A total of 31 films have been longlisted in the emerging talent categories for the 2021 British Independent Film Awards, best known as the BIFAs.
Across four different categories, 13 first-time directors, 20 first-time writers, 16 breakthrough producers and 16 new performers were recognized, with names including Jude Hill, the young lead from Kenneth Branagh’s Oscar-tipped Belfast, and Prano Bailey-Bond, whose directorial debut Censor first bowed in Sundance.
The 39 longlisted filmmakers will be invited to join BIFA’s Springboard scheme, a program of continuing professional development, peer-to-peer support, mentoring, networking and skills development aimed to nurture emerging talent so they can they build on the success of their first features.
The final list of nominations will be revealed on Nov. 3, with the winners ceremony — now back to a physical event after last year’s virtual affair — taking place on Dec. 5.
The longlisted new talent categories are as follows:
The Douglas Hickox award
(best debut director)
Aleem Khan, After Love
Matt Chambers, The Bike Thief
Prano Bailey-Bond, Censor
Jonathan Butterell, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie
Sonita Gale, Hostile
Jack Clough, People Just Do Nothing: Big In Japan
Reggie Yates, Pirates
Celeste Bell, Poly Styrene: I Am A Cliché [also directed by Paul Sng]
Corinna Faith, The Power
Charlotte Colbert, She Will
Camille Griffin, Silent Night
Marley Morrison, Sweetheart
Cathy Brady, Wildfire
Best debut screenwriter
Aleem Khan, After Love
Tom Palmer, Tom Stourton, All My Friends Hate Me
Matt Chambers, The Bike Thief
Colum Eastwood, Black Medicine
Prano Bailey-Bond, Censor [also written by Anthony Fletcher]
Richard Bean, Clive Coleman, The Duke
Tom Macrae, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie
Steve Stamp, Allan Mustafa, People Just Do Nothing: Big In Japan
Reggie Yates, Pirates
Corinna Faith, The Power
Charlotte Colbert, Kitty Percy, She Will
Camille Griffin, Silent Night
James Webber, Sorority
Marley Morrison, Sweetheart
Matt Redd, The Toll
Cathy Brady, Wildfire
Breakthrough producer
Tom Palmer, All My Friends Hate Me
Pk Fellowes, Sophia Gibber, The Bike Thief [also produced By Lene Bausager]
Annika Ranin, Jasmin Morrison, Boarders
Hester Ruoff, Boiling Point [also produced by Bart Ruspoli]
Dominic Tighe, Bull [also produced By Leonora Darby, Sarah Gabriel, Marc Goldberg, Mark Lane]
Helen Jones, Censor
Katie Hodgkin, Martyrs Lane [also produced By Christine Alderson]
Tim Sealey, People Just Do Nothing: Big In Japan [also produced by Claire Jones]
Rob Watson, The Power [also produced by Matthew James Wilkinson]
Martyn Robertson, Louise Storrie, Ride The Wave
Jessica Malik, She Will [also produced by Bob Last]
Clive Patterson, Sing, Freetown
Michelle Antoniades, Sweetheart
Breakthrough Performance
Ariana Bodorová, Ali & Ava
Tom Stourton, All My Friends Hate Me
Jude Hill, Belfast
Lauryn Ajufo, Boiling Point
Max Harwood, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie
Tom Prior, Firebird
Ellora Torchia, In The Earth
Hannah Douglas, Lapwing
Kiera Thompson, Martyrs Lane
Daniel Lamont, Nowhere Special
Tallulah Greive, Our Ladies
Elliot Edusah, Pirates
Jordan Peters, Pirates
Reda Elazouar, Pirates
Rose Williams, The Power
Nell Barlow, Sweetheart
Source: HollyWood
