28th British Independent Film Awards Nominations

Yesterday November 3, 2025 organizers, assisted by Ben Hardy and Saura Lightfoot-Leon, announced the nominations for the award that celebrates British (and beyond) independent films.

My Father's Shadow by Akinola Davies Jr leads the pack with 12 nominations followed by Pillion with 10, I Swear by Kirk Jones with 9, Harris Dickinson's Urchin with 6, and James Griffiths' The Ballad of Wallis Island with 5.

One award has been awarded already, Best Ensemble Performance to the cast of Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza;s Warfare. Still to be announce is The Richard Harris Award that recognizes outstanding contribution to British Film by an actor.

As we know, My Father's Shadow is United Kingdom #Oscars2026 entry to International Film Feature category and won #Cannes2025 Camera d'Or Special Mention; also in #Cannes2025 Pillion that won the Un Certain Regard Best Screenplay and Urchin winner of UCR Best Actor award. The three films are director's 1st feature film and are now with multiple nominations at the most prestigious British Independent cinema award. Not a bad year for Brit cinema and young filmmakers.

Worth mentioning that four of the five Best International Independent Film nominations are the 1, 2, and 3 (tie) award winners at #Cannes2025 and the 5th was at la Quinzaine des Cinéastes. Seems Cannes 2025 could have major success during the current award season.

The craft winners will be announced on November 20, 2025; all other categories will be presented at the Awards ceremony on Sunday, November 30 at the Roundhouse in Camden, London.

The Nominations

Best British Independent Film
I Swear, Kirk Jones, UK
My Father's Shadow, Akinola Davies Jr, UK, Nigeria and Ireland
Pillion, Harry Lighton, UK and Ireland
The Ballad of Wallis Island, James Griffiths, UK
Urchin, Harris Dickinson, UK and USA

Best Feature Documentary
Antidote, James Jones, UK, USA and Netherlands (documentary) 
A Want in Her, Myrid Carten,  Ireland, UK and Netherlands (documentary)
Motherboard, Victoria Mapplebeck,  UK (documentary)
Mother Vera, Cécile Embleton and Alys Tomlinson, UK (documentary)
The Shepherd and the Bear, Max Keegan, UK, France and USA (documentary)

Best International Independent Film
Affeksjonsverdi (Sentimental Value), Joachim Trier, Norway, Germany, Denmark, France Sweden, UK and Turkey
In die Sonne schauen (Sound of Falling), Mascha Schilinski, Germany
It Was Just An Accident, Jafar Panahi, Iran, France, Luxembourg and USA
Sirât, Oliver Laxe, France and Spain
Sorry, Baby, Eva Victor, Spain, France and USA

The Raindance Maverick Award
A Want in Her, Myrid Carten,  Ireland, UK and Netherlands (documentary)
Foul Evil Deeds, Richard Hunter, UK 
Holloway, Sophie Compton and Daisy-May Hudson, UK (documentary)
Motherboard, Victoria Mapplebeck,  UK (documentary)
Mother Vera, Cécile Embleton and Alys Tomlinson, UK (documentary)

Best Director
Lynne Ramsay for Die My Love, Lynne Ramsay, UK, USA and Canada 
Kirk Jones for I Swear, Kirk Jones, UK  
Akinola Davies Jr for My Father's Shadow, Akinola Davies Jr, UK, Nigeria and Ireland  
Laura Carreira for On Falling, Laura Carreira, UK and Portugal
Harry Lighton for Pillion, Harry Lighton, UK and Ireland

The Douglas Hickox Award for Best Debut Director
Akinola Davies Jr for My Father's Shadow, Akinola Davies Jr, UK, Nigeria and Ireland  
Laura Carreira for On Falling, Laura Carreira, UK and Portugal
Harry Lighton for Pillion, Harry Lighton, UK and Ireland  
Harris Dickinson for Urchin, Harris Dickinson, UK and UK
Cale McMau for Wasteman, Cal McMau, UK

Best Debut Director – Feature Documentary
Myrid Carten for A Want in Her, Myrid Carten,  Ireland, UK and Netherlands (documentary)
Victoria Mapplebeck for Motherboard, Victoria Mapplebeck,  UK (documentary)
Cécile Embleton and Alys Tomlinson for Mother Vera, Cécile Embleton and Alys Tomlinson, UK (documentary)

Best Screenplay
Kirk Jones for I Swear, Kirk Jones, UK 
Wale Davies for My Father's Shadow, Akinola Davies Jr, UK, Nigeria and Ireland  
Laura Carreira for On Falling. Laura Carreira, UK and Portugal 
Harry Lighton for Pillion, Harry Lighton, UK and Ireland 
Tom Basden and Tim Key for The Ballad of Wallis Island, James Griffiths, UK

Best Debut Screenwriter
Wale Davies for My Father's Shadow, Akinola Davies Jr, UK, Nigeria and Ireland  
Laura Carreira for On Falling, Laura Carreira, UK and Portugal
Harry Lighton for Pillion, Harry Lighton, UK and Ireland
Tom Basden and Tim Key for The Ballad of Wallis Island, James Griffiths, UK
Hunter Andrews and Edin Doran for Wasteman, Cal McMau, UK

Breakthrough Producer
Dhiraj Mahey for Ish, Imran Perretta, UK  [also produced by Bennett McGhee]
Joann Kushner for LifeHack, Ronan Corrigan, UK  [also produced by Timur Bekmambetov, Aleksandr Kletzov]
Charlotte Knowles for Palestine Comedy Club, Alaa Ali Abdallah, UK and Palestine (documentary) 
Wyn Baptiste for Shoot the People, Andy Mundy-Castle, USA (documentary)
Archie Pearch for Pillion, Harry Lighton, UK and Ireland [also produced by Scott O’Donnell]

Best Lead Performance
Jennifer Lawrence in Die My Love, Lynne Ramsay, UK, USA and Canada 
Robert Aramayo in I Swear, Kirk Jones, UK 
Harry Melling in Pillion, Harry Lighton, UK and Ireland [also produced by Scott O’Donnell]
Cillian Murphy in Steve, Tim Mielants, UK and Ireland
Frank Dillane in Urchin, Harris Dickinson, UK and UK
David Jonsson in Wasteman, Cal McMau, UK

Best Supporting Performance
Peter Mullan in I Swear, Kirk Jones, UK
Maxine Peake in I Swear, Kirk Jones, UK
Scott Ellis Watson in I Swear, Kirk Jones, UK
Alexander Skarsgård in Pillion, Harry Lighton, UK and Ireland [also produced by Scott O’Donnell]
Jay Lycurgo in Steve, Tim Mielants, UK and Ireland
Tom Blyth in Wasteman, Cal McMau, UK

Breakthrough Performance
Ebada Hassan in Brides, Nadia Fall, UK 
Safiyya Ingar in Brides, Nadia Fall, UK 
Scott Ellis Watson in I Swear, Kirk Jones, UK 
Posy Sterling in Lollipop, Daisy-May Hudson, UK 
Connor Tompkins in The Son and the Sea, Stroma Cairns, UK 

Best Joint Lead Performance
Ebada Hassan and Saffiya Ingar in Brides, Nadia Fall, UK 
Andrea Riseborough and Brenda Blethyn in Dragonfly, Paul Andrew Williams, UK 
Tim Key and Tom Basden In The Ballad of Wallis Island, James Griffiths, UK 

Best Ensemble Performance
D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Will Poulter, Cosmo Jarvis, Kit Connor, Finn Bennett, Joseph Quinn, Charles Melton in Warfare, Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza, USA and UK 

Best British Short Film
A Sisyphean Task, Gus Flind-Hery and George Malcher, UK 16'
Flock, Mac Nixon, UK 20'
Magid/Zafar, Luis Hindman, UK 18'
Stomach Bug, Matty Crawford, UK 15'
Two Black Boys in Paradise, Baz Sells, UK 9'

Craft Categories

Best Casting
Shaheen Baig for Brides, Nadia Fall, UK 
Lauren Evans for I Swear, Kirk Jones, UK
Robert Sterne Steve, Tim Mielants, UK and Ireland
Shaheen Baig for Urchin, Harris Dickinson, UK and UK
Kharmel Cochrane for Warfare, Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza, USA and UK 

Best Cinematography
Seamus Mcgarvey for Die My Love, Lynne Ramsay, UK, USA and Canada 
Charlotte Bruus Christensen for H Is for Hawk, Philippa Lowthorpe, UK, USA and Singapore
Cécile Embleton for Mother Vera, Cécile Embleton and Alys Tomlinson, UK (documentary)
Jermaine Edwards for My Father's Shadow, Akinola Davies Jr, UK, Nigeria and Ireland  
Piotr Niemyjski for 遠い山なみの光 Tôi yama-nami no hikari (A Pale View of Hills), Kei Ishikawa, Japan, UK, Poland and Singapore

Best Costume Design
Susie Coulthard for 100 Nights of Hero, Julia Jackman, UK 
PC Williams for My Father's Shadow, Akinola Davies Jr, UK, Nigeria and Ireland  
Grace Snell for Pillion, Harry Lighton, UK and Ireland
Sayaka Takahashi and Matthew Price for 遠い山なみの光 Tôi yama-nami no hikari (A Pale View of Hills), Kei Ishikawa, Japan, UK, Poland and Singapore
Kirsty Halliday for Tornado, John Maclean, UK 

Best Editing
Ronan Corrigan and Aleksandr Kletsov for LifeHack, Ronan Corrigan, UK
Omar Guzmán Castro for My Father's Shadow, Akinola Davies Jr, UK, Nigeria and Ireland  
Sam Rice-Edwards for One to One: John & Yoko, Kevin Macdonald and Sam Rice-Edwards, UK (documentary)
Gareth C. Scales for Pillion, Harry Lighton, UK and Ireland
Fin Oates for Warfare, Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza, USA and UK 

Best Effects
Victor Tomi for Die My Love, Lynne Ramsay, UK, USA and Canada 
Hayley Williams, Conor O’Sullivan, and Martin Malmqvist for The Thing With Feathers, Dylan Southern, UK 
Simon Stanley-Clamp and Ryan Conder for Warfare, Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza, USA and UK 

Best Make-Up & Hair Design
Natasha Lawes for 100 Nights of Hero, Julia Jackman, UK 
Colleen Labaff and Miho Suzuki for Die My Love, Lynne Ramsay, UK, USA and Canada 
Kehinde Are and Feyzo Oyebisi for My Father's Shadow, Akinola Davies Jr, UK, Nigeria and Ireland  
Diandra Ferreira for Pillion, Harry Lighton, UK and Ireland
Paul Gooch and Tristan Versluis for Warfare, Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza, USA and UK 

Best Music Supervision
Ian Neil and Raife Burchell for Die My Love, Lynne Ramsay, UK, USA and Canada 
Bridget Samuels for Urchin, Harris Dickinson, UK and UK
Phil Canning for Wasteman, Cal McMau, UK

Best Original Music
Bobby Krlic for Anemone, Ronan Day-Lewis, UK and USA 
CJ Mirra and Duval Timothy for My Father's Shadow, Akinola Davies Jr, UK, Nigeria and Ireland  
Steven Price for Ocean With David Attenborough, Colin Butfield, Toby Nowland and Keith Scholey, UK (documentary) 
Tom Basden and Adem Ilhan for The Ballad of Wallis Island, James Griffiths, UK
Jed Kurzel for Tornado, John Maclean, UK

Best Production Design
Sofia Sacomani for 100 Nights of Hero, Julia Jackman, UK 
Tim Grimes for Die My Love, Lynne Ramsay, UK, USA and Canada 
Nathan Parker for Harvest, Athina Rachel Tsangari, UK, Germany, USA, France and Greece 
Jennifer Anti and Pablo Anti for My Father's Shadow, Akinola Davies Jr, UK, Nigeria and Ireland  
Mark Digby for Warfare, Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza, USA and UK 

Best Sound
Steve Fanagan and Stevie Haywood for Anemone, Ronan Day-Lewis, UK and USA 
Tim Burns, Paul Davies, Linda Forsén, Andrew Stirk and Ron Osiowy for Die My Love, Lynne Ramsay, UK, USA and Canada 
Nina Hartstone, Jake Whitelee, Jens Petersen, Mike Tehrani and Rob Davidson for Ish, Imran Perretta, UK  [also produced by Bennett McGhee]
CJ Mirra, James Ridgway, Joe Jackson, Adele Fletcherand Pius Fatoke for My Father's Shadow, Akinola Davies Jr, UK, Nigeria and Ireland  
Glenn Freemantle, Mitch Low, Howard Bargroff, Ben Barker and Richard Spooner for Warfare, Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza, USA and UK 

To check nominations at official site go here.