Mike Leigh has long bemoaned the fact that he gets more respect from American awards bodies than those in his homeland. He received further proof of that this morning, as his broadly acclaimed new feature, “Another Year,” was snubbed in the top category at the British Independent Film Awards in favor of, among others, Matthew Vaughan’s dismal po-mo superhero movie “Kick-Ass.”
The BIFAs are, of course, to the BAFTAs what the Indie Spirits are to the Oscars. They can always be relied upon to make some interesting calls, but while some of this year’s surprises are laudable, others are just perverse.
Leigh receives some compensation in the shape of a Best Director nod, plus a trio of acting bids (which interestingly place Ruth Sheen in lead and the much-fancied Lesley Manville in support). But Leigh’s omission from the Best Screenplay category — when the pleasant but join-the-dots writing of “Made in Dagenham” makes the cut — is, if anything, even more of a jawdropper than the Best Film miss. The BIFAs were similarly cool on “Happy-Go-Lucky” two years ago, somewhat anticipating the film’s BAFTA whiteout — here’s hoping we’re not setting ourselves up for a repeat.
(More thoughts, and the full list of nominations, after the jump.)
Meanwhile, probable Oscar heavyweight “The King’s Speech” rules the roost with eight nominations — though along with the multi-nominated “Kick-Ass” and “Never Let Me Go,” it raises the question of how to define a film’s “independence.” (All three, laden with stars and supported by hefty studios, may as well come from a different planet to, say, Clio Barnard’s experimental docudrama “The Arbor.”)
The royal biopic’s dominance here may seem to portend a big win on the night, but the BIFAs don’t always follow the script, much less the US awards buzz — largely because the winners are determined by a select jury, not a large votership. Back in 2006, “The Queen” entered the ceremony as the odds-on favorite, only to lose the top prize to “This is England,” while even Helen Mirren endured one of her few defeats of the season to little-known “Red Road” lead Kate Dickie.
As mortified as I am by some of these nominations (the “Kick-Ass” travesty aside, Rowan Joffe’s bungled “Brighton Rock” deserves little credit, least of all for John Mathieson’s gimmicky lensing), the list below at least gives me a few reasons to cheer.
I’m particularly thrilled to see such a healthy haul, including a Best Film nod, for Gareth Edwards’s thrillingly resourceful genre-soup exercise “Monsters,” which hit US screens last week. And it’s nice to see the first awards mention of the season for my beloved “The Illusionist,” though it deserves better than a paltry technical citation. Interesting, too, to see “Winter’s Bone” as the sole American entry in the Best Foreign Film category, furthering my conviction that Debra Granik’s film is the real indie spoiler to watch in the Oscar race.
In the performance categories, it’s delightful to see Rosamund Pike get recognition for her sweet but subtle supporting turn in “Made in Dagenham” – all the more surprising, given that her scenery-chewing (and Oscar-tipped) co-star Miranda Richardson was left off the list. And I’m pleased to see a mention for newcomer Conor McCarron, the lone representative for Peter Mullan’s otherwise shockingly ignored “Neds.”
Anyway, on we go. The 2010 British Independent Film Awards will take place in London on December 5. The full list of nominations is below.
Best British Independent Film
“Four Lions”
“Kick-Ass”
“The King’s Speech”
“Monsters”
“Never Let Me Go”
Best Director
Mike Leigh, “Another Year”
Matthew Vaughn, “Kick-Ass”
Tom Hooper, “The King’s Speech”
Gareth Edwards, “Monsters”
Mark Romanek, “Never Let Me Go”
Douglas Hickox Award (Best Debut Director)
Debs Gardner Paterson, “Africa United”
Clio Barnard, “The Arbor”
Rowan Joffe, “Brighton Rock”
Chris Morris, “Four Lions”
Gareth Edwards, “Monsters”
Best Screenplay
Jesse Armstrong, Sam Bain, Simon Blackwell and Christopher Morris, “Four Lions”
Jane Goldman and Matthew Vaughn, “Kick-Ass”
David Seidler, “The King’s Speech”
William Ivory, “Made In Dagenham”
Alex Garland, “Never Let Me Go”
Best Actress
Sally Hawkins, “Made In Dagenham”
Carey Mulligan, “Never Let Me Go”
Andrea Riseborough, “Brighton Rock”
Ruth Sheen, “Another Year”
Manjinder Virk, “The Arbor”
Best Actor
Riz Ahmed, “Four Lions”
Jim Broadbent, “Another Year”
Colin Firth, “The King’s Speech”
Aidan Gillen, “Treacle Jr”
Scoot McNairy, “Monsters”
Best Supporting Actress
Helena Bonham-Carter, “The King’s Speech”
Tamsin Greig, “Tamara Drewe”
Keira Knightley, “Never Let Me Go”
Lesley Manville, “Another Year”
Rosamund Pike, “Made In Dagenham”
Best Supporting Actor
Andrew Garfield, “Never Let Me Go”
Bob Hoskins, “Made In Dagenham”
Kayvan Novak, “Four Lions”
Guy Pearce, “The King’s Speech”
Geoffrey Rush, “The King’s Speech”
Most Promising Newcomer
Joanne Froggatt, “In Our Name”
Tom Hughes, “Cemetery Junction”
Conor McCarron, “Neds”
Andrea Riseborough, “Brighton Rock”
Manjinder Virk, “The Arbor”
Best Achievement in Production
“The Arbor”
“In Our Name”
“Monsters”
“Skeletons”
“Streetdance 3D”
Raindance Award
“brilliantlove”
“Jackboots On Whitehall”
“Legacy”
“Son Of Babylon”
“Treacle Jr”
Best Technical Achievement
Tim Barker (sound), “The Arbor”
John Mathieson (cinematography), “Brighton Rock”
Sylvain Chomet (animation), “The Illusionist”
Eve Stewart (production design), “The King’s Speech”
Gareth Edwards (visual effects), “Monsters”
Best Documentary
“The Arbor”
“Enemies of the People”
“Exit Through the Gift Shop”
“Fire In Babylon”
“Waste Land”
Best Foreign Film
“Dogtooth”
“I Am Love”
“A Prophet”
“The Secret In Their Eyes”
“Winter’s Bone”
[Photo: Sony Pictures Classics]