Akinola Davies Jr.’s debut feature, My Father’s Shadow, leads this year’s British Independent Film Award nominations with 12 nods, including Best Director and Best Screenplay. Scroll down for the full list.
Directed by Davies Jr. from a screenplay he wrote with his brother, Wale, the film’s impressive haul also includes nods in the Best British Independent Film, Best Debut Director, and Best Debut Screenwriter categories, alongside several craft nods, including Best Cinematography and Best Costume Design. Deadline’s Baz Bamigboye profiled Davies Jr. out of Cannes, where the film debuted. You can check out that profile here.
Trailing My Father’s Shadow is Harry Lighton’s debut feature, Pillion. The film has 10 nominations, including Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Debut Director, and Best Debut Screenwriter.
Elsewhere, Kirk Jones’ I Swear, a feature that chronicles the life of tourettes campaigner John Davison, racked up nine nominations. Lynne Ramsay’s Die My Love has eight nominations. Laura Carreira landed Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Debut Director, and Best Debut Screenwriter nominations for her 2024 breakout, On Falling, which was produced by Jack Thomas-O’Brien of Sixteen Films.
It was announced today that this year’s Best Ensemble Performance award will be presented to Alex Garland’s Navy SEAL drama, Warfare. The ensemble includes D’Pharoah Woon-A-Tai, Will Poulter, Cosmo Jarvis, Kit Connor, Finn Bennett, Joseph Quinn, and Charles Melton. Warfare also received six craft nominations, including a fourth Best Casting nomination for Kharmel Cochrane, Best Editing, Best Effects, Best Make-Up & Hair Design, Best Production Design, and Best Sound.
This year’s nominees for the Best International Independent Film BIFA are Jafar Panahi’s It Was Just An Accident, Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value, Sirāt from Oliver Laxe, Eva Victor’s debut feature Sorry, Baby, and Mascha Schilinski’s Sound of Falling.
The 2025 BIFA Awards will take place on November 30 at the Roundhouse in London.
British Independent Film Awards Nominations:
Best British Independent FilmTHE BALLAD OF WALLIS ISLAND James Griffiths, Tom Basden, Tim Key, Rupert MajendieI SWEAR Kirk Jones, Georgia Bayliff, Piers TempestMY FATHER’S SHADOW Akinola Davies Jr, Wale Davies, Rachel Dargavel, Funmbi OgunbanwoPILLION Harry Lighton, Lee Groombridge, Ed Guiney, Andrew Lowe, Emma NortonURCHIN Harris Dickinson, Archie Pearch, Scott O’Donnell
Cinema of the YearDEPOT CINEMATHE MAGIC LANTERN CINEMAMONTROSE PLAYHOUSEQUEEN’S FILM THEATREWATERSHED
Best DirectorLAURA CARREIRA On FallingAKINOLA DAVIES JR My Father’s ShadowKIRK JONES I SwearHARRY LIGHTON PillionLYNNE RAMSAY Die My Love
Best ScreenplayTOM BASDEN, TIM KEY The Ballad of Wallis IslandLAURA CARREIRA On FallingWALE DAVIES My Father’s ShadowKIRK JONES I SwearHARRY LIGHTON Pillion
Best Lead PerformanceROBERT ARAMAYO I SwearFRANK DILLANE UrchinDAVID JONSSON WastemanJENNIFER LAWRENCE Die My LoveHARRY MELLING PillionCILLIAN MURPHY Steve
Best Supporting PerformanceTOM BLYTH WastemanSCOTT ELLIS WATSON I SwearJAY LYCURGO StevePETER MULLAN I SwearMAXINE PEAKE I SwearALEXANDER SKARSGÅRD Pillion
Best Joint Lead PerformanceEBADA HASSAN, SAFFIYA INGAR BridesTIM KEY, TOM BASDEN The Ballad of Wallis IslandANDREA RISEBOROUGH, BRENDA BLETHYN Dragonfly
Best Ensemble PerformanceWARFARE D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Will Poulter, Cosmo Jarvis, Kit Connor, Finn Bennett, Joseph Quinn, Charles Melton
The Douglas Hickox Award(Best Debut Director)sponsored by BBC FilmLAURA CARREIRA On FallingAKINOLA DAVIES JR. My Father’s ShadowHARRIS DICKINSON UrchinHARRY LIGHTON PillionCAL McMAU Wasteman
Breakthrough ProducerWYN BAPTISTE Shoot the PeopleCHARLOTTE KNOWLES Palestine Comedy ClubJOANN KUSHNER LifeHack [also produced by Timur Bekmambetov, Aleksandr Kletzov]DHIRAJ MAHEY Ish [also produced by Bennett McGhee]ARCHIE PEARCH Urchin [also produced by Scott O’Donnell]
Breakthrough PerformanceSCOTT ELLIS WATSON I SwearEBADA HASSAN BridesSAFIYYA INGAR BridesPOSY STERLING LollipopCONNOR TOMPKINS The Son and the Sea
Best Debut ScreenwriterHUNTER ANDREWS, EOIN DORAN WastemanTOM BASDEN, TIM KEY The Ballad of Wallis IslandLAURA CARREIRA On FallingWALE DAVIES My Father’s ShadowHARRY LIGHTON Pillion
Best Debut Director – Feature DocumentaryMYRID CARTEN A Want in HerCÉCILE EMBLETON, ALYS TOMLINSON Mother VeraVICTORIA MAPPLEBECK Motherboard
The Raindance Maverick AwardFOUL EVIL DEEDS Richard HunterHOLLOWAY Sophie Compton, Daisy-May Hudson, Stella Heath Keir, Alice Hughes, Polly CreedMOTHER VERA Cécile Embleton, Alys Tomlinson, Laura ShachamMOTHERBOARD Victoria MapplebeckA WANT IN HER Myrid Carten
Best Feature DocumentaryANTIDOTE James Jones, David MoultonMOTHER VERA Cécile Embleton, Alys Tomlinson, Laura ShachamMOTHERBOARD Victoria MapplebeckTHE SHEPHERD AND THE BEAR Max Keegan, Elizabeth Woodward, Amanda McBaine, Jesse MossA WANT IN HER Myrid Carten, Tadhg O’Sullivan, Roisín Geraghty, Kat Mansoor
Best British Short FilmFLOCK Mac Nixon, Matt Ashwell, Daley NixonMAGID / ZAFAR Luís Hindman, Sufiyaan Salam, Aidan Robert BrooksA SISYPHEAN TASK Gus Flind-Henry, George Malcher, George TelferSTOMACH BUG Matty Crawford, Karima Sammout KanellopoulouTWO BLACK BOYS IN PARADISE Ben Jackson, Baz Sells, Dean Atta
Best International Independent FilmIT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT Jafar Panahi, Phillippe MartinSENTIMENTAL VALUE Joachim Trier, Eskil Vogt, Maria Ekerhovd, Andrea Berentsen OttmarSIRĀT Oliver Laxe, Santiago Fillol, Domingo Corral, Oriol Maymó, Andrea Queralt, Mani Mortazavi, Xavi Font, Pedro Almodóvar, Agustín Almodóvar, Esther GarcíaSORRY, BABY Eva Victor, Adele Romanski, Mark Ceryak, Barry JenkinsSOUND OF FALLING Mascha Schilinski, Louise Pete, Maren Schmitt, Lucas Schmidt
Best CastingSHAHEEN BAIG BridesSHAHEEN BAIG UrchinKHARMEL COCHRANE WarfareLAUREN EVANS I SwearROBERT STERNE Steve
Best CinematographyCHARLOTTE BRUUS CHRISTENSEN H Is for HawkJERMAINE EDWARDS My Father’s ShadowCÉCILE EMBLETON Mother VeraSEAMUS McGARVEY Die My LovePIOTR NIEMYJSKI A Pale View of Hills
Best Costume DesignSUSIE COULTHARD 100 Nights of HeroKIRSTY HALLIDAY TornadoGRACE SNELL PillionSAYAKA TAKAHASHI, MATTHEW PRICE A Pale View of HillsPC WILLIAMS My Father’s Shadow
Best EditingRONAN CORRIGAN, ALEKSANDR KLETSOV LifeHackOMAR GUZMÁN CASTRO My Father’s ShadowFIN OATES WarfareSAM RICE-EDWARDS One to One: John & YokoGARETH C. SCALES Pillion
Best EffectsSIMON STANLEY-CLAMP, RYAN CONDER WarfareVICTOR TOMI Die My LoveHAYLEY WILLIAMS, CONOR O’SULLIVAN, MARTIN MALMQVIST The Thing With Feathers
Best Music SupervisionPHIL CANNING WastemanIAN NEIL, RAIFE BURCHELL Die My LoveBRIDGET SAMUELS Urchin
Best Make-Up & Hair DesignKEHINDE ARE, FEYZO OYEBISI My Father’s ShadowDIANDRA FERREIRA PillionPAUL GOOCH, TRISTAN VERSLUIS WarfareCOLLEEN LABAFF, MIHO SUZUKI Die My LoveNATASHA LAWES 100 Nights of Hero
Best Original MusicTOM BASDEN, ADEM ILHAN The Ballad of Wallis IslandBOBBY KRLIC AnemoneJED KURZEL TornadoCJ MIRRA My Father’s ShadowSTEVEN PRICE Ocean With David Attenborough
Best Production DesignJENNIFER ANTI, PABLO ANTI My Father’s ShadowMARK DIGBY WarfareTIM GRIMES Die My LoveNATHAN PARKER HarvestSOFIA SACOMANI 100 Nights of Hero
Best SoundSTEVE FANAGAN, STEVIE HAYWOOD AnemoneTIM BURNS, PAUL DAVIES, LINDA FORSÉN, ANDREW STIRK, RON OSIOWY Die My LoveNINA HARTSTONE, JAKE WHITELEE, JENS PETERSEN, MIKE TEHRANI, ROB DAVIDSON IshCJ MIRRA, JAMES RIDGWAY, JOE JACKSON, ADELE FLETCHER, PIUS FATOKE My Father’s ShadowSOUND TEAM Warfare
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