ford, Ivana MacKinnon, Jean-Yves Roubin, Ruth Treacey, Cassandre Warnauts]
• Ben Toye - Treading Water
• Rebecca Wolff - Grand Theft Hamlet [also produced by Julia Ton]

Breakthrough performance

• Nykiya Adams - Bird
• Susan Chardy - On Becoming A Guinea Fowl
• Saura Lightfoot-Leon - Hoard
• Ruaridh Mollica - Sebastian
• Jason Patel – Unicorns

Best debut screenwriter

• James Krishna Floyd - Unicorns
• Karan Kandhari - Sister Midnight
• Rich Peppiatt - Kneecap
• Sandhya Suri - Santosh
• Mrs & Mr Thomas - The Assessment [also written by John Donnelly]

Best debut director – Feature Documentary

• Pinny Grylls, Sam Crane - Grand Theft Hamlet
• Manon Ouimet, Jacob Perlmutter - Two Strangers Trying Not To Kill Each Other
• Rachel Ramsay – Copa 71 [also directed by James Erskine]
• Clair Titley – The Contestant

Raindance maverick award

• The Ceremony - Jack King, Hollie Bryan, Lucy Meer
• Grand Theft Hamlet - Pinny Grylls, Sam Crane, Julia Ton, Rebecca Wolff
• Restless - Jed Hart, Benedict Turnbull
• Satu – The Year Of The Rabbit - Joshua Trigg
• Witches - Elizabeth Sankey, Jeremy Warmsley, Chiara Ventura, Manon Ardisson

Best feature documentary

• The Contestant - Clair Titley, Megumi Inman, Andee Ryder, Amit Dey, Ian Bonhôte
• Grand Theft Hamlet - Pinny Grylls, Sam Crane, Julia Ton, Rebecca Wolff
• Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story - Ian Bonhôte, Peter Ettedgui, Lizzie Gillett, Robert Ford
• Two Strangers Trying Not To Kill Each Other - Jacob Perlmutter, Manon Ouimet, Signe Byrge Sorensen
• Witches - Elizabeth Sankey, Jeremy Warmsley, Chiara Ventura, Manon Ardisson

Best British short film

• Delivery - Ben Lankester, Bophanie Lun, Joe Binks
• Housewarming - Liam White, Guy Lindley
• Meat Puppet - Eros V, Masha Thorpe, Leah Draws
• A Move - Elahe Esmaili, Hossein Behboudi Rad
• Wander To Wonder - Nina Gantz, Stienette Bosklopper, Simon Cartwright, Daan Bakker, Maarten Swart

Best casting

• Heather Basten - Hoard
• Isabella Odoffin - On Becoming A Guinea Fowl
• Lucy Pardee - Bird
• Carla Stronge - Kneecap
• Mary Vernieu, Lindsay Graham Ahanonu - Love Lies Bleeding

Best cinematography

• Pawel Edelman - Lee
• Ben Fordesman - Love Lies Bleeding
• Rob Hardy - Civil War
• Yunus Roy Imer - The Outrun
• Ryan Kernaghan – Kneecap

Best costume design

• Zjena Glamocanin - Kneecap
• Meghan Kasperlik – Civil War
• Olga Mill - Love Lies Bleeding
• Nirage Mirage - Unicorns
• Michael O’Connor – Firebrand

Best editing

• Stephen Bechinger - The Outrun
• Joe Bini - Bird
• Margarida Cartaxo, Stuart Davidson – Made In England: The Films Of Powell And Pressburger
• Jake Roberts - Civil War
• Julian Ulrichs, Chris Gill – Kneecap

Best effects

• James Allen - Love Lies Bleeding
• Glen Mcguigan, Ingo Putze - Lee
• David Simpson - Civil War

Best music supervision

• Iain Cooke, Giles Martin - Back To Black
• Kle Savidge - Sister Midnight
• Gary Welch, Jeanette Rehnstrom – Kneecap

Best make-up & hair design

• Megan Daum, Frieda Valenzuela - Love Lies Bleeding
• Peta Dunstall - Back To Black
• Kat Morgan - The Outrun
• Lisa Mustafa - Unicorns
• Jenny Shircore – Firebrand

Best original music

• Michael ‘Mikey J’ Asante - Kneecap
• Burial - Bird
• Stuart Earl - Unicorns
• John Gurtler, Jan Miserre - The Outrun
• Clint Mansell - Love Lies Bleeding

Best production design

• Bobbie Cousins - Hoard
• Jan Houllevigue - The Assessment
• Katie Hickman - Love Lies Bleeding
• Caty Maxey - Civil War
• Nicola Moroney – Kneecap

Best sound

• Louise Burton, Brendan Rehill, Aza Hand, Simon Kerr - Kneecap
• Paul Davies, Andrew Stirk, Linda Forsén, Rose Bladh, Tim Burns - Love Lies Bleeding
• Glen Freemantle - Civil War
• Dominik Leube, Oscar Stiebitz, Jonathan Schorr, Gregor Bonse - The Outrun
• Mike Prestwood Smith, Csaba Major, Jimmy Boyle – Lee