26/10/2005

With 8 nominations each, Stephen Frear’s Mrs Henderson Presents and Laurence Dunmore’s The Libertine [+see also:
trailer
film profile] are the two films that dominate this year’s British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) which will take place on November 30 at London’s Hammersmith Palais.

Brazilian director Fernando Mereilles‘ The Constant Gardener [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] follows closely with seven nominations, and Michael Winterbottom –nominated every year since 2001- gathered five nominations for A Cock And Bull Story. Neil Marshall’s thriller The Descent [+see also:
trailer
film profile] running for Best film with the four titles here above, is nominated three times in total, just like the comedy Kinky Boots for which Julian Jarrold is selected as potential Best Debut Director. Jarrold will compete in this category against Annie Griffith for Festival, Laurence Dunmore for The Libertine, Gaby Dellal for On a Clear Day and Richard E Grant for Wah-Wah. And among the five films running for Best foreign language film is the German box office hit Downfall [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Bernd Eichinger
interview: Joachim Fest
interview: Oliver Hirschbiegel
film profile]. Special tributes will be paid to UK actresses Keira Knightley -named Variety UK personality of the Year- and Tilda Swinton who will receive the Richard Harris Award.

The jury of the 8th BIFA Awards is chaired by producer Michael Kuhn joined by actresses Bryce Dallas Howard, Anne Reid and Amanda Donohoe, editor Mick Audsley, Swedish director Mikael Håftröm, agent Sue Latimer, producer Uberto Pasolini, director Hugh Hudson and actor Ashley Walters.
In announcing the nominations, BIFA and Raindance Film Festival founder Elliott Grove said: "Another year almost at an end, another set of obituaries about British independent cinema on TV or in the newspapers. Where does the truth lie? We like to think the answer can be found in the nominations for this year’s British Independent Film Awards. Take a look at the list, which ranges from classic genre pieces through comedy drama to a romantic and political thriller. It is, by anyone's standards, a very powerful year for British cinema".

Following is the complete list of nominations:

Best British Film
A Cock & Bull Story
The Constant Gardener
The Descent
The Libertine
Mrs Henderson Presents

Best Actor
Ralph Fiennes – The Constant Gardener
Matthew MacFadyen – In My Father’s Den
Chiwetel Ejiofor – Kinky Boots
Johnny Depp – The Libertine
Bob Hoskins – Mrs Henderson Presents

Best Actress
Natasha Richardson – Asylum
Rachel Weisz – The Constant Gardener
Judi Dench – Mrs Henderson Presents
Emily Watson – Wah-Wah
Joan Allen - Yes

Supporting Actress/Actor
Rob Brydon – A Cock & Bull Story
Bill Nighy – The Constant Gardener
Rosamund Pike – The Libertine
Tom Hollander – The Libertine
Kelly Reilly – Mrs Henderson Presents

Most Promising Newcomer
Thelma Barlow – Mrs Henderson Presents
Alex Nathan Etel – Millions
Emily Barclay – In My Father’s Den
Samina Awan – Love + Hate
Rupert Friend – The Libertine

Best Director
Michael Winterbottom – A Cock & Bull Story
Fernando Meirelles – The Constant Gardener
Neil Marshall – The Descent
Laurence Dunmore – The Libertine
Stephen Frears – Mrs Henderson Presents

Best Screenplay
Martin Hardy – A Cock & Bull Story
Jeffrey Caine – The Constant Gardener
Geoff Dean & Tim Firth – Kinky Boots
Frank Cotrell Boyce – Millions
Martin Sherman – Mrs Henderson Presents

Debut Director
Annie Griffin – Festival
Julian Jarrold – Kinky Boots
Laurence Dunmore – The Libertine
Gaby Dellal – On A Clear Day
Richard E Grant – Wah-Wah

Best Foreign Film
Broken Flowers
Crash
Downfall
Sequestro Express
The Woodsman

Best British Documentary
Andrew & Jeremy Get Married
Black Sun
Liberace of Baghdad
McLibel
Sisters In Law

Best Technical Achievement
Peter Christelis - Editing – A Cock & Bull Story
César Charlone - Cinematography – The Constant Gardener
Jon Harris - Editing – The Descent
Sandy Powell - Wardrobe – Mrs Henderson Presents
Ben van Os - Production Design – The Libertine

Achievement In Production
The Business
Guy X
Gypo!
It’s All Gone Pete Tong
Song of Songs

The Raindance Award
Billy Childish Is Dead
Sam Jackson’s Secret Video Diary
Evil Aliens