Elsinore, starring Andrew Scott as actor Ian Charleson, leads this year’s British Independent Film Awards (BIFAs) nominations with 12. The film is among the contenders for best British independent film, while Simon Stone is nominated for best director and Scott for best lead performance.
The drama follows Charleson as he takes on Shakespeare’s Hamlet in the final months of his life. He died of AIDS in 1990. Olivia Colman, Billie Piper and Johnny Flynn also star in the film, which premiered at the Telluride Film Festival in September.
Clio Barnard’s ensemble drama I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning is the next most-nominated film, with eight nods, including best British independent film, best director and best ensemble performance. Ashley Walters’ feature directing debut, Animol, received seven nominations, including best lead performance for Tut Nyuot and the Douglas Hickox award for best debut director for Walters. Mike Leigh’s Tender Loving Care received four nominations.
The BIFAs use non-gendered acting categories. Scott and Nyuot are among the nominees for best lead performance alongside Juliette Binoche for Queen at Sea and Leisa Gwenllian for Effi o Blaenau.
The ceremony will take place at London’s Roundhouse on 6 December. This year’s nominees for cinema of the year include Campus West in Welwyn Garden City, the Hippodrome Cinema in Bo’ness and the Ultimate Picture Palace in Oxford.
Sources: The Guardian Film.