The battle for the British Independent Film Awards promises to be a tight one this year, with a strong slate of films in contention.
Heading up the nominations for the 11th annual awards are two debut features - Steve McQueen's Hunger and Martin McDonagh's In Bruges, with seven nominations each. They will vie for the top award against Shane Meadows' Somers Town and Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire and James Marsh's documentary Man On Wire.
Announcing the awards today at Soho, Elliot Grove, founder of Raindance and the British Independent Film Awards said: "The nominations reveal an unparalleled number of new and young film talent across the various categories. Together with more established film industry names, these nominees mark a refreshing 11th year."
In a field of contenders that shows a strength in breadth across the British film industry, there are an unprecendented 36 films up for awards. Hot on the heels of Hunger and In Bruges are Slumdog Millionaire follows with six nominations, Shifty - one of the first from the Film London Microwave slate - with five, and Somers Town, Son of Rambow and The Duchess with four each.
The BIFA pre-selection committee (of 70 members) viewed more than 150 films, out of which they selected the nominations
BIFA Directors, Johanna von Fischer and Tessa Collinson said: "We are delighted to be able to highlight such an eclectic range of new British film talent this year with the pre-nomination debut director category being the most competitive BIFA has ever had. We are also proud to honour two outstanding British acting talents and careers with The Richard Harris and The Variety Awards."
From his breakthrough role in Mike Leigh's Naked through to his most recent role as the Father in this year's BIFA nominated The Boy In Striped Pyjamas, David Thewlis, a nominee in BIFAs inaugural year 1998, will receive the Richard Harris Award for Outstanding Contribution by an Actor. Also this year, The Variety Award for bringing the international spotlight to the British film industry, goes to the star of Frost/Nixon, Michael Sheen.
BIFA's jury comprises 16 professionals and talents from across the British film industry including: producer and Chair, Simon Relph, actresses Anne Marie Duff and Eva Birthistle, actors Mark Strong and Christopher Simpson, director Joe Wright, photographer/director Rankin, writer/director Paul Andrew Williams, writer Abi Morgan, producers David Lawson, Gina Carter and Cat Villiers, Xavier Marchand, distributor (Momentum), casting director Shaheen Baig, agent Tor Belfrage and Col Needham, founder and managing director of the Internet Movie Database.
The ceremony will take place on Sunday November 30th at the Old Billingsgate Market in London and will be hosted by James Nesbitt.
This year's nominees:
Best British Independent Film
Hunger
In Bruges
Man On Wire
Slumdog Millionaire
Somers Town
Best Director
Mark Herman – The Boy In The
Striped Pyjamas
Steve McQueen – Hunger
Danny Boyle – Slumdog Millionaire
Shane Meadows – Somers
Town
Garth Jennings – Son Of
Rambow
The Douglas Hickox Award [Best Debut Director]
James Watkins – Eden
Lake
Rupert Wyatt – ">The
Escapist
Steve McQueen – Hunger
Martin McDonagh – In
Bruges
Eran Creevy – Shifty
Best Screenplay
Enda Walsh, Steve McQueen – Hunger
Martin McDonagh – In
Bruges
Simon Beaufoy – Slumdog Millionaire
Paul Fraser – Somers
Town
Garth Jennings – Son Of
Rambow
Best Actress
Vera Farmiga – The Boy In
The Striped Pyjamas
Samantha Morton – The Daisy Chain
Keira Knightley – The
Duchess
Kelly Reilly – Eden
Lake
Sally Hawkins – Happy-Go-Lucky
Best Actor
Michael Fassbender – Hunger
Colin Farrell – In
Bruges
Brendan Gleeson – In
Bruges
Riz Ahmed – Shifty
Thomas Turgoose – Somers
Town
Best Supporting Actress
Emma Thompson – Brideshead
Revisited
Hayley Atwell – The
Duchess
Kristin Scott Thomas – Easy Virtue
Sienna Miller – The Edge Of
Love
Alexis Zegerman – Happy-Go-Lucky
Best Supporting Actor
Ralph Fiennes – The
Duchess
Eddie Marsan – Happy-Go-Lucky
Liam Cunningham – Hunger
Ralph Fiennes – In
Bruges
Daniel Mays – Shifty
Most Promising Newcomer
Asa Butterfield – The Boy In
The Striped Pyjamas
Dev Patel – Slumdog Millionaire
Ayush Mahesh Khedekar – Slumdog Millionaire
Bill Milne – Son Of
Rambow
Will Poulter – Son Of
Rambow
Best Achievement In Production
The Daisy Chain
">The Escapist
Hush
Shifty
Telstar
Raindance Award
Clubbed
Flick
One Day Removals
Zebra Crossings
Best Technical Achievement
Wardrobe – Michael O'Connor – The Duchess
Cinematography – Sean Bobbitt – Hunger
Editing – Jon Gregory – In
Bruges
Music – Harry Escott, Molly Nyman – Shifty
Cinematography – Anthony Dod Mantle – Slumdog Millionaire
Best Documentary
A Complete History of My
Sexual Failures
Derek
Man On Wire
Of Time And The City
Three Miles North of
Molkom
Best British Short
Alex And Her Arse Tuck
Gone Fishing
Love Does Grow On Trees
Red Sands
Soft
Best Foreign Film
The Diving Bell & The
Butterfly
Gomorrah
I've Loved You So Long
Persepolis
Waltz With Bashir
The Richard Harris Award (for outstanding contribution to British Film)
David
Thewlis
The Variety Award
Michael
Sheen
The Special Jury Prize
Announced November 30th
