The British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) today announced the wealth of film industry talent that will serve on the juries for its 25th anniversary year. Onscreen stars including Hayley Atwell, Joanna Scanlan and Jenna Coleman, and filmmaking talent including Philip Barantini, Aneil Karia and Prano Bailey-Bond will decide the 2022 winners across 12 categories, including this year’s new performance and debut categories.
Internationally renowned actor, BIFA nominee and 2007 BIFA jury alumna Hayley Atwell returns to head up the Main Jury this year, which includes a stellar line up of film-world expertise, with Philip Barantini, director of 2021 hit Boiling Point and Luke Schiller, producer of BIFA nominated films The Souvenir and The Souvenir Part II, filmmaker and actor Sadie Frost, film journalist and presenter Leila Latif, BIFA winners Joanna Scanlan and Kosar Ali and fellow screen stars Jenna Coleman, Ray Panthaki and Kiell Smith-Bynoe. The Main Jury will decide the winners of Best Director sponsored by Sky Cinema and Best Screenplay, as well as the newly reworked performance categories – Best Lead Performance, Best Supporting Performance, Best Joint Lead Performance, Best Ensemble Performance, and Breakthrough Performance sponsored by Netflix. They also have in their gift The Special Jury Prize, which recognises outstanding contribution to the industry from an individual or organisation, and was last year presented to Raising Films.
Chairing the New Talent Jury is BIFA nominated producer Hester Ruoff. The jurors are BIFA winning director Aneil Karia, whose short film The Long Goodbye won BIFA and Oscar glory in 2020, BIFA nominated filmmaker Prano Bailey-Bond, acclaimed documentary filmmaker Kim Longinotto, 2021 BIFA Best Short Film winner for Femme Sam H. Freeman, BIFA and BAFTA nominated director John Ogunmuyiwa, 16 Days 16 Films founder and previous director of BIFA Johanna von Fischer, Variety Executive Editor and Senior Writer Manori Ravindran, former Sundance Film Festival director and film executive Tabitha Jackson, and co-founder of We Are Parable and S.O.U.L Fest, Teanne Andrews. The New Talent Jury decide the winners of The Douglas Hickox Award (Best Debut Director) sponsored by BBC Film, Best Debut Screenwriter sponsored by Film4, Breakthrough Producer sponsored by Pinewood and Shepperton Studios Group and the new Best Debut Director – Feature Documentary category.
In contention for their votes this year are 26 outstanding British films, including Charlotte Wells’ debut Aftersun, nominated in 16 categories this year and already scooping three craft BIFAs, Georgia Oakley’s Blue Jean with 13 nominations, and The Wonder, Good Luck to You, Leo Grande, and Living also in the mix.
Main JuryKosar Ali Hayley Atwell (Chair) Philip Barantini Jenna Coleman Sadie Frost Leila Latif Ray Panthaki Joanna Scanlan Luke Schiller Kiell Smith-Bynoe |
New Talent JuryTeanne Andrews Prano Bailey-Bond Sam H Freeman Johanna von Fischer Tabitha Jackson Aneil Karia Kim Longinotto John Ogunmuyiwa Manori Ravindran Hester Ruoff (Chair) |
The 25th British Independent Film Awards take place on Sunday 4 December at Old Billingsgate. A full list of this year’s nominations can be found here. Craft award winners were announced on 18 November.
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