Celebrating its fifteenth year, The Moët British Independent Film Awards have now been announced, honouring some of the finest independent films released in Britain this year.

This year’s awards will be held on 9th December, and you can be sure we’ll be bringing you the results on the night as they come in. It’s been another excellent year for British cinema, and it’s always nice to see films like these get the recognition they deserve.

Last year, Paddy Considine’s powerful directorial debut, Tyrannosaur, swept the top awards, taking Best Film, Best Directorial Debut, and Best Actress; Lynne Ramsay took home the Best Director award for We Need to Talk About Kevin; and Michael Fassbender’s remarkable performance in Steve McQueen’s Shame was rightfully honoured with Best Actor (whereas the film was sadly absent from the Oscars at the start of the year).

James Nesbitt is set to return once more as the host, with Tom Hiddleston (The Avengers) included in the jury, having also helped choose the Best British Newcomer Award at the BFI London Film Festival last month.

With so much success surrounding films like The Imposter and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, it’s excellent to see them making the list here, with Ben Wheatley returning after last year’s Kill List with Sightseers here. It’s also brilliant to see rising young talents like Elle Fanning and Alice Englert get recognition for their performances in Ginger & Rosa, alongside Andrea Riseborough in Shadow Dancer, standing shoulder-to-shoulder alongside the likes of Meryl Streep, Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, and Olivia Colman.

Rufus Norris’ Broken, with Cillian Murphy, Tim Roth, and Rory Kinnear, leads the pack with an impressive nine nominations, with Wheatley’s Sightseers and Peter Strickland’s Berbian Sound Studio following closely with seven apiece.

BEST BRITISH INDEPENDENT FILM
Sponsored by Moët & Chandon

  • Berberian Sound Studio
  • Broken
  • Sightseers
  • The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
  • The Imposter

BEST DIRECTOR
Sponsored by AllCity & Intermission

  • Bart Layton – The Imposter
  • Ben Wheatley – Sightseers
  • John Madden – The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
  • Peter Strickland – Berberian Sound Studio
  • Rufus Norris – Broken

THE DOUGLAS HICKOX AWARD [BEST DEBUT DIRECTOR]
Sponsored by 3 Mills Studios

  • Bart Layton – The Imposter
  • Ben Drew – Ill Manors
  • Rowan Athale – Wasteland
  • Rufus Norris – Broken
  • Sally El Hosaini – My Brother the Devil

BEST SCREENPLAY
Sponsored by BBC Films

  • Abi Morgan – The Iron Lady
  • Alice Lowe, Steve Oram, Amy Jump – Sightseers
  • Mark O’Rowe – Broken
  • Paul Andrew Williams – Song for Marion
  • Peter Strickland – Berberian Sound Studio

BEST ACTRESS
Sponsored by M.A.C

  • Alice Lowe (Tina) – Sightseers
  • Andrea Riseborough (Colette McVeigh) – Shadow Dancer
  • Elle Fanning (Ginger) – Ginger & Rosa
  • Judi Dench (Evelyn Greenslade) – The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
  • Meryl Streep (Margaret Thatcher) – The Iron Lady

BEST ACTOR

  • Riz Ahmed (Aaron) – Ill Manors
  • Steve Oram (Chris) – Sightseers
  • Terence Stamp (Arthur) – Song for Marion
  • Tim Roth (Archie) – Broken
  • Toby Jones (Gilderoy) – Berberian Sound Studio

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

  • Alice Englert (Rosa) – Ginger & Rosa
  • Eileen Davies (Carol) – Sightseers
  • Maggie Smith (Muriel Donnelly) – The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
  • Olivia Colman (Queen Elizabeth) – Hyde Park on Hudson
  • Vanessa Redgrave (Marion) – Song for Marion

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Sponsored by Sanderson & St Martins Lane

  • Billy Connolly (Wilf) – Quartet
  • Cillian Murphy (Mike Kiernan) – Broken
  • Domhnall Gleeson (Connor) – Shadow Dancer
  • Rory Kinnear (Bob Oswald) – Broken
  • Tom Wilkinson (Graham Dashwood) – The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

MOST PROMISING NEWCOMER
Sponsored by Studiocanal

  • Elliott Tittensor (Tits) – Spike Island
  • Eloise Laurence (Skunk) – Broken
  • James Floyd (Rashid) – My Brother the Devil
  • Paul Brannigan (Robbie) – The Angels’ Share
  • Zawe Ashton (Joyce Vincent) – Dreams of a Life

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN PRODUCTION
Sponsored by Company3

  • Berberian Sound Studio
  • Ill Manors
  • Sightseers
  • The Imposter
  • The Sweeney

BEST TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT
Sponsored by LightBrigade Media

  • Nic Knowland Bsc– Cinematography – Berberian Sound Studio
  • Joakim Sundström, Stevie Haywood AMPS IPS– Sound Design – Berberian Sound Studio
  • Electric Wave Bureau – Music – Broken
  • Robbie Ryan – Cinematography – Ginger & Rosa
  • Andrew Hulme – Editing – The Imposter

BEST DOCUMENTARY

  • Dreams of a Life
  • London: The Modern Babylon
  • Marley
  • Roman Polanski: A Film Memoir
  • The Imposter

BEST BRITISH SHORT
Supported by the BFI

  • Friday
  • Junk
  • Skyborn
  • Swimmer
  • Volume

BEST INTERNATIONAL INDEPENDENT FILM

  • Amour
  • Beasts of the Southern Wild
  • Rust & Bone
  • Searching For Sugar Man
  • The Hunt

THE RAINDANCE AWARD

  • Frank
  • Strings
  • Love Tomorrow
  • City Slacker
  • Jason Becker: Not Dead Yet

THE RICHARD HARRIS AWARD (for outstanding contribution by an actor to British Film)

  • To Be Announced

THE VARIETY AWARD

  • To Be Announced

The 2012 Moët British Independent Film Awards will be held on 9th December, giving us just over a month to sort out all our predictions with the final list of nominees now announced. Let us know your hopes (and predictions, if they differ) in the comments below.

 

London, Monday 5 November The nominations for the 15th annual Moët British Independent Film Awards were announced today, at St Martins Lane, London by actor and BIFA Patron, Adrian Lester.

Joint Directors, The Moët British Independent Film Awards’ Johanna von Fischer & Tessa Collinson said: “In this our 15th year, we are delighted to welcome back six-time former host James Nesbitt. We would like to take this opportunity to thank our dedicated Pre-Selection Committee who watched over 200 films in order to produce the 2012 Nominations, which once again reflect the diverse range of British film talent, and also welcome this year’s appointed independent Jury who will now spend the next month considering the nominated films.”

The highest number of nominations this year goes to Broken with 9 nominations including Best Film, Best Director and Best Debut Director for Rufus Norris, Best Actor for Tim Roth and two Best Supporting Actor nominations for Cillian Murphy and Rory Kinnear. Sightseers and Berberian Sound Studio both picked up 7 nominations each.

Nominations for Best Actress go to Alice Lowe for Sightseers, Andrea Riseborough for Shadow Dancer, Elle Fanning for Ginger & Rosa, Judi Dench for The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and Meryl Streep for The Iron Lady. Along with Tim Roth for Broken, leading men hoping to take home the Best Actor award include Riz Ahmed for Ill Manors, Steve Oram for Sightseers, Terence Stamp for Song for Marion and Toby Jones for Berberian Sound Studio.

Directors who have delivered dynamic debuts this year and are fighting for the Douglas Hickox Award are Bart Layton for The Imposter, Ben Drew for Ill Manors, Rowan Athale for Wasteland, Sally El Hosaini for My Brother the Devil and as mentioned previously Rufus Norris for Broken.

Best supporting Actor nominations go to Billy Connolly for Quartet, Domhnall Gleeson for Shadow Dancer, Tom Wilkinson for The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and the two Broken actors Cillian Murphy & Rory Kinnear.

Alice Englert for Ginger & Rosa, Eileen Davies for Sightseers, Maggie Smith for The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Olivia Colman for Hyde Park on Hudson and Vanessa Redgrave for Song for Marion are all nominated for the Best Supporting Actress Award.

Emelie De Vitis, Marketing Director for Moët & Chandon commented: “Moët & Chandon is delighted to support BIFA for the third year running. The nominations again reveal the amazing depth of film talent in Britain and we look forward to toasting the winners’ success along with BIFA’s 15th birthday on December 9th’.

Amanda Nevill, Chief Executive of the BFI, comments:
“At 15 years old, the BIFAs are now firmly established as a key date in the UK film industry calendar and we’re delighted to be supporting this year’s awards. The BIFAs are the UK’s only awards focusing entirely on independent British films, as such they really help to shine a spotlight on the vast range and breadth of excellence in independent UK filmmaking – helping to promote independent British films to new audiences, and setting a focus on the Best of British just as the international awards season begins.”

The Raindance Award nominees for 2012 include: Frank, Strings, Love Tomorrow City Slacker and Jason Becker: Not Dead Yet. This award honours exceptional achievement for filmmakers working against the odds, often with little or no industry support. Elliot Grove, Founder Raindance Film Festival and Moët British Independent Film Awards added: “The Raindance Award has become the beacon for new talent. These five films show what Raindance is all about: great acting, storytelling and production values, each made with limited resources against impossible odds.”

The Pre-Selection Committee of 70 members viewed nearly 200 films, out of which they selected the nominations, which were decided by ballot.

The winners of The Moët British Independent Film Awards are decided by an independent jury comprised of leading professionals and talent from the British film industry.

The Jury for 2012 includes:
Chair – Alison Owen (Producer), Adrian Hodges (Writer), Christine Bottomley (Actress), Danny Leigh (Film Critic), Iain Canning (Producer), Jamie Thraves (Director/Writer), Jina Jay (Casting Director), John Boyega (Actor), John Fletcher (Marketing Director, Paramount), Lesley Sharp (Actress), Maria Djurkovic (Production Designer), Michelle Eastwood (Producer), Nick Angel (Music Supervisor), Paul Franklin (SFX Supervisor), Tom Hiddleston (Actor), Tristan Goligher (Producer).

The winners will be announced at the much anticipated 15th awards ceremony which will be hosted by actor and BIFA Patron, James Nesbitt, who returns for his seventh year on Sunday 9 December at the impressive Old Billingsgate in London.

The Moët British Independent Film Awards is proud to announce the following nominees for this year’s awards:

BEST BRITISH INDEPENDENT FILM
Sponsored by Moët & Chandon
Berberian Sound Studio
Broken
Sightseers
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
The Imposter

BEST DIRECTOR
Sponsored by AllCity & Intermission
Bart Layton – The Imposter
Ben Wheatley – Sightseers
John Madden – The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Peter Strickland – Berberian Sound Studio
Rufus Norris – Broken

THE DOUGLAS HICKOX AWARD [BEST DEBUT DIRECTOR]
Sponsored by 3 Mills Studios
Bart Layton – The Imposter
Ben Drew – Ill Manors
Rowan Athale – Wasteland
Rufus Norris – Broken
Sally El Hosaini – My Brother the Devil

BEST SCREENPLAY
Sponsored by BBC Films
Abi Morgan – The Iron Lady
Alice Lowe, Steve Oram, Amy Jump – Sightseers
Mark O’Rowe – Broken
Paul Andrew Williams – Song for Marion
Peter Strickland – Berberian Sound Studio

BEST ACTRESS
Sponsored by M.A.C
Alice Lowe (Tina) – Sightseers
Andrea Riseborough (Colette McVeigh) – Shadow Dancer
Elle Fanning (Ginger) – Ginger & Rosa
Judi Dench (Evelyn Greenslade) – The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Meryl Streep (Margaret Thatcher) – The Iron Lady

BEST ACTOR
Riz Ahmed (Aaron) – Ill Manors
Steve Oram (Chris) – Sightseers
Terence Stamp (Arthur) – Song for Marion
Tim Roth (Archie) – Broken
Toby Jones (Gilderoy) – Berberian Sound Studio

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Alice Englert (Rosa) – Ginger & Rosa
Eileen Davies (Carol) – Sightseers
Maggie Smith (Muriel Donnelly) – The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Olivia Colman (Queen Elizabeth) – Hyde Park on Hudson
Vanessa Redgrave (Marion) – Song for Marion

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Sponsored by Sanderson & St Martins Lane
Billy Connolly (Wilf) – Quartet
Cillian Murphy (Mike Kiernan) – Broken
Domhnall Gleeson (Connor) – Shadow Dancer
Rory Kinnear (Bob Oswald) – Broken
Tom Wilkinson (Graham Dashwood) – The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

MOST PROMISING NEWCOMER
Sponsored by Studiocanal
Elliott Tittensor (Tits) – Spike Island
Eloise Laurence (Skunk) – Broken
James Floyd (Rashid) – My Brother the Devil
Paul Brannigan (Robbie) – The Angels’ Share
Zawe Ashton (Joyce Vincent) – Dreams of a Life

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN PRODUCTION
Sponsored by Company3
Berberian Sound Studio
Ill Manors
Sightseers
The Imposter
The Sweeney

BEST TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT
Sponsored by LightBrigade Media
Nic Knowland Bsc– Cinematography – Berberian Sound Studio
Joakim Sundström, Stevie Haywood AMPS IPS– Sound Design – Berberian Sound Studio
Electric Wave Bureau – Music – Broken
Robbie Ryan – Cinematography – Ginger & Rosa
Andrew Hulme – Editing – The Imposter

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Dreams of a Life
London: The Modern Babylon
Marley
Roman Polanski: A Film Memoir
The Imposter

BEST BRITISH SHORT
Supported by the BFI
Friday
Junk
Skyborn
Swimmer
Volume

BEST INTERNATIONAL INDEPENDENT FILM
Amour
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Rust & Bone
Searching For Sugar Man
The Hunt

THE RAINDANCE AWARD
Frank
Strings
Love Tomorrow
City Slacker
Jason Becker: Not Dead Yet

THE RICHARD HARRIS AWARD (for outstanding contribution by an actor to British Film)
To Be Announced

THE VARIETY AWARD
To Be Announced

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR