The Personal History of David Copperfield leads BIFA nominations
Story by Jack Foley
ARMANDO Iannucci’s The Personal History of David Copperfield, a Charles Dickens adaptation starring Dev Patel, leads the nominees for the British independent film awards (BIFAs) with 11 nominations.
The comedy-drama, which opened this year’s London Film Festival, was shortlisted as best British independent film, while leading man Patel is in the running for best actor. Iannucci is up for his screenplay (despite missing out on a best director nod), while co-stars Hugh Laurie and Tilda Swinton are shortlisted for best supporting actor and actress, respectively.
Following in Copperfield‘s wake with 10 nominations is country and western musical Wild Rose, which stars Jessie Buckley as a young Glaswegian singer dreaming of success, while retro-horror homage In Fabric, directed by Peter Strickland, has nine.
Joanna Hogg’s The Souvenir also did well, with eight nominations, including best director and best film.
Completing the list of best British independent film contenders are Bait and the documentary For Sama.
Challenging Patel for best actor, meanwhile, will be Sam Adewunmi (for The Last Tree), Tom Burke (for The Souvenir), Kris Hitchen (for Ken Loach’s Sorry We Missed You) and Josh O’Connor (for Only You).
The best actress category finds Renee Zellweger shortlisted for her portrayal of Judy Garland in Judy, alongside Jessie Buckley (for Wild Rose), Holliday Grainger (for Animals), Sally Hawkins (Eternal Beauty) and Vicky Knight (Dirty God).
Other notable nominations include Chiwetel Ejiofor, who has two nods – The Douglas Hickox Award for Debut Director and best supporting actor, both for The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind.
While Tilda Swinton’s daughter, Honor Swinton Byrne, features in this year’s Most Promising Newcomer nominations for The Souvenir.
The winners will be announced at a ceremony in London on December 1, 2019.
The full list of nominees is as follows…
Best British independent film
Bait
For Sama
The Personal History of David Copperfield
The Souvenir
Wild Rose
Best director
Waad Al-Kateab, Edward Watts, For Sama
Oliver Hermanus, Moffie
Joanna Hogg, The Souvenir
Mark Jenkin, Bait
Asif Kapadia, Diego Maradona
Best screenplay
Joanna Hogg, The Souvenir
Armando Inannucci, Simon Blackwell, The Personal History of David Copperfield
Paul Laverty, Sorry We Missed You
Peter Strickland, In Fabric
Nicole Taylor, Wild Rose
Best actress
Jessie Buckley, Wild Rose
Holliday Grainger, Animals
Sally Hawkins, Eternal Beauty
Vicky Knight, Dirty God
Renée Zellweger, Judy
Best actor
Sam Adewunmi, The Last Tree
Tom Burke, The Souvenir
Kris Hitchen, Sorry We Missed You
Josh O’Connor, Only You
Dev Patel, The Personal History of David Copperfield
Best supporting actress
Jessica Barden, Scarborough
Ruthxjiah Bellenea, The Last Tree
Elizabeth Debicki, Vita & Virginia
Tilda Swinton, The Personal History of David Copperfield
Julie Walters, Wild Rose
Best supporting actor
Chiwetel Ejiofor, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
Hugh Laurie, The Personal History of David Copperfield
Edlison Manuel Olbera Núñez, Yuli: The Carlos Acosta Story
Peter Mullan, The Vanishing
Bluey Robinson, Dirty God
The Douglas Hickox award for debut director
Will Becher, Richard Phelan, A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon
Fyzal Boulifa, Lynn + Lucy
Ninian Doff, Boyz in the Wood
Chiwetel Ejiofor, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
Harry Wootliff, Only You
Breakthrough producer
Finn Bruce, Tucked
Kate Byers, Linn Waite, Bait
Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor, Blue Story [also produced by Damian Jones]
Becky Read, Three Identical Strangers [also produced by Grace Hughes-Hallett]
Jack Sidey, Moffie [also produced by Eric Abraham]
Debut screenwriter
Kieran Hurley, Beats
Lisa Owens, Days of the Bagnold Summer
Nicole Taylor, Wild Rose
Emma Jane Unsworth, Animals
Harry Wootliff, Only You
Most promising newcomer
Sam Adewunmi, The Last Tree
Vicky Knight, Dirty God
Lorn Macdonald, Beats
Roxanne Scrimshaw, Lynn + Lucy
Honor Swinton Byrne, The Souvenir
Best documentary
Coup 53
Diego Maradona
For Sama
Seahorse
Tell Me Who I Am
The Raindance discovery award
A Bump Along the Way
Children of the Snow Land
Here for Life
Muscle
The Street
Best British short film
Anna
Boiling Point
The Devil’s Harmony
Goldfish
Serious Tingz
Best international independent film
Ash is Purest White
Marriage Story
Monos
Parasite
Portrait of a Lady on Fire
Best casting
In Fabric
The Last Tree
Only You
The Personal History of David Copperfield
Wild Rose
Best cinematography
Beats
In Fabric
Judy
Moffie
The Personal History of David Copperfield
Best costume design
Judy
In Fabric
The Personal History of David Copperfield
The Souvenir
Wild Rose
Best editing
Bait
Diego Maradona
For Sama
The Personal History of David Copperfield
The Souvenir
Best effects
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
In Fabric
A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon
Best make-up and hair design
Dirty God
In Fabric
Judy
The Personal History of David Copperfield
Wild Rose
Best music
Beats
Diego Maradona
For Sama
In Fabric
Wild Rose
Best production design
In Fabric
Judy
The Personal History of David Copperfield
The Souvenir
The White Crow
Best sound
Beats
Diego Maradona
Gwen
In Fabric
Wild Rose