ICYMI - "Aftersun" led the British Independent Film Award Nominations
Tuesday, November 8, 2022 at 9:00PM
NATHANIEL R in Aftersun, BIFA, Blue Jean, Emily, Good Luck To You Leo Grande, Living, The Wonder, juries, precursor awards

by Nathaniel R

"Aftersun" has been a hit with 'indie' awards groups like BIFA and Gotham.

The title here is a bit of a goof. You probably didn't miss the BIFA award nominations on Friday but we did. Apologizes for the delay in reporting them. The BIFAs use juries to come up with their nominations and if those juries like something they go ALL in.... 16 nominations for Aftersun (now playing in select theaters) sounds like a gargantuan amount of nominations and at first glance it lools like it was nominated for every category for which it was eligible. But therunner up Blue Jean, scored 13 nominations so, again, they go all in if they like something. What that means is that there isn't much variation from category to category. For instance Best Film, Best Director, and Best Screenplay are all interchangeable. After the jump some notes on the nominations...

Best British Independent Film

Rosy McEwen in "Blue Jean"

 

Blue Jean, the lowest profile of these and the only one we haven't written about here at TFE, will be released by Magnolia in the US at some point. The film is about a closeted teacher and a new student that threatens to out her.

The father/daughter memoir Aftersun, which also led the Gotham Award nominations, has greatly impressed juries thus far. Will more mainstream awards organizations sample it now? 

 

Best Director sponsored by Sky Cinema

 

Nice mix of well established directors (Hermanus & Lelio), feature debut discoveries (Oakley & Wells), and a director just inbetween those two poles (Hyde).

Best Screenplay

 

 

Same nominees for a third category in a row but then we get some new titles. Unfortunately the acting categories do our least favourite thing in that they're all different sizes -- argh! 

Best Lead Performance

Cosmo Jarvis in "It Is In Us All"

 

It Is In Us All is an Irish drama about a man who is forced to confront his self-destructiveness after a car accident. We love Cosmo Jarvis so this is officially on the radar now. Wolfe Releasing has the distribution rights in the US which usually means there's a queer element.

Nezouh is about a Syrian family deciding to say or leave Damascus as the bombs fall -- Hala Zein plays the daughter in that family.

Best Supporting Performance

Fatma Mohamed in "Flux Gourmet"

 

 

Some of these titles haven't made it to the US yet (Emily, for instance, is due next year), but others came and went swiftly earlier in the year like The Outfit and Flux Gourmet

Best Joint Lead Performance

McCormack and Thompson in "Good Luck To You Leo Grande"

 

Interesting idea for a category and bless them for not ALSO naming these same people in Lead Actor. Spread the wealth! 

 

Best Ensemble Performance

 

 

 

The Douglas Hickox Award (Best Debut Director) sponsored by BBC Film

"Medusa Deluxe"

 

 

The Origin is a horror film set during the Stone Age and Medusa Deluxe is a murder mystery set during a hairdressing competition. 

Breakthrough Producer sponsored by Pinewood and Shepperton Studios

 

 

 

Breakthrough Performance sponsored by Netflix

 

 

 

Best Debut Screenwriter sponsored by Film4

 

 

 

Best Debut Director – Feature Documentary

 

 

 The Raindance Discovery Award

 

 

 

Best Feature Documentary sponsored by Intermission

 

 

 

Best British Short Film supported by BFI Network

 

 

 

Best International Independent Film sponsored by Champagne Taittinger

 

Belgium's Close, which also led the EFA nominations, is going into the first round of Oscar's International Feature Film voting looking pretty strong. 

 

 

Best Casting sponsored by Casting Society & Spotlight

 

 

 

Best Cinematography sponsored by Dirty Looks & Kodak

"Men"

 

 

Despite mixed responses from moviegoers, Men scored well in the craft categories as well as that key "joint acting" nominations.

Best Costume Design

"The Wonder"

 

 

 

Best Editing

 

 

 

Best Original Music sponsored by Universal Music Publishing

 

 

 

Best Make-Up & Hair Design

 

 

 

Best Effects

 

 

 

Best Music Supervision

 

 

 

Best Sound supported by Halo

 

 

 

Best Production Design

 

 

 

 

Article originally appeared on The Film Experience (http://thefilmexperience.net/).
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