Andrew Scott’s Elsinore leads the nominations for the 2026 British Independent Film Awards (BIFA), which were revealed on Tuesday.
BIFA-winning actors Jay Lycurgo and Posy Sterling revealed at One Hundred Shoreditch in London that the film received 12 nominations, followed by Clio Barnard. I see buildings falling like lightning with eight, and Animoldirectorial debut feature film Adolescence star Ashley Walters, with seven.
In the category of best British independent film, Simon Stone Elsinore And I see buildings falling like lightning are joined by Marc Evans Effi O Blaenau, Queen at seadirected by Lance Hammer, and Mike Leigh Tender loving care.
Stone and Barnard also earned nominations for best debut directors, alongside Andrew Haigh for A long winterMark Jenkins for Rose of Nevada and Leigh for Tender loving care.
Nominees for Best Lead Performance include Scott for ElsinoreJuliette Binoche for her role in Queen at sea,
Erin Doherty for FaithLeisa Gwenllian for Effi or BlaenauJonathan Jules for Floweryand Tut Nyuot for Animol.
Claire Foy, Tom Courtenay, Sekou Diaby, Anna Calder-Marshall, Billie Piper and Bill Pullman were nominated for best supporting performers. And nominees in the best ensemble performance category include Bella Ramsey, Anthony Boyle, Joe Cole, Lycurgo, Daryl McCormack, Lola Petticrew, James Blunt, James Norton and Neil Patrick Harris.
Competing for best international independent film are Suddenly, Children’s Club, The Black Bola, La Gradiva And Love is possible.
Meanwhile, the nominees for the Documentary Feature Award are All rivers pour their history into the sea, Everyone at Kenmure Street, One in a million, Something familiar And We, the hated.
And in a notable feat, the Best Music Supervision award category features Connie Farr who received two nominations.
The BIFA 2026 ceremony will take place on December 6 at Camden Roundhouse in London. See the full list of nominees for BIFA 2026 below.
Best British Independent Film
Effi O Blaenau Marc Evans, Gary Owen, Branwen Cennard
Elsinore Simon Stone, Stephen Beresford, Andrea Occhipinti, Gabrielle Tana, Pete Shilaimon, Mickey Liddell, Stefano Massenzi, Carolyn Marks Blackwood, Andrew Scott
I see buildings falling like lightning Clio Barnard, Enda Walsh, Tracy O’riordan
Queen at sea Lance Hammer, Tristan Goligher
Tender loving care Mike Leigh, Georgina Lowe
Best Director
Clio Barnard I see buildings falling like lightning
Andrew Haigh A long winter
Marc Jenkin Rose of Nevada
Mike Leigh Tender loving care
Simon Pierre Elsinore
Best Screenplay, sponsored by Apple Original Films
Stephen Beresford Elsinore
Spear hammer Queen at sea
Mike Leigh Tender loving care
Gary Owen Effi O Blaenau
Enda Walsh I see buildings falling like lightning
Better lead performance
Juliette Binoche Queen at sea
Erin Doherty Faith
Leisa Gwenllian Effi O Blaenau
Jonathan Jules Flowery
Tut Nyuot Animol
Andrew Scott Elsinore
Better support performance
Anna Calder-Marshall Queen at sea
Tom Courtenay Queen at sea
Sékou Diaby Animol
Claire Foy Ink
Billie Piper Elsinore
Bill Pullman Everyone loves Bill Evans
Best joint performance
Séamus Mclean Ross, Samuel Bottomley California plot’
Flora Nicholson, Clare Dunne, Mia Tharia The Education of Jane Cumming
Marni Duggan, Claire Galaxy Additional geography
Chimpaye Florence Mariserena, Bizimana Hussain Little gods
Best overall performance
I see buildings falling like lightningg Anthony Boyle, Joe Cole, Jay Lycurgo, Daryl Mccormack, Lola Petticrew
Sunny dancer Bella Ramsey, Daniel Quinn-Toye, Ruby Stokes, Earl Cave, Conrad Khan, Jasmine Elcock, Shalom Brune-Franklin, Louis Gaunt, Josie Walker, Jessica Gunning, James Norton, Neil Patrick Harris, James Blunt
Tender loving care Marion Bailey, Paul Jesson, Kate O’flynn, Alice Bailey Johnson
Best Documentary Featuresponsored by Intermission Film
All rivers pour their history into the sea Jeanie Finlay, Charlie Phillips
Everyone at Kenmure Street Felipe Bustos Sierra, Ciara Barry
One in a million Itab Azzam, Jack Macinnes, Will Anderson, Andrew Palmer, James Bluemel, Raney Aronson-Rath
Something familiar Rachel Taparjan, Aleksandra Bilic, Monica Lazurean-Gorgan
We, the hated Rich Felgate, David Allen
Cinema of the yearbacked by Kia
Abbeygate Cinema
West Campus
Hippodrome Cinema
Kinema in the Woods
The ultimate picture palace
The Douglas Hickox Award (Best Debut Director)sponsored by BBC Film
Billy Lumby Flowery
Molly manners Additional geography
Bertil Nilsson Masc
Louis Paxton Arrival
Ashley Walters Animol
Revolutionary producersponsored by Pinewood and Shepperton Studios
Itab Azzam, Jack Macinnes, Will Anderson, James Bluemel, Andrew Palmer One in a million (also produced by Raney Aronson-Rath)
Branwen Cennard Effi O Blaenau
Tom Hawkins Animol (also produced by Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor, Nick Love, Ashley Walters)
Oscar Pimlott Rotten apples
Alex Polunin Black Church Bay (also produced by Tristan Goligher)
Breakthrough performancesponsored by Netflix
Clear Galaxy Additional geography
Sékou Diaby Animol
Leisa Gwenllian Effi O Blaenau
Jonathan Jules Flowery
Tut Nyuot Animol
Best first screenwritersponsored by Film4
Miriam Battyé Additional geography
Thea Gajic Survive the Earth
Rhys-Marc Jones Black Church Bay
Jess O’Kane Rotten apples
Louis Paxton Arrival
The Raindance Maverick Prize
Act 3 Christine Molloy, Joe Lawlor, Alex Thiele, Hannah Patterson
Chat lines Neil Ely, Lloyd Eyre-Morgan, Paul Mortlock
Masc Bertil Nilsson
The peril at Pincer Point Jake Kuhn, Noah Stratton-Twine
Something familiar Rachel Taparjan, Monica Lăzurean-Gorgan, Elena Martin, Aleksandra Bilic
Best British Short Film
Allies in exile Hasan Kattan, Orlando Von Einsiedel
Coyotes Saïd Zagha, Myriam Sassine, Laura Jumel
Forgotten Spaceman Elham Ehsas, Lorraine Bhattachary
Untitled woman Camille Summers-Valli, Rosmarie Vind, Sorcha Bacon, Martha Mcguirk, David Zander
Vote Gavin Lyle Aneil Karia, Scott O’donnell, Tom Gardner
Best International Independent Filmsponsored by Champagne Taittinger
Suddenly Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Léa Le Dimna, David Gauquié, Julien Deris, Kôsuke Oshida, Yûji Sadai, Jean-Luc Ormières, Renan Artukmaç, Hiroko Matsuda
Children’s Club Jordan Firstman, Galen Core, Alex Coco
The Black Bola Javier Ambrossi, Javier Calvo
La Gradiva Marine Atlan, Anne Brouilet, Inès Daïen Dasi
Love is possible Lee Chang-Dong, Oh Jung-Mi
Best casting
Shaheen Baig I see buildings falling like lightning
Heather Basten Animol
Lara Manwaring Flowery
Lucy Pardee Additional geography
Jessica Ronane Elsinore
Best Cinematographysponsored by Kodak & Molinare
Mike Eley Elsinore
Piers McGrail Everyone loves Bill Evans
Christopher Ripley Right circle
Simon Tindall I see buildings falling like lightning
André Turpin a long winter
Best Costume Design
Sarah Blenkinsop Arrival
Alex Bovaird Wild house
Carole Cas A long winter
Darion Hing Right circle
Mel Page Elsinore
Best editing
Valério Bonelli Elsinore
Otto Burnham Black is beautiful: the story of Kwame Brathwaite
Fouad Gaber Right circle
Maya Maffioli I see buildings falling like lightning
End Oates Ink
Best effects
Jon Biggins, Jeff Dillon Shaun the Sheep: Beast from Mossy Bottom
Ruslan Borysov, Richard Cheal, Tim Ledbury The distant magic tree
Daniel Morris Arrival
Best music supervision
Connie Farr I see buildings falling like lightning
Connie Farr Queen at sea
Phil Canning Sunny dancer
Best Makeup and Hairstyle
Jacquetta Levon Wild house
Nadia Stacey Elsinore
Nadia Stacey Madfabulous
Karen Hartley Thomas The distant magic tree
Tristan Versluis Right circle
Best Original Musicsponsored by Universal Music Publishing Group
Roger Goula Everyone loves Bill Evans
Stéphane Grégory Elsinore
Marc Jenkin Rose of Nevada
Hannah Peel Underground
Siôn Trefor, Ioana Selaru Effi O Blaenau
Best production designsponsored by ATC
Luke Moran-Morris Right circle
Gareth Pugh, Carson McColl Ink
Helene Scott Elsinore
Alexandra Walker The distant magic tree
Gary Williamson Wild house
Best soundsponsored by Bleat
Andy Coles, John Brennan Everyone loves Bill Evans
Paul Cotterell, Ron Osiowy, Joakim Sundström A long winter
Simon Hayes, Johnnie Burn Ink
Mark Jenkins, Ian Wilson Rose of Nevada
Dario Swade, George Elliott, Tom Harburt Flowery
The Richard Harris Award for Outstanding Contribution by an Actor to British Cinema
To be announced later
Gn entert
