The father-daughter drama Aftersun has emerged as a leading contender at this year’s British independent film awards (Bifas). Charlotte Wells’s film has been nominated in 16 categories, while the 80s-set homophobia drama Blue Jean and Sebastián Lelio’s period tale The Wonder are up for 12 and 13 awards respectively.
Although both are yet to be released in cinemas, Aftersun and Blue Jean (directed by Georgia Oakley) have already made a considerable impression on the festival circuit. Aftersun featured at Cannes, where the Guardian’s chief film critic Peter Bradshaw gave it five stars and described it as “a rather amazing feature debut”. Bradshaw called Blue Jean “watchable and engaged with the issues” after its debut at the Venice film festival.
Both films scored Bifa nominations for best British independent film, best director (for Wells and Oakley) and best debut director. Aftersun’s two main actors Frankie Corio and Paul Mescal are nominated for best joint lead performance, while Blue Jean’s Rosy McEwen is nominated for best lead performance. (The Bifas have also decided to do away with separate actor and actress categories)
The winners will be announced on 4 December at a ceremony in London.
Full list of nominations
Best British independent film
Aftersun
Blue Jean
Good Luck to You, Leo Grande
Living
The Wonder
Best international independent film
All the Beauty and the Bloodshed
Close
Decision to Leave
Everything Everywhere All at Once
The Worst Person in the World
Best director
Oliver Hermanus – Living
Sophie Hyde – Good Luck to You, Leo Grande
Sebastián Lelio – The Wonder
Georgia Oakley – Blue Jean
Charlotte Wells – Aftersun
Best lead performance
Sally Hawkins – The Lost King
Cosmo Jarvis – It Is in Us All
Emma Mackey – Emily
Rosy McEwen – Blue Jean
Bill Nighy – Living
Florence Pugh – The Wonder
Emily Watson – God’s Creatures
Hala Zein – Nezouh
Best screenplay
Good Luck to You, Leo Grande
Living
The Wonder
Blue Jean
Aftersun
Best supporting performance
Zoey Deutch – The Outfit
Aisling Franciosi – God’s Creatures
Lucy Halliday – Blue Jean
Kerrie Hayes – Blue Jean
Zainab Joda – Our River … Our Sky
Fatma Mohamed – Flux Gourmet
Paul Mescal – God’s Creatures
Fionn Whitehead – Emily
Aimee Lou Wood – Living
Best joint lead performance
Frankie Corio, Paul Mescal – Aftersun
Daryl McCormack, Emma Thompson – Good Luck to You, Leo Grande
Jessie Buckley, Rory Kinnear – Men
Tamara Lawrance, Letitia Wright – The Silent Twins
Best ensemble performance
Blue Jean
Emily
Flux Gourmet
Our River … Our Sky
The Wonder
Douglas Hickox award for best debut director
Andrew Cumming – The Origin
Thomas Hardiman – Medusa Deluxe
Frances O’Connor – Emily
Georgia Oakley – Blue Jean
Charlotte Wells – Aftersun
Breakthrough performance award
Frankie Corio – Aftersun
Leo Long – I Used to Be Famous
Kíla Lord Cassidy – The Wonder
Rosy McEwen – Blue Jean
Safia Oakley-Green – The Origin
Best debut director – feature documentary
Kathryn Ferguson – Nothing Compares
Victoria Fiore – Nascondino (Hide & Seek)
Leah Gordon, Eddie Hutton Mills – Kanaval
Jono McLeod – My Old School
Becky Hutner – Fashion Reimagined
Breakthrough producer
Aleksandra Bilić, Jennifer Corcoran – Nascondino (Hide & Seek)
Paul Kennedy – Nightride (also Produced by Jon Silk)
Rupert Majendie – Brian and Charles
Nadira Murray – Winners (also Produced by Paul Welsh)
Hélène Sifre – Blue Jean
Best debut screenwriter
Shane Crowley – God’s Creatures
David Earl, Chris Hayward – Brian and Charles
Ruth Greenberg – The Origin
Georgia Oakley – Blue Jean
Charlotte Wells – Aftersun
Raindance Discovery award
Electric Malady
Fadia’s Tree
Off the Rails
Rebellion
Winners
Best feature documentary
My Childhood, My Country – 20 Years in Afghanistan
My Old School
Nascondino (Hide & Seek)
Nothing Compares
Young Plato
Best British short film
A Fox in the Night
Honesty
Sandstorm
Scale
Too Rough
Best casting
Blue Jean
Our River … Our Sky
The Silent Twins
Living
Aftersun
Best cinematography
Nascondino (Hide & Seek)
Men
Kanaval
Aftersun
The Wonder
Best costume design
Mrs Harris Goes to Paris
Flux Gourmet
The Wonder
Aftersun
Living
Best original music
God’s Creatures
Aftersun
The Wonder
The Origin
Men
Best effects
The Feast
Men
Nezouh
Best sound
Flux Gourmet
Men
Aftersun
The Wonder
The Feast
Best editing
Elizabeth: A Portrait in Parts
Blue Jean
Flux Gourmet
Nothing Compares
Aftersun
Best make-up & hair design
Aftersun
The Wonder
Flux Gourmet
The Origin
Medusa Deluxe
Best music supervision
Aftersun
The Phantom of the Open
Living
Best production design
Flux Gourmet
The Wonder
Living
Aftersun
Medusa Deluxe
