‘Kneecap’ leads nominations for British Independent Film Awards

Announced by 2023 winners, Mia McKenna-Bruce and Vivian Oparah, this year’s BIFA nominations showcase the best of the year’s British film.

The British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) has announced the nominees ahead of the awards ceremony, which will be held at the Roundhouse, London on 8 December.
In total, 29 British feature films are recognised in the list.
Running away with the nominations is Irish-language rap biopic Kneecap, which picked up nominations for best British independent film, director, and screenplay among others. All three lead performers – Liam Óg Ó Hannaidh, Naoise Ó Cairealláin, JJ Ó Dochartaigh – were also recognised in the nominations.
Rich Peppiatt’s comedy following the semi-true backstory of the titular Belfast hip-hop trio was one of the surprise hits of the year. Kneecap’s Gaelic Irish and English-language music acted as a backdrop for a wider story on Northern Irish-British relations that we called “an absolute blast, a high-energy and frequently hilarious”.
Just behind Kneecap with 12 nominations was the lesbian bodybuilding romance noir Love Lies Bleeding, from director Rose Glass who previously set the BIFA record with 17 nominations for her debut film Saint Maud in 2020, winning in two categories.
Love Lies Bleeding is also nominated for the major awards, including nods to its two central performers, Kristen Stewart and Katy O’Brien. We called the unconventional genre-shifting crime-romance film an “electrifying” ride when it debuted at the Berlin Film Festival this year.
Twice this year, Amy Liptrot’s best-selling memoir “The Outrun” has been adapted for British audiences. While the theatrical adaptation was one of the standouts at the Edinburgh International Festival, the film adaptation, featuring Soairse Ronan has also wowed audiences, garnering it nine nominations in the BIFA list.
The Outrun, which claims to be the first major films to be filmed on the Orkney islands, has picked up nominations for Best British independent film, director, screenplay, and a nomination for Ronan’s performance.
Down the list, there are also multiple nominations for Andrea Arnold’s coming-of-age fable Bird, with Nykiya Adams picking up a best breakthrough performance, alongside nominations for her older castmates Barry Keoghan and Franz Rogowski.
Last year, All of Us Strangerstook home the most awards, including Best British independent film, director, supporting performance and screenplay. Other recognised films included How to Have Sex, Femme, and Rye Lane.
Here are the 2024 nominees in full:
Best British independent film
Best international independent film
Best director
Best lead performance
Best screenplay
Best supporting performance
Best joint lead performance
The Douglas Hickox award for best debut director
Breakthrough producer award
Breakthrough performance award
Best debut screenwriter
Best debut director for a feature documentary
Raindance Maverick award
Best feature documentary
Best British short film
Best casting
Best cinematography
Best costume design
Best editing
Best effects
Best music supervision
Best makeup and hair design
Best original music
Best production design
Best sound