British Independent Film Award Nominations Announced
The 9th British Independent Film Awards (BIFAs), set to run November 29th at the Hammersmith Palais, has announced its 2006 nominations. Formed by Elliot Grove in 1998 off the back of Raindance, the awards - now under the newly appointed directorship of Johanna von Fischer and Tessa Collinson - form one of the first dates in the ever more crowded awards calendar
This year’s jury, which will be chaired by Sandy Lieberson, consists of Reuben Barnes, Martin Childs, Anne V Coates, Frank Cottrell Boyce, Alan Cumming, Leo Davis, Anna Friel, Jason Isaacs, Mick Jones, Damian Lewis, Helen McCrory, Damien O’Donnell, Kelly Reilly, Martin Sherman and Colin Salmon.
BEST BRITISH INDEPENDENT FILM
The Last King of Scotland
The Queen
Red Road
This is England
The Wind That Shakes the Barley
BEST DIRECTOR
SPONSORED BY THE CREATIVE PARTNERSHIP
Kevin Macdonald – The Last King of Scotland
Stephen Frears – The Queen
Michael Caton Jones – Shooting Dogs
Shane Meadows – This is England
Ken Loach – The Wind that Shakes the Barley
BEST ACTOR Forest Whitaker – The Last King of Scotland
Peter O’Toole – Venus
Cillian Murphy – The Wind that Shakes the Barley
Tony Curran – Red Road
James McAvoy – The Last King of Scotland
BEST ACTRESS
SPONSORED BY MAC
Helen Mirren - The Queen
Kate Dickie – Red Road
Frances de la Tour – The History Boys
Robin Wright Penn – Breaking & Entering
Juliette Binoche – Breaking & Entering
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR / ACTRESS Martin Compston – Red Road
Leslie Phillips – Venus
Vanessa Redgrave – Venus
Joseph Gilgun – This is England
Stephen Graham – This is England
MOST PROMISING NEWCOMER (ON SCREEN)
SPONSORED BY DIESEL
Jodie Whittaker - Venus
Thomas Turgoose – This is England
Samuel Barnett – The History Boys
Harry and Luke Treadaway – Brothers of the Head
Dominic Cooper – The History Boys
Rafi Gavron – Breaking & Entering
BEST SCREENPLAY
SPONSORED BY BBC FILMS
Alan Bennett – The History Boys
Peter Morgan – The Queen
Hanif Kureishi – Venus
Shane Meadows – This is England
Peter Morgan & Jeremy Brock – The Last King of Scotland
BEST FOREIGN INDEPENDENT FILM
Volver
Hidden (Cache)
The Beat My Heart Skipped
Brick
Hard Candy
THE DOUGLAS HICKOX AWARD
(BEST DEBUT DIRECTOR)
Menhaj Huda - Kidulthood
Paul Andrew Williams – London to Brighton
Andrea Arnold – Red Road
Tom Vaughan – Starter For Ten
Caradog W James – Little White Lies
BEST BRITISH DOCUMENTARY
The Road to Guantanamo
Blindsight
The Great Happiness Space
The Pervert’s Guide To Cinema
Unknown White Male
BEST TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT
SPONSORED BY SKILLSET
The Last King of Scotland – Cinematography: Anthony Dod Mantle
This is England – Music: Ludovico Einaudi (Original Music)
The Wind That Shakes The Barley – Cinematography: Barry Ackroyd
The Queen – Make-Up: Daniel Phillips
The Queen – Production Design: Alan MacDonald
BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN PRODUCTION
SPONSORED BY RECORDED PICTURE COMPANY
London to Brighton
Kidulthood
Shooting Dogs
The Road to Guantanamo
Severance
BEST BRITISH SHORT
Cubs
Ex Memoria
The 10th Man
Who I Am & What I Want
At the End of the Sentence
THE RAINDANCE AWARD
SPONSORED BY RAINDANCE
The Ballad of AJ Weberman
London to Brighton
Scenes of a Sexual Nature
BEST 15 SECOND SHORT
SPONSORED BY NOKIA
Chrysanthemums the Word
What’s the Point?
Fate and Mr McKinley
Death of the Dinosaurs
Ah, Youth
SPECIAL AWARDS
THE VARIETY UK PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR
Helen Mirren
THE RICHARD HARRIS AWARD
(OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO BRITISH FILM BY AN ACTOR)
SPONSORED BY BUENA VISTA INTERNATIONAL
To be Announced
THE SPECIAL JURY PRIZE
SPONSORED BY THE UK FILM COUNCIL
To be Announced
Patrons of BIFA include Tilda Swinton, Ray Winstone, Mike Figgis, Tom Hollander, Adrian Lester, Ken Loach, Ewan McGregor, Samantha Morton, Bill Nighy, Trudie Styler, Meera Syal and Michael Winterbottom.
A film will be eligible for an Award if:
• It is intended for theatrical release, and has had a public screening to a paying audience either on general release in the UK or at a British-based film festival between 1st December 2005 and 30th November 2006.
• It is not solely funded by a single studio OR has a budget of £8M ($15M) or less.
• It has been produced or majority co-produced by a British company OR is in receipt of at least 51% of its budget from a British source or sources OR it qualifies as a British Film under the DCMS guidelines.
• When the majority of finance has come from a British source the film must also include sufficient creative elements from the UK.
• BIFA also consider foreign independent films for the Best Foreign Independent Film category. Foreign films must have a theatrical release during the eligibility period stated above.
• Films that have been entered previously are not eligible.
Inclusion and consideration of films that do not strictly comply with the above criteria will be subject to the discretion of the British Independent Film Awards Advisory Committee.
All films submitted for consideration are viewed by the Advisory Committee with the help of a nominated screening panel. The Advisory Committee then decide the nominations by ballot.
All nominated films are then viewed by the Jury.
For more information on BIFA rules please go to www.bifa.org.uk.