British Independent Film Awards: ‘Kneecap,’ ‘Love Lies Bleeding’ Lead Nominations
The 2024 British Independent Film Awards (BIFAs) nominations were unveiled Tuesday morning by Mia McKenna-Bruce (How to Have Sex) and Vivian Oparah (Rye Lane) at One Hundred Shoreditch in London, with Kneecap, the Irish rap comedy featuring Michael Fassbender, and Love Lies Bleeding with Kristen Stewart leading the charge, followed by The Outrun with Saoirse Ronan, as well as Andrea Arnold’s Bird with Barry Keoghan, queer romance Unicorns, and Rungano Nyoni’s On Becoming a Guinea Fowl.
In the performance categories, big-name nominees include the likes of Saoirse Ronan, Barry Keoghan, Kristen Stewart, Alicia Vikander, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Elliot Page, and Jack O’Connell.
In the best international feature category, Sean Baker’s Anora will compete with the likes of Mohammad Rasoulof‘s The Seed of the Sacred Fig.
“Celebrating remarkable films and outstanding talent from the British film industry and beyond, this year’s list highlights the U.K.’s brightest new talent alongside BIFA heroes such as Andrea Arnold, Rose Glass, Rungano Nyoni, Saoirse Ronan, Jack O’Connell, Barry Keoghan and Hayley Squires,” the organization said.
Leading the nominations with 14 is Kneecap, Rich Peppiatt’s comedy following the West Belfast hip-hop trio of the same name and their mission to save their mother tongue. Among others, it scored nominations for the best British independent film category, best director, best debut director, best screenplay, as well as best debut screenwriter. The Kneecap trio of Liam Óg Ó Hannaidh, Naoise Ó Cairealláin, JJ Ó Dochartaigh is also nominated for the best joint lead performance honor. Plus, the movie is in the running for eight craft awards.
Love Lies Bleeding by director Rose Glass, who won the 2020 BIFA for Saint Maud, received 12 nominations overall. Those include noms in the best British independent film, best director and best screenplay categories, as well as for best joint lead performance for stars Katy O’Brian and Stewart, along with eight craft noms.
Based on Amy Liptrot’s best-selling novel of self-discovery and sobriety in the wilds of Orkney, Nora Fingsheidt’s The Outrun earned nine nominations in such categories as best British independent film, best director, best screenplay, best cinematography, best editing, and best lead performance for BIFA veteran Ronan, who won the best actress honor in 2015 for her role in Brooklyn.
Andrew Haigh’s gay romance All of Us Strangers took home the lion’s share of the honors at the 2023 BIFAs. This year’s ceremony will take place at the Roundhouse in Camden, London on Dec. 8.
Check out the full list of 2024 BIFA nominations below.
The Richard Harris Award for Outstanding Contribution by an Actor to British Film
To be unveiled in the coming weeks
Best British Independent Film
KNEECAP Rich Peppiatt, Trevor Birney, Jack Tarling
LOVE LIES BLEEDING Rose Glass, Weronika Tofilska, Andrea Cornwell, Oliver Kassman
ON BECOMING A GUINEA FOWL Rungano Nyoni, Tim Cole, Ed Guiney, Andrew Lowe
THE OUTRUN Nora Fingscheidt, Amy Liptrot, Sarah Brocklehurst, Dominic Norris, Jack Lowden, Saoirse Ronan
SANTOSH Sandhya Suri, Mike Goodridge, James Bowsher, Balthazar de Ganay, Alan McAlex
Best International Independent Film, sponsored by Champagne Taittinger
ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT Payal Kapadia, Thomas Hakim, Julien Graff
ANORA Sean Baker, Alex Coco, Samantha Quan
LA CHIMERA Alice Rohrwacher, Carlo Cresto-Dina, Paolo Del Brocco
NO OTHER LAND Basel Adra, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham, Fabrien Greenberg, Bård Kjøge Rønning
THE SEED OF THE SACRED FIG Mohammad Rasoulof, Rozita Hendijanian, Amin Sadraei, Jean-Christophe Simon, Mani Tilgner
Best Director, sponsored by Sky Cinema
ANDREA ARNOLD Bird
NORA FINGSCHEIDT The Outrun
ROSE GLASS Love Lies Bleeding
RUNGANO NYONI On Becoming a Guinea Fowl
RICH PEPPIATT Kneecap
Best Screenplay, sponsored by Apple Original Films
NORA FINGSCHEIDT, AMY LIPTROT The Outrun
ROSE GLASS, WERONIKA TOFILSKA Love Lies Bleeding
RUNGANO NYONI On Becoming a Guinea Fowl
RICH PEPPIATT Kneecap
SANDHYA SURI Santosh
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
JOSEPH QUINN, SAURA LIGHTFOOT LEON Hoard
KATY O’BRIAN, KRISTEN STEWART Love Lies Bleeding
LIAM ÓG Ó HANNAIDH, NAOISE Ó CAIREALLÁIN, JJ Ó DOCHARTAIGH Kneecap
JASON PATEL, BEN HARDY Unicorns
The Douglas Hickox Award (for best debut director), sponsored by BBC Film
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 Producer, sponsored by Pinewood and Shepperton Studios
HOLLIE BRYAN, LUCY MEER The Ceremony
BALTHAZAR DE GANAY, JAMES BOWSHER Santosh [also produced by Mike Goodridge, Alan McAlex]
JACOB SWAN HYAM Bring Them Down [also produced by also produced by Julianne Ford, Ivana MacKinnon, Jean-Yves Roubin, Ruth Treacey, Cassandre Warnauts]
BEN TOYE Treading Water
REBECCA WOLFF Grand Theft Hamlet [also produced by Julia Ton]
Breakthrough Performance, sponsored by Netflix
NYKIYA ADAMS Bird
SUSAN CHARDY On Becoming a Guinea Fowl
SAURA LIGHTFOOT-LEON Hoard
RUARIDH MOLLICA Sebastian
JASON PATEL Unicorns
Best Debut Director – Feature Documentary
PINNY GRYLLS, SAM CRANE Grand Theft Hamlet
MANON OUIMET, JACOB PERLMUTTER Two Strangers Trying Not to Kill Each Other
RACHEL RAMSAY Copa 71 [also directed by James Erskine]
CLAIR TITLEY The Contestant
Best Debut Screenwriter, sponsored by Film4
JAMES KRISHNA FLOYD Unicorns
KARAN KANDHARI Sister Midnight
RICH PEPPIATT Kneecap
SANDHYA SURI Santosh
MRS & MR THOMAS The Assessment [also written by John Donnelly]
The Raindance Maverick Award
THE CEREMONY Jack King, Hollie Bryan, Lucy Meer
GRAND THEFT HAMLET Pinny Grylls, Sam Crane, Julia Ton, Rebecca Wolff
RESTLESS Jed Hart, Benedict Turnbull
SATU – THE YEAR OF THE RABBIT Joshua Trigg
WITCHES Elizabeth Sankey, Jeremy Warmsley, Chiara Ventura, Manon Ardisson
Best Feature Documentary, sponsored by Intermission Film
THE CONTESTANT Clair Titley, Megumi Inman, Andee Ryder, Amit Dey, Ian Bonhôte
GRAND THEFT HAMLET Pinny Grylls, Sam Crane, Julia Ton, Rebecca Wolff
SUPER/MAN: THE CHRISTOPHER REEVE STORY Ian Bonhôte, Peter Ettedgui, Lizzie Gillett, Robert Ford
TWO STRANGERS TRYING NOT TO KILL EACH OTHER Jacob Perlmutter, Manon Ouimet, Signe Byrge Sørensen
WITCHES Elizabeth Sankey, Jeremy Warmsley, Chiara Ventura, Manon Ardisson
Best British Short Film
DELIVERY Ben Lankester, Bophanie Lun, Joe Binks
HOUSEWARMING Liam White, Guy Lindley
MEAT PUPPET Eros V, Masha Thorpe, Leah Draws
A MOVE Elahe Esmaili, Hossein Behboudi Rad
WANDER TO WONDER Nina Gantz, Stienette Bosklopper, Simon Cartwright, Daan Bakker, Maarten Swart
Best Casting, sponsored by Casting Society & Spotlight
HEATHER BASTEN Hoard
ISABELLA ODOFFIN On Becoming a Guinea Fowl
LUCY PARDEE Bird
CARLA STRONGE Kneecap
MARY VERNIEU, LINDSAY GRAHAM AHANONU Love Lies Bleeding
Best Cinematography, sponsored by Harbor & Kodak
PAWEL EDELMAN Lee
BEN FORDESMAN Love Lies Bleeding
ROB HARDY Civil War
YUNUS ROY IMER The Outrun
RYAN KERNAGHAN Kneecap
Best Costume Design
ZJENA GLAMOCANIN Kneecap
MEGHAN KASPERLIK Civil War
OLGA MILL Love Lies Bleeding
NIRAGE MIRAGE Unicorns
MICHAEL O’CONNOR Firebrand
Best Editing
STEPHEN BECHINGER The Outrun
JOE BINI Bird
MARGARIDA CARTAXO, STUART DAVIDSON Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger
JAKE ROBERTS Civil War
JULIAN ULRICHS, CHRIS GILL Kneecap
Best Effects
JAMES ALLEN Love Lies Bleeding
GLEN MCGUIGAN, INGO PUTZE Lee
DAVID SIMPSON Civil War
Best Make-Up & Hair Design
MEGAN DAUM, FRIEDA VALENZUELA Love Lies Bleeding
PETA DUNSTALL Back to Black
KAT MORGAN The Outrun
LISA MUSTAFA Unicorns
JENNY SHIRCORE Firebrand
Best Music Supervision
IAIN COOKE, GILES MARTIN Back to Black
KLE SAVIDGE Sister Midnight
GARY WELCH, JEANETTE REHNSTROM Kneecap
Best Original Music, sponsored by Universal Music Publishing Group
MICHAEL ‘MIKEY J’ ASANTE Kneecap
BURIAL Bird
STUART EARL Unicorns
JOHN GÜRTLER, JAN MISERRE The Outrun
CLINT MANSELL Love Lies Bleeding
Best Sound
LOUISE BURTON, BRENDAN REHILL, AZA HAND, SIMON KERR Kneecap
PAUL DAVIES, ANDREW STIRK, LINDA FORSÉN, ROSE BLADH, TIM BURNS Love Lies Bleeding
GLEN FREEMANTLE Civil War
DOMINIK LEUBE, OSCAR STIEBITZ, JONATHAN SCHORR, GREGOR BONSE The Outrun
MIKE PRESTWOOD SMITH, CSABA MAJOR, JIMMY BOYLE Lee
Best Production Design, sponsored by ATC & Broadsword
BOBBIE COUSINS Hoard
JAN HOULLEVIGUE The Assessment
KATIE HICKMAN Love Lies Bleeding
CATY MAXEY Civil War
NICOLA MORONEY Kneecap
