‘Kneecap’ and ‘Love Lies Bleeding’ Lead 2024 British Independent Film Awards Nominations (BIFA)

This morning, Mia McKenna-Bruce and Vivian Oparah announced the British Independent Film Awards 2024 nominees where Kneecap and Love Lies Bleeding led the field each with nominations for Best British Independent Film, Best Director and Best Joint Lead Performance for their casts.

Kneecap, Rich Peppiatt’s comedy following the west Belfast hip-hop trio and their mission to save their mother tongue leads the nominations with an impressive 14, including Best Director sponsored by Sky Cinema, Best Screenplay sponsored by Apple Original Films, The Douglas Hickox Award (Best Debut Director) sponsored by BBC Film and and Best Debut Screenwriter sponsored by Film4 for Peppiatt. The Kneecap trio Liam Óg Ó Hannaidh, Naoise Ó Cairealláin, JJ Ó Dochartaigh are nominated for Best Joint Lead Performance. The film is also nominated for Best British Independent Film plus eight craft categories: Best Casting sponsored by Casting Society & Spotlight, Best Cinematography sponsored by Kodak & Molinare, Best Costume Design, Best Editing, Best Music Supervision, Best Original Music sponsored by Universal Music Publishing Group, Best Production Design sponsored by ATC & Broadsword and Best Sound.

Rose Glass was a BIFA winner in 2020 for Saint Maud. Her sophomore feature, the neo noir Love Lies Bleeding, scored 12 nominations. Alongside Best British Independent Film and Best Director (sponsored by Sky Cinema for Glass), are Best Screenplay sponsored by Apple Original Films for Glass and Weronika Toilska, Best Joint Lead Performance for stars Katy O’Brian and Kristen Stewart, and eight craft nominations. These are Best Casting sponsored by Casting Society & Spotlight, Best Cinematography sponsored by Kodak & Molinare for Ben Fordesman, who won this award in 2020, Best Costume Design, Best Effects, Best Make-Up & Hair Design, Best Original Music sponsored by Universal Music Publishing Group for three-time nominated Clint Mansell, Best Production Design sponsored by ATC & Broadsword and Best Sound.

Based on Amy Liptrot’s best-selling novel of self discovery and sobriety in the wilds of Orkney, The Outrun garnered nine nominations, including Best British Independent Film, Best Director sponsored by Sky Cinema for Nora Fingsheidt, Best Screenplay sponsored by Apple Original Films for Fingscheidt and Amy Liptrot and Best Lead Performance for BIFA veteran Soairse Ronan, who won Best Actress in 2015 for her role in Brooklyn. Best Cinematography sponsored by Kodak & Molinare, Best Editing, Best Make-Up & Hair Design, Best Original Music sponsored by Universal Music Publishing Group and Best Sound round out the film’s nominations.

On Becoming a Guinea Fowl, BIFA winner Rungano Nyoni’s powerful exploration of buried secrets and grief within a middle-class Zambian family also scores seven nominations: Best British Independent Film, Best Director sponsored by Sky Cinema and Best Screenplay sponsored by Apple Original Films, Best Lead Performance and Breakthrough Performance sponsored by Netflix nods for newcomer Susan Chardy, Best Supporting Performance for Elizabeth Chisela, and Best Casting sponsored by Casting Society & Spotlight for last year’s winner Isabella Odoffin.

Rounding out the Best British Independent Film nominees, Santosh details a Hindu widow given a chance at a new life is forced to face corruption both systemic and personal in gripping cop thriller Santosh, which has nominations for Best Screenplay sponsored by Apple Original Films and Best Debut Screenwriter sponsored by Film4 for Sandyha Suri as well as Breakthrough Producer sponsored by Pinewood and Shepperton Studios for Balthazar De Ganay and James Bowsher.

Andrea Arnold’s fifth feature Bird follows a teenager with a difficult homelife searching for a way to fly free. The film picks up seven nominations, including a Best Director sponsored by Sky Cinema nomination for Arnold, who won this award for Fish Tank in 2009, alongside Best Supporting Performance nominations for Barry Keoghan and Franz Rogowski, Breakthrough Performance sponsored by Netflix for star Nykiya Adams, and Best Casting sponsored by Casting Society & Spotlight, Best Editing and Best Original Music sponsored by Universal Music Publishing Group.

Forbidden love, prejudice and the power of being true to yourself garners James Krishna Floyd nominations for the Douglas Hickox Award (Best Debut Director) sponsored by BBC Film and Best Debut Screenwriter sponsored by Film4 for Unicorns. Stars Ben Hardy and Jason Patel net Best Joint Lead Performance nominations, with Jason Patel also nominated for Breakthrough Performance sponsored by Netflix. With craft nominations Best Costume Design, Best Make-Up and Hair Design and Best Original Music sponsored by Universal Music Publishing Group, Unicorns has a total of seven nominations. 

First features continue to shine, with Luna Carmoon netting a Douglas Hickox Award (Best Debut Director) sponsored by BBC Film nomination for Hoard, a visceral and intense tale of unconventional love, childhood trauma, longing and redemption. Amongst its six nominations are Best Joint Lead Performance for Joseph Quinn and Saura Lightfoot-Leon, Breakthrough Performance sponsored by Netflix for Lightfoot-Leon, Best Supporting Performance for 2016 BIFA winner Hayley Squires and two craft nominations.

Alex Garland’s Civil War earned six craft award nominations, including Best Cinematography sponsored by Kodak & Molinare nomination for Rob Hardy (his second BIFA nomination in this category) and another Best Effects nod for 2022 winner David Simpson. The film also has nominations for Best Costume Design, Best Editing, Best Production Design sponsored by ATC & Broadsword, and a third BIFA nomination for Glen Freemantle for Best Sound. Lee, the biopic of acclaimed war photographer Lee Miller, takes three craft nominations, Firebrand, the tense drama of Henry VIII’s 6th wife Katherine Parr’s fight for survival in blood soaked Tudor England, has two, including a fourth Best Costume Design nomination for Michael O’Connor. Documentary Made in England, The Films of Powell and Pressburger is recognised in Best Editing. 

For the group’s international independent film award, the nominees are All We Imagine as Light, Anora, La chimera, No Other Land and The Seed of the Sacred Fig. Last year’s winner here, Justine Triet’s Anatomy of a Fall, went on to earn five Academy Award nominations and earn a win for Original Screenplay.

At last year’s BIFAs, Rye Lane, Scrapper, All of Us Strangers and How to Have Sex led the nominations.

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.

Here is the full list of nominations.

Best British Independent Film

Kneecap
Love Lies Bleeding
On Becoming a Guinea Fowl
The Outrun
Santosh

Best Director

Andrea Arnold, Bird
Nora Fingscheidt, The Outrun
Rose Glass, Love Lies Bleeding
Rungano Nyoni, On Becoming a Guinea Fowl
Rich Peppiatt, Kneecap

Best Lead Performance

Radhika Apte, Sister Midnight
Susan Chardy, On Becoming a Guinea Fowl
Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Hard Truths
Elliot Page, Close to You
Saoirse Ronan, The Outrun
Alicia Vikander, The Assessment

Best Supporting Performance

Michele Austin, Hard Truths
Elizabeth Chisela, On Becoming a Guinea Fowl
Barry Keoghan, Bird
Jack O’Connell, Back to Black
Franz Rogowski, Bird
Hayley Squires, Hoard

Best Joint Lead Performance

Ben Hardy and Jason Patel, Unicorns
Saura Lightfoot-Leon and Joseph Quinn, Hoard
Katy O’Brian and Kristen Stewart, Love Lies Bleeding
Naoise Ó Cairealláin, JJ Ó Dochartaigh, & Liam Óg Ó Hannaidh – Kneecap

Best Screenplay

Rich Peppiatt, Kneecap
Rose Glass and Weronika Tofilska, Love Lies Bleeding
Rungano Nyoni, On Becoming a Guinea Fowl
Nora Fingscheidt and Amy Liptrot, The Outrun
Sandhya Suri, Santosh

Best Documentary

The Contestant
Grand Theft Hamlet
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story
Two Strangers Trying Not to Kill Each Other
Witches

Best International Independent Film

All We Imagine as Light
Anora
La chimera
No Other Land
The Seed of the Sacred Fig

Best British Short Film

Delivery
Housewarming
Meat Puppet
A Move
Wander to Wonder

Douglas Hickox Award (Best Debut Director)

Christopher Andrews, Bring Them Down
Luna Carmoon, Hoard
James Krishna Floyd, Unicorns (also directed by Sally El Hosaini)
Karan Kandhari, Sister Midnight
Rich Peppiatt, Kneecap

Breakthrough Performance

Nykiya Adams, Bird
Susan Chardy, On Becoming a Guinea Fowl
Saura Lightfoot-Leon, Hoard
Ruaridh Mollica, Sebastian
Jason Patel, Unicorns

Best Debut Screenwriter

Mrs. & Mr. Thomas, The Assessment (also written by John Donnelly)
Rich Peppiatt, Kneecap
Sandhya Suri, Santosh
Karan Kandhari, Sister Midnight
James Krishna Floyd, Unicorns

Breakthrough Producer

Jacob Swan Hyam, Bring Them Down (also produced by Julianne Ford, Ivana MacKinnon, Jean-Yves Roubin, Ruth Treacey, and Cassandre Warnauts)
Hollie Bryan and Lucy Meer, The Ceremony
Rebecca Wolff, Grand Theft Hamlet (also produced by Julia Ton)
Balthazar de Ganay and James Bowsher, Santosh (also produced by Mike Goodridge and Alan McAlex)
Ben Toye, Treading Water

Best Debut Director – Feature Documentary

Pinny Grylls and Sam Crane, Grand Theft Hamlet
Manon Ouimet and Jacob Perlmutter, Two Strangers Trying Not to Kill Each Other
Rachel Ramsay, Copa 71 (also directed by James Erskine)
Clair Titley, The Contestant

Raindance Maverick Award

The Ceremony
Grand Theft Hamlet
Restless
Satu – The Year of the Rabbit
Witches

Best Casting

Lucy Pardee, Bird
Heather Basten, Hoard
Carla Stronge, Kneecap
Mary Vernieu and Lindsay Graham Ahanonu, Love Lies Bleeding
Isabella Odoffin, On Becoming a Guinea Fowl

Best Cinematography

Rob Hardy, Civil War
Ryan Kernaghan, Kneecap
Pawel Edelman, Lee
Ben Fordesman, Love Lies Bleeding
Yunus Roy Imer, The Outrun

Best Editing

Joe Bini, Bird
Jake Roberts, Civil War
Julian Ulrichs and Chris Gill, Kneecap
Margarida Cartaxo and Stuart Davidson, Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger
Stephen Bechinger, The Outrun

Best Production Design

Jan Houllevigue, The Assessment
Caty Maxey, Civil War
Bobbie Cousins, Hoard
Nicola Moroney, Kneecap
Katie Hickman, Love Lies Bleeding

Best Costume Design

Meghan Kasperlik, Civil War
Michael O’Connor, Firebrand
Zjena Glamocanin, Kneecap
Olga Mill, Love Lies Bleeding
Nirage Mirage, Unicorns

Best Make-Up & Hair Design

Peta Dunstall, Back to Black
Jenny Shircore, Firebrand
Megan Daum and Frieda Valenzuela, Love Lies Bleeding
Kat Morgan, The Outrun
Lisa Mustafa, Unicorns

Best Original Music

Burial, Bird
Michael “Mikey J” Asante, Kneecap
Clint Mansell, Love Lies Bleeding
John Gürtler and Jan Miserre, The Outrun
Stuart Earl, Unicorns

Best Music Supervision

Iain Cooke and Giles Martin, Back to Black
Gary Welch and Jeanette Rehnstrom, Kneecap
Kle Savidge, Sister Midnight

Best Sound

Glen Freemantle, Civil War
Louise Burton, Brendan Rehill, Aza Hand, & Simon Kerr – Kneecap
Mike Prestwood Smith, Csaba Major, & Jimmy Boyle – Lee
Paul Davies, Andrew Stirk, Linda Forsén, Rose Bladh, & Tim Burns – Love Lies Bleeding
Dominik Leube, Oscar Stiebitz, Jonathan Schorr, & Gregor Bonse – The Outrun

Best Effects

David Simpson, Civil War
Glen McGuigan and Ingo Putze, Lee
James Allen, Love Lies Bleeding