Rose Glass’ sharp and smart psychological horror, Saint Maud leads the nominations for the 2020 British Independent Film Awards (BIFAs), with 17 nods including Best British Independent Film, Best Screenplay and Best Director, as well as in the debut categories: Breakthrough Producer, Debut Director and Debut Screenwriter. Morfydd Clark is nominated for Best Actress and Jennifer Ehle for Supporting Actress.
Saint Maud will be taking on Remi Weekes’ His House, which has 16 nominations across the Director, Screenplay, debut and technical categories. Weaving the real-life horrors faced by asylum seekers with terrors altogether more supernatural, Weekes’ powerful debut also received nominations in Best Actress and Best Actor for Wunmi Mosaku and Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù.
Rocks, Sarah Gavron and Anu Henrique’s fresh, poignant and genuinely uplifting take on life as a marginalized British teen has 15 nominations, including double nominations for stars Bukky Bakray and Kosar Ali in Best Actress and Supporting Actress and Most Promising Newcomer. D’angleou Osei Kissiedu is nominated for Best Supporting Actor.
Director Nick Rowland and producer Daniel Emmerson’s first feature Calm With Horses has 10 nominations in the debut categories as well as recognition for performers Cosmo Jarvis (Best Actor), Niamh Algar (Best Supporting Actress, Most Promising Newcomer) and Barry Keoghan (Best Supporting Actor) and for casting director Shaheen Baig.
Florian Zeller’s The Father completes the Best British Independent Film line up. The film has six nominations in total, including a first BIFA nomination for Anthony Hopkins for his portrayal of the titular Father, a man struggling – quite literally – with the realities of the changing circumstances ageing brings.
Riz Ahmed has four BIFA nominations this year: as Best Actor, Debut Screenwriter and Best Screenplay for Mogul Mowgli and also for The Long Goodbye, a short film which he wrote and starred in. Riz’s Mogul Mowgli co-star Alyy Khan is also recognized in the Supporting Actor category.
Andrea Riseborough is nominated for Best Actress for her performance as a British aid worker haunted by past choices in Luxor; Clare Dunne is nominated for her performance in Herself, which she also co-wrote.
Debut Director Henry Blake is nominated for County Lines, alongside lead actor Conrad Khan, nominated for Most Promising Newcomer, and supporting actors Ashley Madekwe and Harris Dickinson.
Frankie Box is named a Most Promising Newcomer for her role in Perfect 10. Eva Riley is nominated for Best Debut Director and the film is nominated for The Raindance Discovery Award.
Amongst four nominations for the film, Amir El-Masry is nominated for Best Actor for Limbo.
Merab Ninidze is nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in cold war thriller The Courier opposite Benedict Cumberbatch.
The Richard Harris Award, introduced in 2002 in honor of Richard Harris, recognizes outstanding contribution to British Film by an actor. Previous winners have been Daniel Day Lewis, Julie Walters, John Hurt, Emma Thompson, Judi Dench and Kristin Scott Thomas in 2019. This year’s recipient will be announced in January.
Winners will be announced in early February.
2020 British Independent Film Awards Nominations
Best British Independent Film
CALM WITH HORSES Nick Rowland, Joe Murtagh, Daniel Emmerson
THE FATHER Florian Zeller, Christopher Hampton, David Parfitt, Jean-Louis Livi, Philippe Carcassonne
HIS HOUSE Remi Weekes, Martin Gentles, Edward King, Roy Lee, Aidan Elliott, Arnon Milchan
ROCKS Sarah Gavron, Theresa Ikoko, Claire Wilson, Faye Ward, Ameenah Ayub Allen
SAINT MAUD Rose Glass, Oliver Kassman, Andrea Cornwell
Best Director
SARAH GAVRON Rocks [associate director Anu Henriques]
ROSE GLASS Saint Maud
NICK ROWLAND Calm With Horses
REMI WEEKES His House
FLORIAN ZELLER The Father
Best Screenplay sponsored by BBC Film
ROSE GLASS Saint Maud
THERESA IKOKO, CLAIRE WILSON Rocks
BASSAM TARIQ, RIZ AHMED Mogul Mowgli
REMI WEEKES His House
FLORIAN ZELLER, CHRISTOPHER HAMPTON The Father
Best Actress
BUKKY BAKRAY Rocks
MORFYDD CLARK Saint Maud
CLARE DUNNE Herself
WUNMI MOSAKU His House
ANDREA RISEBOROUGH Luxor
Best Actor
RIZ AHMED Mogul Mowgli
ṢỌPẸ́ DÌRÍSÙ His House
AMIR EL-MASRY Limbo
ANTHONY HOPKINS The Father
COSMO JARVIS Calm With Horses
Best Supporting Actress
NIAMH ALGAR Calm With Horses
KOSAR ALI Rocks
JENNIFER EHLE Saint Maud
ASHLEY MADEKWE County Lines
FIONA SHAW Kindred
Best Supporting Actor
HARRIS DICKINSON County Lines
BARRY KEOGHAN Calm With Horses
ALYY KHAN Mogul Mowgli
MERAB NINIDZE The Courier
D’ANGELOU OSEI KISSIEDU Rocks
The Douglas Hickox Award (Debut Director) sponsored by Kodak & Pinewood
HENRY BLAKE County Lines
ROSE GLASS Saint Maud
EVA RILEY Perfect 10
NICK ROWLAND Calm With Horses
REMI WEEKES His House
Breakthrough Producer
DOUGLAS COX Host [also produced by Emily Gotto, Samuel Zimmerman]
DANIEL EMMERSON Calm With Horses
IRUNE GURTUBAI Limbo [also produced by Angus Lamont]
OLIVER KASSMAN Saint Maud [also produced by Andrea Cornwell]
EDWARD KING, MARTIN GENTLES His House [also produced by Aidan Elliott, Roy Lee, Arnon Milchan]
Debut Screenwriter sponsored by Film4
RIZ AHMED Mogul Mowgli [also written by Bassam Tariq]
ROSE GLASS Saint Maud
THERESA IKOKO, CLAIRE WILSON Rocks
JOE MURTAGH Calm With Horses
REMI WEEKES His House
Most Promising Newcomer
NIAMH ALGAR Calm With Horses
KOSAR ALI Rocks
BUKKY BAKRAY Rocks
FRANKIE BOX Perfect 10
CONRAD KHAN County Lines
Best Documentary
THE AUSTRALIAN DREAM Daniel Gordon, Stan Grant, Sarah Thomson, Nick Batzias, Virginia Whitwell, John Battsek
BEING A HUMAN PERSON Fred Scott, Mike Brett, Steve Jamison, Jo-Jo Ellison
THE REASON I JUMP Jerry Rothwell, Jeremy Dear, Stevie Lee, Al Morrow
RISING PHOENIX Ian Bonhôte, Peter Ettedgui, Greg Nugent, John Battsek, Tatyana McFadden
WHITE RIOT Rubika Shah, Ed Gibbs
The Raindance Discovery Award
JUSTINE Jamie Patterson, Jeff Murphy, Jason Rush, Sarah Drew, Julius Beltrame
LOOTED Rene van Pannevis, Kefi Chadwick, Jennifer Eriksson, Jessie Mangum
ONE MAN AND HIS SHOES Yemi Bamiro, Will Thorne
PERFECT 10 Eva Riley, Jacob Thomas, Bertrand Faivre, Valentina Brazzini
ROSE: A LOVE STORY Jennifer Sheridan, April Kelley, Sara Huxley, Matt Stokoe, Rob Taylor, Sophie Rundle
Best British Short Film supported by BFI NETWORK
FILIPIÑANA Rafael Manuel, Naomi Pacifique
THE FORGOTTEN C Molly Manning Walker, Jessi Gutch
THE LONG GOODBYE Aneil Karia, Riz Ahmed, Tom Gardner
MANDEM John Ogunmuyiwa, Emily Everdee
SUDDEN LIGHT Sophie Littman, Tom Wood
Best International Independent Film sponsored by Champagne Taittinger
BABYTEETH Shannon Murphy, Rita Kalnejais, Alex White
LES MISÉRABLES Ladj Ly, Giordano Gederlini, Alexis Manenti, Toufik Ayadi, Christophe Barral
NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES ALWAYS Eliza Hittman, Adele Romanski, Sara Murphy
NOMADLAND Chloé Zhao, Frances McDormand, Peter Spears, Mollye Asher, Dan Janvey
NOTTURNO Gianfranco Rosi, Donatella Palermo, Paolo Del Brocco, Serge Lalou, Camille Laemlé, Orwa Nyrabia, Eva-Maria Weerts
Best Casting sponsored by Casting Society of America & Spotlight
SHAHEEN BAIG Calm With Horses
KHARMEL COCHRANE Saint Maud
CARMEN CUBA His House
DAN JACKSON Limbo
LUCY PARDEE Rocks
Best Cinematography sponsored by Dirty Looks
NICK COOKE Limbo
BEN FORDESMAN Saint Maud
HÉLÈNE LOUVART Rocks
ANNIKA SUMMERSON Mogul Mowgli
JO WILLEMS His House
Best Costume Design
MICHELE CLAPTON The Secret Garden
RUKA JOHNSON Rocks
TINA KALIVAS Saint Maud
MICHAEL O’CONNOR Ammonite
CHARLOTTE WALTER Misbehaviour
Best Editing sponsored by Intermission Film
JULIA BLOCH His House
YORGOS LAMPRINOS The Father
MAYA MAFFIOLI Rocks
BRENNA RANGOTT Host
MARK TOWNS Saint Maud
Best Effects
AGNES ASPLUND, MARTIN MALMQVIST Undergods
SCOTT MACINTYRE, BARIŞ KARELI, KRISTYAN MALLETT Saint Maud
PEDRO SABROSA, STEFANO PEPIN His House
Best Make Up & Hair Design
JACQUETTA LEVON Saint Maud
SHARON A MARTIN His House
IVANA PRIMORAC Ammonite
NORA ROBERTSON Rocks
JILL SWEENEY Misbehaviour
Best Music sponsored by Universal Music Publishing Group
ROQUE BAÑOS His House
PAUL CORLEY Mogul Mowgli
NAINITA DESAI The Reason I Jump
CONNIE FARR, EMILIE LEVIENAISE-FARROUCH Rocks
ADAM JANOTA BZOWSKI Saint Maud
Best Production Design sponsored by Studio Juice
JACQUELINE ABRAHAMS His House
CRISTINA CASALI Misbehaviour
PETER FRANCIS The Father
MARKETA KORINKOVA, ELO SOODE Undergods
PAULINA RZESZOWSKA Saint Maud
Best Sound supported by Halo Post
ADRIAN BELL, GLENN FREEMANTLE, FRANK KRUSE, BRENDAN NICHOLSON, RICHARD PRYKE His House
PAUL DAVIES Saint Maud
PAUL DAVIES, ROBERT FARR, NIGEL ALBERMANICHE, IAN MORGAN Mogul Mowgli
NICK RYAN, BEN BAIRD, SARA DE OLIVEIRA LIMA The Reason I Jump
CALUM SAMPLE Host