‘Saint Maud,’ ‘His House,’ ‘Rocks’ Lead British Independent Film Awards Nominations

Rose Glass’ psychological horror “Saint Maud” leads the charge at the 2020 British Independent Film Awards (BIFAs) with 17 nominations.

“Saint Maud” is up for best British independent film, screenplay and director, and also features in the debut categories — producer, director and screenwriter. Morfydd Clark is nominated for best actress and Jennifer Ehle for supporting actress. The film also features heavily in the technical categories.

Close behind is Remi Weekes’ “His House,” which contrasts asylum seekers’ real life horrors with those of the supernatural kind. It has 16 nominations across the director, screenplay, debut and technical categories, and acting nominations for Wunmi Mosaku and Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù.

Elsewhere, “Rocks,” Sarah Gavron and Anu Henrique’s take on life as a marginalized British teen, has 15 nominations, including for stars Bukky Bakray, Kosar Ali and D’angleou Osei Kissiedu.

Nick Rowland’s “Calm With Horses” has 10 nominations while Riz Ahmed has four BIFA nominations this year, garnering nods for best actor, debut screenwriter and best screenplay for “Mogul Mowgli,” and also for “The Long Goodbye,” a short film which he wrote and starred in.

Andrea Riseborough is nominated for best actress for her performance as a British aid worker haunted by past choices in “Luxor,” while Clare Dunne is nominated for her performance in “Herself,” which she also co-wrote.

Winners will be announced in early February, 2021.

The nominations were announced Wednesday by British actors Holliday Grainger and Micheal Ward.

BIFA NOMINATIONS 2020

Best British Independent Film

“Calm With Horses” – Nick Rowland, Joe Murtagh, Daniel Emmerson
“The Father” – Florian Zeller, Christopher Hampton, David Parfitt, Jean-louis Livi, Philippe Carcassonne
“His House” – Remi Weekes, Martin Gentles, Edward King, Roy Lee, Aidan Elliott, Arnon Milchan
“Rocks” – Sarah Gavron, Theresa Ikoko, Claire Wilson, Faye Ward, Ameenah Ayub Allen
“Saint Maud” – Rose Glass, Oliver Kassman, Andrea Cornwell

Best Director

Sarah Gavron – “Rocks” [associate Director Anu Henriques]
Rose Glass – “Saint Maud”
Nick Rowland – “Calm With Horses”
Remi Weekes – “His House”
Florian Zeller – “The Father”

Best Screenplay (Sponsored by BBC Film)

Rose Glass – “Saint Maud”
Theresa Ikoko, Claire Wilson – “Rocks”
Bassam Tariq, Riz Ahmed – “Mogul Mowgli”
Remi Weekes – “His House”
Florian Zeller, Christopher Hampton – “The Father”

Best Actress

Bukky Bakray – “Rocks”
Morfydd Clark – “Saint Maud”
Clare Dunne – “Herself”
Wunmi Mosaku – “His House”
Andrea Riseborough – “Luxor”

Best Actor

Riz Ahmed – “Mogul Mowgli”
Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù – “His House”
Amir El-masry – “Limbo”
Anthony Hopkins – “The Father”
Cosmo Jarvis – “Calm With Horses”

Best Supporting Actress

Niamh Algar – “Calm With Horses”
Kosar Ali – “Rocks”
Jennifer Ehle – “Saint Maud”
Ashley Madekwe – “County Lines”
Fiona Shaw – “Kindred”

Best Supporting Actor

Harris Dickinson – “County Lines”
Barry Keoghan – “Calm With Horses”
Alyy Khan – “Mogul Mowgli”
Merab Ninidze – “The Courier”
D’angelou Osei Kissiedu – “Rocks”

The Douglas Hickox Award (Debut Director) (Sponsored By Kodak & Pinewood)

Henry Blake – “County Lines”
Rose Glass – “Saint Maud”
Eva Riley – “Perfect 10”
Nick Rowland – “Calm With Horses”
Remi Weekes – “His House”

Breakthrough Producer

Douglas Cox – “Host” [also Produced By Emily Gotto, Samuel Zimmerman]
Daniel Emmerson – “Calm With Horses”
Irune Gurtubai – “Limbo” [also Produced By Angus Lamont]
Oliver Kassman – “Saint Maud” [also Produced By Andrea Cornwell]
Edward King, Martin Gentles – “His House” [also Produced By Aidan Elliott, Roy Lee, Arnon Milchan]

Debut Screenwriter (Sponsored By Film4)

Riz Ahmed – “Mogul Mowgli” [also Written By Bassam Tariq]
Rose Glass – “Saint Maud”
Theresa Ikoko, Claire Wilson – “Rocks”
Joe Murtagh – “Calm With Horses”
Remi Weekes – “His House”

Most Promising Newcomer

Niamh Algar – “Calm With Horses”
Kosar Ali – “Rocks”
Bukky Bakray – “Rocks”
Frankie Box – “Perfect 10”
Conrad Khan “County Lines”

Best Documentary

“The Australian Dream” – Daniel Gordon, Stan Grant, Sarah Thomson, Nick Batzias, Virginia Whitwell, John Battsek
“Being A Human Person” – Fred Scott, Mike Brett, Steve Jamison, Jo-jo Ellison
“The Reason I Jump” – Jerry Rothwell, Jeremy Dear, Stevie Lee, Al Morrow
“Rising Phoenix” – Ian Bonhôte, Peter Ettedgui, Greg Nugent, John Battsek, Tatyana Mcfadden
“White Riot” – Rubika Shah, Ed Gibbs

The Raindance Discovery Award

“Justine” – Jamie Patterson, Jeff Murphy, Jason Rush, Sarah Drew, Julius Beltrame
“Looted” – Rene Van Pannevis, Kefi Chadwick, Jennifer Eriksson, Jessie Mangum
“One Man And His Shoes” – Yemi Bamiro, Will Thorne
“Perfect 10” – Eva Riley, Jacob Thomas, Bertrand Faivre, Valentina Brazzini
“Rose: A Love Story” – Jennifer Sheridan, April Kelley, Sara Huxley, Matt Stokoe, Rob Taylor, Sophie Rundle

Best British Short Film (Supported By BFI Network)

“Filipiñana” – Rafael Manuel, Naomi Pacifique
“The Forgotten C” – Molly Manning Walker, Jessi Gutch
“The Long Goodbye” – Aneil Karia, Riz Ahmed, Tom Gardner
“Mandem” – John Ogunmuyiwa, Emily Everdee
“Sudden Light” – Sophie Littman, Tom Wood

Best International Independent Film (Sponsored By Champagne Taittinger)

“Babyteeth” – Shannon Murphy, Rita Kalnejais, Alex White
“Les Misérables” – Ladj Ly, Giordano Gederlini, Alexis Manenti, Toufik Ayadi, Christophe Barral
“Never Rarely Sometimes Always” – Eliza Hittman, Adele Romanski, Sara Murphy
“Nomadland” – Chloé Zhao, Frances Mcdormand, Peter Spears, Mollye Asher, Dan Janvey
“Notturno” – Gianfranco Rosi, Donatella Palermo, Paolo Del Brocco, Serge Lalou, Camille Laemlé, Orwa Nyrabia, Eva-maria Weerts

Best Casting (Sponsored By Casting Society Of America & Spotlight)

Shaheen Baig – “Calm With Horses”
Kharmel Cochrane – “Saint Maud”
Carmen Cuba – “His House”
Dan Jackson – “Limbo”
Lucy Pardee – “Rocks”

Best Cinematography (Sponsored By Dirty Looks)

Nick Cooke – “Limbo”
Ben Fordesman – “Saint Maud”
Hélène Louvart – “Rocks”
Annika Summerson – “Mogul Mowgli”
Jo Willems – “His House”

Best Costume Design

Michele Clapton – “The Secret Garden”
Ruka Johnson – “Rocks”
Tina Kalivas – “Saint Maud”
Michael O’connor – “Ammonite”
Charlotte Walter – “Misbehaviour”

Best Editing (Sponsored By Intermission Film)

Julia Bloch – “His House”
Yorgos Lamprinos – “The Father”
Maya Maffioli – “Rocks”
Brenna Rangott – “Host”
Mark Towns – “Saint Maud”

Best Effects

Agnes Asplund, Martin Malmqvist – “Undergods”
Scott Macintyre, Bariş Kareli, Kristyan Mallett – “Saint Maud”
Pedro Sabrosa, Stefano Pepin – “His House”

Best Make Up & Hair Design

Jacquetta Levon – “Saint Maud “
Sharon A Martin – “His House”
Ivana Primorac – “Ammonite”
Nora Robertson – “Rocks”
Jill Sweeney – “Misbehaviour”

Best Music (Sponsored By Universal Music Publishing Group)

Roque Baños – “His House”
Paul Corley – “Mogul Mowgli”
Nainita Desai – “The Reason I Jump”
Connie Farr, Emilie Levienaise-farrouch – “Rocks”
Adam Janota Bzowski – “Saint Maud”

Best Production Design (Sponsored By Studio Juice)

Jacqueline Abrahams – “His House”
Cristina Casali – “Misbehaviour”
Peter Francis – “The Father”
Marketa Korinkova, Elo Soode – “Undergods”
Paulina Rzeszowska – “Saint Maud”

Best Sound (Supported By Halo Post)

Adrian Bell, Glenn Freemantle, Frank Kruse, Brendan Nicholson, Richard Pryke – “His House”
Paul Davies – “Saint Maud”
Paul Davies, Robert Farr, Nigel Albermaniche, Ian Morgan – “Mogul Mowgli”
Nick Ryan, Ben Baird, Sara De Oliveira Lima – “The Reason I Jump”
Calum Sample – “Host”