British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) Announce Breakthrough Performer Longlist Including Ruaridh Mollica, Susan Chardy and Trio of ‘Kneecap’ Actors
The British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) today announced the longlist of twelve for Breakthrough Performance, including Sebastian‘s Ruaridh Mollica, On Becoming a Guinea Fowl’s Susan Chardy and the trio of JJ Ó Dochartaigh, Liam Óg Ó Hannaidh and Naoise Ó Cairealláin from Kneecap, the Irish selection for the International Feature Film Oscar. The category is sponsored by Netflix.
They join the list of previous breakthrough performers spotlighted by BIFA, including past winners Vivian Oparah, Ben Whishaw, Jamie Bell, Naomi Ackie, Dev Patel, Jessie Buckley and Ashley Walters.
BIFA and We Are Bridge partner again to deliver the Breakthrough Performer Program, which launched in 2023 to offer development and support to the talent longlisted in this category. Running over six months, the programme will include sessions covering career development, wellbeing, casting and financial literacy in addition to networking opportunities. This year’s program is supported by Independent Talent Group with additional contributions from CAM, Conway Van Gelder Grant, SISTER, Lark Management and donations from casting directors, producers and directors.
The final five nominees will be announced Thursday, November 5. Winners will be revealed at the BIFA awards ceremony on Sunday, December 8, which sees BIFA return to Camden’s iconic Roundhouse for its 27th edition.
BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE SPONSORED BY NETFLIX
NYKIYA ADAMS for Bird
JASON BUDA for Bird
SUSAN CHARDY for On Becoming a Guinea Fowl
JOE GILL for Treading Water
BILAL HASNA for Layla
DEBA HEKMAT for Last Swim
SAURA LIGHTFOOT LEON for Hoard
RUARIDH MOLLICA for Sebastian
JJ Ó DOCHARTAIGH for Kneecap
LIAM ÓG Ó HANNAIDH for Kneecap
NAOISE Ó CAIREALLÁIN for Kneecap
JASON PATEL for Unicorns
He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Critics Choice Association (CCA), San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle (SFBAFCC) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.
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