Kitchen drama Boiling Point and Sir Kenneth Branagh’s personal period piece Belfast are leading the nominations at this year’s British Independent Film Awards, with eleven nods each, but Belfast has missed out in three of the top categories – Best British Independent Film, Best Director and Best Screenplay.
Both films were well received at last month’s London Film Festival and Belfast has already emerged as a front-runner for Awards Season, after picking up the People’s Choice award at Toronto.
Both films have four acting nominations.
Three other strong contenders are After Love, starring Joanna Scanlan as a woman who learns a secret about her husband after his death, and The Souvenir Part II, Joanna Hogg’s follow up to her 2019 film, and Clio Barnard’s unlikely romance Ali & Ava. They’re in the running for 9, 8 and 7 awards respectively.
The winners will be announced at a ceremony in London on 5th December, from the following full list of nominees:
Best British independent film
After Love
Ali & Ava
Boiling Point
The Nest
The Souvenir Part II
Best director
Philip Barantini, Boiling Point
Clio Barnard, Ali & Ava
Sean Durkin, The Nest
Joanna Hogg, The Souvenir Part II
Aleem Khan, After Love
Best actress
Caitríona Balfe, Belfast
Carrie Coon, The Nest
Claire Rushbrook, Ali & Ava
Joanna Scanlan, After Love
Ruth Wilson, True Things
Best actor
Riz Ahmed, Encounter
Adeel Akhtar, Ali & Ava
Stephen Graham, Boiling Point
Jude Law, The Nest
James Norton, Nowhere Special
Best supporting actress
Judi Dench, Belfast
Jo Hartley, Sweetheart
Nathalie Richard, After Love
Vinette Robinson, Boiling Point
Tilda Swinton, The Souvenir Part II
Best supporting actor
Talid Ariss, After Love
Richard Ayoade, The Souvenir Part II
Lucian-River Chauhan, Encounter
Ciarán Hinds, Belfast
Ray Panthaki, Boiling Point
Douglas Hickox award (best debut director)
Prano Bailey-Bond, Censor
Celeste Bell, Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliché [also directed by Paul Sng]
Cathy Brady, Wildfire
Aleem Khan, After Love
Marley Morrison, Sweetheart
Breakthrough performance
Lauryn Ajufo, Boiling Point
Nell Barlow, Sweetheart
Max Harwood, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie
Jude Hill, Belfast
Ellora Torchia, In the Earth
Best documentary
Cow
Dying to Divorce
I Am Belmaya
Keyboard Fantasies
Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliché
Best screenplay
Clio Barnard, Ali & Ava
Terence Davies, Benediction
Sean Durkin, The Nest
Joanna Hogg, The Souvenir Part II
Aleem Khan, After Love
Breakthrough producer
Michelle Antoniades, Sweetheart
Helen Jones, Censor
Jessica Malik, She Will [also produced by Bob Last]
Hester Ruoff, Boiling Point [also produced by Bart Ruspoli]
Rob Watson, The Power [also produced by Matthew James Wilkinson]
Best debut screenwriter
Prano Bailey-Bond, Censor [also written by Anthony Fletcher]
Cathy Brady, Wildfire
Aleem Khan, After Love
Marley Morrison, Sweetheart
Reggie Yates, Pirates
Raindance Discovery award
Bank Job
The Bike Thief
I Am Belmaya
Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliché
Rebel Dykes
Best British short film
Egúngún (Masquerade)
Femme
Night of the Living Dread
Play It Safe
Precious Hair & Beauty
Best international independent film
Compartment No 6
First Cow
Flee
Petite Maman
Pleasure
Best casting
After Love
Ali & Ava
Pirates
Belfast
Boiling Point
Best cinematography
The Nest
Cow
Boiling Point
Censor
Belfast
Best costume design
The Electrical Life of Louis Wain
The Souvenir Part II
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie
Benediction
Belfast
Best music
Pirates
Ali & Ava
Encounter
In the Earth
Belfast
Best effects
Dashcam
Censor
The Electrical Life Of Louis Wain
Best editing
The Souvenir Part II
Cow
Belfast
Censor
In the Earth
Best makeup & hair
The Souvenir Part II
The Electrical Life Of Louis Wain
Censor
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie
Belfast
Best production design
Belfast
The Souvenir Part II
The Electrical Life Of Louis Wain
Boiling Point
Censor
Best sound
Cow
Boiling Point
Censor
In the Earth
Encounter