Kneecap Earns 14 Nominees At 2024 British Independent Film Awards

It’s nearly time for the Awards Season, today in London the British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) announced it’s 2024 nominees. Rich Peppiatt’s Belfast based comedy Kneecap lead the nominees with an impressive 14 nominations!

The west Belfast hip-hop trio and their mission to save their mother tongue leads the nominations with gaining nominations for Best Director, Best Screenplay, The Douglas Hickox Award (Best Debut Director). The Kneecap trio Liam Óg Ó Hannaidh, Naoise Ó Cairealláin, JJ Ó Dochartaigh are nominated for Best Joint Lead Performance.

Just behind Kneecap with 12 nominations is Queer Noir Love Lies Bleeding from 2020 BIFA winner Rose Glass. Noms in Best British Independent Film, Best Director, plus Best Joint Lead Performance for stars Katy O’Brian and Kristen Stewart. Nora Fingscheidt‘s The Outrun starring Saoirse Ronan is the third big runner with 9 noms. Based on Amy Liptrot’s best-selling novel of self-discovery and sobriety in the wilds of Orkney.

Andrea Arnold’s Bird, Rungano Nyoni’s powerful On Becoming a Guinea Fowl and James Krishna Floyd’s Unicorns all score 7. With Luna Carmoon‘s visceral and intense tale Hoard and Alex Garland’s Civil War both gain 6.

The 2024 British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) will recognise 29 British films. Which of them will win, we will find out on 8th December when the winners are announced…

BIFA NOMINATIONS 2024
The Richard Harris Award for Outstanding Contribution by an Actor to British Film
TBA

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 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 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 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

The Douglas Hickox Award (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
sponsored by Pinewood and Shepperton Studios
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

The 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 Sørensen
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 GÜRTLER, JAN MISERRE The Outrun
CLINT MANSELL Love Lies Bleeding

Best Production Design
BOBBIE COUSINS Hoard
KATIE HICKMAN Love Lies Bleeding
JAN HOULLEVIGUE The Assessment
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