British Independent Film Awards 2024: “Kneecap” Takes Top Spot with 14 Nominations
The 2024 British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) nominations spotlight Rich Peppiatt's “Kneecap” as the front-runner with 14 nominations. The comedy, centered on a hip-hop trio from West Belfast, has earned nods for best British independent film, best director, and best screenplay. Actors Liam Óg Ó Hannaidh, Naoise Ó Cairealláin, and JJ Ó Dochartaigh are nominated jointly for lead performance. Producers Trevor Birney and Jack Tarling are also recognized in the best British independent film category.
Close behind, Rose Glass’s neo-noir “Love Lies Bleeding,” starring Kristen Stewart and Katy O’Brian, has garnered 12 nominations, including best British independent film, best director, and best screenplay. Glass, previously awarded BIFA’s best debut director in 2020 for “Saint Maud,” brings her second feature to the fore with a story set in the United States. Stewart and O’Brian share a nomination for joint lead performance.
Nora Fingscheidt’s adaptation “The Outrun,” based on Amy Liptrot's memoir about reconciliation with the past on a remote Scottish island, follows with nine nominations. Alongside best British independent film, it sees recognition in categories for Fingscheidt as director and co-writer, and a lead performance nomination for Saoirse Ronan. Producers Sarah Brocklehurst, Dominic Norris, Jack Lowden, and Ronan join the nomination roster for this acclaimed title.
Three films received seven nominations each: “Bird,” with Barry Keoghan up for supporting performance; “On Becoming A Guinea Fowl,” and “Unicorns.” Meanwhile, Luna Carmoon’s debut feature “Hoard” and Alex Garland’s “Civil War” each received six nominations, with Garland’s project excelling in technical categories such as editing.
In documentary categories, “Grand Theft Hamlet” by Pinny Grylls and Sam Crane received four nominations, including best feature documentary and Raindance Maverick award. Other nominated documentaries include “The Contestant,” “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story,” “Two Strangers Trying Not To Kill Each Other,” and “Witches.”
Reflecting an increasingly international appeal, four of the five best British independent film nominees are set outside of England, including locations in Scotland and Northern Ireland, while the best international independent film category includes prominent Cannes and Berlinale premieres. Featured titles include “Anora,” “All We Imagine As Light,” “The Seed of the Sacred Fig,” and “No Other Land.”
The nominations were announced on November 5 by actors Mia McKenna-Bruce, last year’s BIFA lead performance winner, and Vivian Oparah, who previously won the breakthrough performance award. The BIFA 2024 winners will be revealed in a ceremony at London’s Roundhouse on December 8.
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
- "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
- Andrea Arnold - "Bird"
- Nora Fingscheidt - "The Outrun"
- Rose Glass - "Love Lies Bleeding"
- Rungano Nyoni - "On Becoming A Guinea Fowl"
- Rich Peppiatt - "Kneecap"
Best Screenplay
- 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"
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 Producer
- 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 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
- Nykiya Adams - "Bird"
- Susan Chardy - "On Becoming A Guinea Fowl"
- Saura Lightfoot-Leon - "Hoard"
- Ruaridh Mollica - "Sebastian"
- Jason Patel - "Unicorns"
Best Debut Screenwriter
- James Krishna Floyd - "Unicorns"
- Karan Kandhari - "Sister Midnight"
- Rich Peppiatt - "Kneecap"
- Sandhya Suri - "Santosh"
- Mrs & Mr Thomas - "The Assessment" [also written by John Donnelly]
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"
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
- "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 Sorensen
- "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
- 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
- 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 Music Supervision
- Iain Cooke, Giles Martin - "Back To Black"
- Kle Savidge - "Sister Midnight"
- Gary Welch, Jeanette Rehnstrom - "Kneecap"
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 Original Music
- Michael ‘Mikey J’ Asante - "Kneecap"
- Burial - "Bird"
- Stuart Earl - "Unicorns"
- John Gurtler, Jan Miserre - "The Outrun"
- Clint Mansell - "Love Lies Bleeding"
Best Production Design
- Bobbie Cousins - "Hoard"
- Jan Houllevigue - "The Assessment"
- Katie Hickman - "Love Lies Bleeding"
- Caty Maxey - "Civil War"
- Nicola Moroney - "Kneecap"
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"