British Independent Film Award Nominations
Monday, November 3, 2014 at 10:45AM Manuel here bringing you fresh awards news from across the pond.
O'Connell in the Belfast riots film '71
The British Independent Film Awards (I will kindly refuse adding the requisite champagne-sponsor ahead of their name) announced their nominations earlier this morning and from the looks of it, we are surely headed for a fascinating "Year of Jack O'Connell" narrative to shape up in the next few months. We already got a nice glimpse of his physique in Starred Up, here he's racked up a nod for nomination leader '71 (reviewed by Nathaniel), and that small film Unbroken will by year's end cement him as not only an up and comer but a firmly established rising star.
While I have yet to catch many of these (Pride and Frank's strong showings are gentle reminders that I really have no excuse for not doing so already), I have to say a lot of these categories look quite impressive; that Best Actress lineup (Pei Pei, Knightley, Jabeen Ahmed, Mbatha-Raw and Vikander) is wonderfully diverse while that International Independent Film category (with Ida, Blue Ruin, Boyhood and The Badadook) seems cooked up by (and for!) the TFE community.
Catch the full list of nominations after the jump...
Pei Pei & Whishaw in the LGBT drama LILTING
BRITISH INDEPENDENT FILM
’71
Calvary
Mr Turner
Pride
The Imitation Game
DIRECTOR
John Michael McDonagh – Calvary
Lenny Abrahamson – Frank
Matthew Warchus – Pride (interviewed)
Mike Leigh – Mr Turner
Yann Demange – ’71
THE DOUGLAS HICKOX AWARD FOR DEBUT DIRECTOR
Daniel Wolfe, Matthew Wolfe – Catch Me Daddy
Hong Khaou – Lilting
Iain Forsyth, Jane Pollard – 20,000 Days on Earth
Morgan Matthews – X+Y
Yann Demange – ’71
SCREENPLAY
Graham Moore – The Imitation Game
Gregory Burke – ’71
John Michael McDonagh – Calvary
Jon Ronson, Peter Straughan – Frank
Stephen Beresford – Pride
ACTRESS
Alicia Vikander – Testament of Youth
Cheng Pei Pei – Lilting
Gugu Mbatha-Raw – Belle
Keira Knightley – The Imitation Game
Sameena Jabeen Ahmed – Catch Me Daddy
Sally Hawkins & Asa Butterfield in "X+Y"
ACTOR
Asa Butterfield – X+Y
Benedict Cumberbatch – The Imitation Game
Brendan Gleeson – Calvary
Jack O’Connell – ’71
Timothy Spall – Mr Turner
SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Dorothy Atkinson – Mr Turner
Imelda Staunton – Pride
Maggie Gyllenhaal – Frank
Sally Hawkins – X+Y
Sienna Guillory – The Goob
SUPPORTING ACTOR
Andrew Scott – Pride
Ben Schnetzer – Pride
Michael Fassbender – Frank
Rafe Spall – X+Y
Sean Harris – ‘71
MOST PROMISING NEWCOMER
Ben Schnetzer – Pride
Cara Delevingne – The Face of an Angel
Gugu Mbatha-Raw – Belle
Liam Walpole – The Goob
Sameena Jabeen Ahmed – Catch Me Daddy
ACHIEVEMENT IN PRODUCTION
’71
20,000 Days on Earth
Catch Me Daddy
Lilting
The Goob
TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT
Chris Wyatt – Editing – ’71
Dick Pope – Cinematography – Mr Turner
Robbie Ryan – Cinematography – Catch Me Daddy
Stephen Rennicks – Music – Frank
Tat Radcliffe – Cinematography – ’71
DOCUMENTARY
20,000 Days on Earth
Next Goal Wins
Night Will Fall
The Possibilities Are Endless
Virunga
BRITISH SHORT
Crocodile
Emotional Fusebox
Keeping Up With The Joneses
Slap
The Karman Line
INTERNATIONAL INDEPENDENT FILM
Blue Ruin
Boyhood
Fruitvale Station
Ida
The Badadook
THE RAINDANCE AWARD
Flim: The Movie…
Gregor
Luna
Keeping Rosy
The Beat Beneath My Feet
Which nomination are you most excited about? Which names and films do you wish had made the cut? Are you ready to join my For Your Consideration campaign on behalf of Cheng Pei Pei in hopes, not necessarily that the Academy will listen, but that more people will check out Lilting?
Reader Comments (28)
I'm torn on excitement here. I'm thrilled The Babadook is nominated. I'm also very happy for Gugu Mbatha-Raw being nominated for Belle. I love both of those films and I'm glad to see they have already received some awards attention this season. Neither is a likely contender for the Oscars, so we'll have to rely on this kind of awards ceremony to see them recognized at all.
Glad to see Pride do well. My favorite film so far this year.Enjoyed it more than all the films touted as likely Best Picture contenders.
There she is! Imelda as best supporting actress. She's my Olivia Colman this year.
I miss Sam Reid as Best Newcomer for Belle. What a stud and what voice!
Is Fassbender really supporting in Frank? I haven't seen it but that surprises me.
Manuel: What are the parameters for this award group? I didn't find anything on the site that spells out who is eligible and who isn't. Thanks.
Damn, that's a strong slate of nominees.
I hope the Indie Spirit awards are able to see past Oscar buzz and follow suit.
Staunton was great, but I wish Faye Marsay was getting her spot (and Schnetzer's in breakthrough). She was the best thing about Pride (a movie I enjoyed a great deal).
Henry,
Good question. Did some digging and here's what I found.
From Wikipedia:
Main categories:
- must be intended for theatrical release.
- must be produced/predominantly co-produced by a British company or is in receipt of 51% of its budget from a British source/s.
- may be funded by a major studio (so long as studio funds do not exceed £10million)
And from the BIFA site itself (a bit more detailed): http://www.bifa.org.uk/rules-of-eligibility
I know he has a nomination for '71 and maybe his performance there is vastly superior, but I'd have liked to seen a nomination for O'Connell for Starred Up. The film itself goes over the rails, but he's 100% committed to the character.
Also, I find it interesting that Morten Tyldum is the lone director of the Best Film nominees not to get a director nomination even though he's the most likely to get an Oscar nomination. Maybe because he was the lone non-Brit/non-Irish director?
So happy to see "Pride" do well. It's such an endearing film. I wish it was doing better here in the States.
I think O'Connell was nominated last year for Starred Up. Happy for Keira, loved her in The Imitation Game.
Thanks Manuel. I was wondering why Theory of Everything had been left off and it appears to be a budget thing........here is a $20m ceiling for any film regardless of financial sources. Also, a film must have played to a paying audience or featured in a British film festival during the previous year (Dec 1-Nov 30).
@DJDeeJay Yes, he's supporting. Domnhall Gleeson plays the lead character.
Keegan- ah, that explains it. Thanks!
Things That Make You Go Hmm: Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Most Promising Newcomer nominee, has already starred in several TV series on both sides of the pond and appeared with Hanks and Roberts in Larry Crowne during her ten-year career.
@DeeJayDJ
Yes, Fassbender is very much supporting (though with a large part) in Frank. Misleading to those who haven't seen it because the marketing focused a lot on him. By my reckoning, he and Gyllenhaal have roughly equivalent screentime and are in a little less than half the movie total. Domhnall Gleeson is the POV character and is in nearly every scene.
Squasher88 and Kate - Interesting. Thank you both!
So is the fact that Morten Tyldum is Swedish that reason he wasn't nominated or is it they just liked 5 other directors better?
@murtada
The BIFAs have nominated non-Brit directors Tomas Alfredson, Mark Romanek, Jane Campion, and Lone Scherfig in recent years, so I guess they just weren't that impressed.
Nice to see both father (Timothy) and son (Rafe) Spall get noms! Also, loving that Sally Hawkins nod!
murtada & kate -- i think part of the problem is that Morten Tyldum has no profile yet. You've gotta get out there for people to root for you but he seems very invisible in the IMITATION GAME coverage.
paul -- yeah, those breakthrough years... they can happen pretty late. but it's still hilarious when they call them "newcomers"
Lilting has really stayed with me even though i was only mildly positive about it at first. Pei Pei and Ben Whishaw are both really good in it.
Nathaniel: They are newcomers. Newcomers to relevancy.
Aaargh.
I LOVED Lilting but I am deeply upset that Ben Whishaw missed - he gave a truly beautiful performance. Ive just got back from The Babadook - concerned I may not sleep!!
CALVARY, CALVARY, CALVARY. This is exactly where it needs to come ahead and get its due. At least Best Actor. But wow, great to see Film, Director, and Screenplay there as well! This movie has definitely stayed with me, easily up as best of the year so far with Boyhood and Grand Budapest Hotel. Calvary all the way.
Andrew Scott. I cried every time he was on screen.
Just saw Lilting. I can't understant Pei Pei got in without Ben Whishaw. He is TREMENDOUS in it. So raw.