The nominees for the 2019 British Independent Film Awards (BIFAs) were revealed on Wednesday 30 October 2019. Armando Iannucci’s The Personal History of David Copperfield, starring Dev Patel, led the pack with 11 nominations. Other highly nominated British independent films included Tom Harper’s Jessie Buckley-led musical drama Wild Rose, Peter Strickland’s In Fabric, and Joanna Hogg’s The Souvenir, which received 10, 9 and 8 nominations respectively.
The awards ceremony was scheduled to take place at Old Billingsgate, London, on Sunday 1 December 2019. The full list of nominees across the major categories follows below, reflecting a broad selection of British independent cinema — from feature dramas and documentaries to shorts and technical achievements.
Best British Independent Film
Bait
For Sama
The Personal History of David Copperfield
The Souvenir
Wild Rose
Best Director (Sponsored by Broadsword Event House)
Waad Al-Kateab & Edward Watts (For Sama)
Oliver Hermanus (Moffie)
Joanna Hogg (The Souvenir)
Mark Jenkin (The Bait)
Asif Kapadia (Diego Maradona)
Best Screenplay (Sponsored by BBC Films)
Joanna Hogg (The Souvenir)
Armando Iannucci & 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)
Renee 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 – Debut Director (Sponsored by Kodak & Pinewood)
Will Becher & Richard Phelan (A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon)
Fyzal Boulifa (Lynn + Lucy)
Ninian Doff (Boyz in the Wind)
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)
Becky Read (Three Identical Strangers)
Jake Sidey (Moffie)
Debut Screenwriter (Sponsored by Film4)
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
The Bump Along the Way
Children of the Snow Land
Here for Life
Muscle
The Street
Best British Short Film (Supported by BFI Network)
Anna
Boiling Point
The Devil’s Harmony
Goldfish
Serious Tingz
Best International Independent Film (Sponsored by Champagne Taittinger)
Ash Is Purest White
Marriage Story
Monos
Parasite
Portrait of a Lady on Fire
Best Casting (Sponsored by Casting Society of America & Spotlight)
Shaheen Baig (In Fabric)
Shaheen Baig & Aisha Bywaters (The Last Tree)
Kahleen Crawford & Caroline Stewart (Only You)
Kahleen Crawford (Wild Rose)
Sarah Crowe (The Personal History of David Copperfield)
Best Cinematography
Ole Bratt Birkeland (Judy)
Benjamin Kracun (Beats)
Zac Nicholson (The Personal History of David Copperfield)
Jamie D Ramsay (Moffie)
Ari Wegner (In Fabric)
Best Costume Design
Suzie Harmon & Robert Worley (The Personal History of David Copperfield)
Anna Mary Scott Robbins (Wild Rose)
Grace Snell (The Souvenir)
Jany Temime (Judy)
Jo Thompson (In Fabric)
Best Editing (Sponsored by Intermission Film)
Mick Audsley & Peter Lambert (The Personal History of David Copperfield)
Mark Jenkin (Bait)
Chris King (Diego Maradona)
Chloe Lambourne & Simon McMahon (For Sama)
Helle Le Fevre (The Souvenir)
Best Effects
A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon
In Fabric
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
Best Make-Up & Hair Design (Sponsored by Mac Cosmetics)
Morten Jacobsen, Rogier Samuels & Lindelotte van der Meer (Dirty God)
Karen Hartley-Thomas (The Personal History of David Copperfield)
Emma Scott (In Fabric)
Jody Williams (Wild Rose)
Jeremy Woodhead (Judy)
Best Music (Sponsored by Universal Music Publishing Group)
Jack Arnold (Wild Rose)
Cavern of Anti-Matter (In Fabric)
Nainita Desai (For Sama)
Antonio Pinto (Diego Maradona)
JD Twitch, Penelope Trappes & Stephen Hindman (Beats)
Best Production Design (Sponsored by Studio Juice)
Cristina Casali (The Personal History of David Copperfield)
Stephane Collonge (The Souvenir)
Kave Quinn (Judy)
Anne Siebel (The White Crow)
Paki Smith (In Fabric)
Best Sound (Supported by Halo Post)
Gwen
Beats
Diego Maradona
Wild Rose
In Fabric
We have published reviews of several nominated films, including:
- The Last Tree
- Portrait of a Lady on Fire
- Sorry We Missed You
- The Souvenir
- Wild Rose
The 2019 BIFA nominations highlighted a rich and varied year for independent cinema in the UK, from intimate character studies to bold technical and creative achievements. These nominations celebrated established filmmakers and emerging talent across acting, writing, directing and craft categories, underlining the diversity and strength of Britain’s independent film sector.