I Swear leads charge for Scottish BAFTAs

Tourette's drama has seven nominations

by Amber Wilkinson

Robert Aramayo as John Davidson in I Swear
Robert Aramayo as John Davidson in I Swear Photo: Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics
The BAFTA Scotland nominations have been announced with I Swear leading the charge on seven nominations.

Kirk Jones's film is already guaranteed an actors award, with all three nominees - Robert Aramayo, Peter Mullan, and Scott Ellis Watson nominated. The film, which charts the story of John Davidson, who has Tourette Syndrome, was at the centre of a storm at the BAFTA awards earlier this year after Davidson experienced involuntary tics during the ceremony. He shouted a racial term during a presentation by Michael B Jordan and Delroy Lindo, which the BBC subsequently broadcast.

At Davidson's suggestion, he will watch the BAFTA Scotland ceremony via video link from a separate, relaxed space with family and friends.

I Swear is also in the running for the audience award category, best actress and director and writer. In the Best Feature category it will square up against documentaries Everybody To Kenmure Street and The Gold Spurtle, as well as family film Grow.

Dani Carlaw, chair of BAFTA Scotland said: “These nominations are a reminder of just how much creative talent we have across Scotland, both on screen and behind the scenes. Every project takes people with vision and determination to make it happen.”

The full film nominations are below:

Actor Film

• Peter Mullan, I Swear
• Robert Aramayo, I Swear
• Scott Ellis Watson, I Swear

Actress film

• Lesley Manville, Midwinter Break
• Lucy Halliday, California Schemin’
• Shirley Henderson, I Swear

Director Factual

• Anna Hall, Niamh Kennedy, The Dunblane Tapes
• Felipe Bustos Sierra, Everybody To Kenmure Street
• Kim Hopkins, Still Pushing Pineapples
• Laura Blount, Disaster At Sea: The Piper Alpha Story

Director Fiction

• Kirk Jones, I Swear
• Lynne Ramsay, Die My Love
• Niamh McKeown, Dinosaur
• Patrick Harkins, The Gold

Feature Film

• Everybody To Kenmure Street
• Grow
• I Swear
• The Golden Spurtle

Writer Film/Television

• Bernard MacLaverty, Nick Payne, Midwinter Break
• Kirk Jones, I Swear
• Maggie O’Farrell, Hamnet
• Scott Frank, Chandni Lakhani, Dept. Q

Audience Award

• Julie Wilson Nimmo, Balamory
• Katie Leung, Bridgerton
• Leah Byrne, Dept. Q
• Ncuti Gatwa, Doctor Who
• Peter Mullan, I Swear
• Stephen Libby, The Traitors

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