Jack O’Connell in ”71′

The nominations for the 2014 British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) were announced this morning. Formed in 1998 by Raindance Film Festival and film school founder Elliot Grove, BIFA spotlights and celebrates the work of independently funded British cinema – think of it as the UK equivalent of our Independent Spirit Awards. Festival favorite anti-war parable ’71 starring Jack O’Connell (who is set to make a large impression on American shores with his leading role in Angelina Jolie’s upcoming Unbroken) led the 2014 field with nine nominations. Roadside Attractions picked up the war film, which focuses on a British soldier (O’Connell) accidentally abandoned by his unit following a deadly riot in Belfast in the year 1971, and will release the title in the U.S. in February of 2015.

That film was followed by Pride, the crowd-pleasing gay activist comedy that CBS Films recently released in the U.S. starring Dominic West and Imelda Staunton, which earned seven nominations. Other films earning nominations include the Michael Fassbender-headlined Frank, Mike Leigh’s period biopic Mr. Turner and Oscar hopeful The Imitation Game starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Keira Knightley. More than 250 titles were in contention this year, whittled down by a pre-selection team comprised of more than 70 members. The eventual winners will be judged by a jury headed this year by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Tom Hopper (The King’s Speech, Les Misérables) and other industry professionals.  The 2014 ceremony will take place on December 7th, 2014 at Old Billingsgate in London.

The nominees are:

BEST BRITISH INDEPENDENT FILM

• ’71
• Calvary
• Mr. Turner
• Pride
• The Imitation Game

BEST DIRECTOR

• John Michael McDonagh, Calvary
• Lenny Abrahamson, Frank
• Matthew Warchus, Pride
• Mike Leigh, Mr. Turner
• Yann Demange, ’71

BEST ACTOR

• Asa Butterfield, X+Y
• Benedict Cumberbatch, The Imitation Game
• Brendan Gleeson, Calvary
• Jack O’Connell, ’71
• Timothy Spall, Mr. Turner

BEST ACTRESS

• Sameena Jabeen Ahmed, Catch Me Daddy
• Cheng Pei Pei, Lilting
• Keira Knightley, The Imitation Game
• Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Belle
• Alicia Wikander, Testament of Youth

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

• Michael Fassbender, Frank
• Sean Harris, ’71
• Ben Schnetzer, Pride
• Andrew Scott, Pride
• Rafe Spall, X+Y

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

• Dorothy Atkinson, Mr. Turner
• Sienna Guillory, The Goob
• Maggie Gyllenhaal, Frank
• Sally Hawkins, X+Y
• Imelda Staunton, Pride

MOST PROMISING NEWCOMER

• Sameena Jabeen Ahmed, Catch Me Daddy
• Cara Delevingne, The Face of an Angel
• Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Belle
• Ben Schnetzer, Pride
• Liam Walpole, The Goob

THE DOUGLAS HICKOX AWARD FOR DEBUT DIRECTOR

• Yann Demange, ’71
• Iain Forsyth, Jane Pollard, 20,000 Days on Earth
• Daniel Wolfe, Matthew Wolfe, Catch Me Daddy
• Hong Khaou, Lilting
• Morgan Matthews, X+Y

BEST SCREENPLAY

• ’71– Gregory Burke
• Calvary– John Michael McDonaugh
• Frank– Jon Ronson, Peter Straughan
• The Imitation Game– Graham Moore
• Pride– Stephen Beresford

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN PRODUCTION

• ’71
• 20,000 Days on Earth
• Catch Me Daddy
• The Goob
• Lilting

BEST TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT

• ’71– Chris Wyatt (film editing)
• ’71– Tat Radcliffe (cinematography)
• Catch Me Daddy– Robbie Ryan (cinematography)
• Frank– Stephen Rennicks (music)
• Mr. Turner– Dick Pope (cinematography)

BEST DOCUMENTARY

• 20,000 Days on Earth
• Next Goal Wins
• Night Will Fall
• The Possibilities Are Endless
• Virunga

BEST BRITISH SHORT

• Crocodile
• Emotional Fusebox
• Keeping Up with the Joneses
• Slap
• The Karman Line

BEST INTERNATIONAL INDEPENDENT FILM

• The Badadook
• Blue Ruin
• Boyhood
• Fruitvale Station
• Ida

THE RAINDANCE AWARD

• The Beat Beneath My Feet
• Film: The Movie…
• Gregor
• Keeping Rosy
• Luna