AWARDS 2011: "Tinker, Tailor" Dominates BIFA Nods

Continuing the slow unveiling of film award nominations, the British Independent Film Awards have happily added to the pot. It's a nice array of films that you should get jotted down before the year ends, and I've already gotten off to a solid start with two films in the top race already seen. Two films in particular have prevailed in the nominations above the others, though it's still mostly the same central players. "Senna" is the standout documentary nominee, and a well earned one in my own opinion. "Tyrannosaur" and "We Need to Talk About Kevin" are also strong points of interest, gaining their fair share of nods as well. I'd be very happy to see the latter get the lion's share of praise.

However, the top players here are "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy", which dominates the performance categories, and "Shame", which picks up more than a few technical nods here. I'd love this to be the start of a surprise awards run for "Shame", but lets face it. That's probably not going to happen. It'll be a wonderful miracle for Fassbender to get nominated in the endgame for Best Actor. I'd consider this to be a sort of outcast lineup, with Mia Wasikowska ("Jane Eyre") and Brendan Gleeson ("The Guard") rounding out the lead actors, and "Drive" picking up a foreign independent nod amongst "Pina" and "A Separation".

BEST BRITISH INDEPENDENT FILM

• "Senna"
• "Shame"
• "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy"
• "Tyrannosaur"
• "We Need to Talk About Kevin"

BEST DIRECTOR

• Ben Wheatley, "Kill List"
• Steve McQueen, "Shame"
• Tomas Alfredson, "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy"
• Paddy Considine, "Tyrannosaur"
• Lynne Ramsay, "We Need to Talk About Kevin"

BEST ACTRESS

• MyAnna Buring, "Kill List"
• Olivia Colman, "Tyrannosaur"
• Rebecca Hall, "The Awakening"
• Tilda Swinton, "We Need to Talk About Kevin"
• Mia Wasikowska, "Jane Eyre"

BEST ACTOR

• Michael Fassbender, "Shame"
• Brendan Gleeson, "The Guard"
• Neil Maskell, "Kill List"
• Peter Mullan, "Tyrannosaur"
• Gary Oldman, "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy"

 BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

• Kathy Burke, "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy"
• Sally Hawkins, "Submarine"
• Felicity Jones, "Albatross" 
• Carey Mulligan, "Shame"
• Vanessa Redgrave, "Coriolanus"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

• Benedict Cumberbatch, "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy"
• Tom Hardy, "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy"
• Eddie Marsan, "Tyrannosaur"
• Ezra Miller, "We Need to Talk About Kevin"
• Michael Smiley, "Kill List"

 BEST SCREENPLAY

• John Michael McDonagh, "The Guard"
• Ben Wheatley and Amy Jump, "Kill List"
• Abi Morgan and Steve McQueen, "Shame"
• Richard Ayoade, "Submarine"
  Lynne Ramsay and Rory Kinnear, "We Need to Talk About Kevin" 

BEST FOREIGN INDEPENDENT FILM

• "Animal Kingdom"
• "Drive"
• "Pina"
• "A Separation"
• "The Skin I Live In"

BEST DOCUMENTARY

• "Hell and Back Again"
• "Life in a Day"
• "Project Nim"
• "Senna"
• "TT3D: Closer to the Edge"

BEST DEBUT DIRECTOR

• Joe Cornish, "Attack the Block"
• Ralph Fiennes, "Coriolanus"
• John Michael McDonagh, "The Guard"
• Richard Ayoade, "Submarine"
• Paddy Considine, "Tyrannosaur"

MOST PROMISING NEWCOMER

• John Boyega, "Attack the Block"
• Tom Cullen, "Weekend"
• Jessica Brown Findlay, "Albatross"
• Yasmin Paige, "Submarine"
• Craig Roberts, "Submarine"

BEST TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT

• Chris King and Gregers Sall (editing), "Senna"
• Sean Bobbitt (cinematography), "Shame"
• Joe Walker (editing), "Shame"
• Maria Djurkovic (production design), "Tinker Tailor, Soldier, Spy"
• Seamus McGarvey (cinematography), "We Need to Talk About Kevin" 

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN PRODUCTION

• "Kill List"
• "Tyrannosaur"
• "Weekend"
• "Wild Bill"
• "You Instead"

BEST BRITISH SHORT

• "Chalk"
• "Love at First Sight"
• "0507"
• "Rite"
• "Rough Skin"

RAINDANCE AWARD

• "Acts of Godfrey"
• "Black Pond"
• "Hollow"
• "Leaving Baghdad"
• "A Thousand Kisses Deep"