BBC Films

11/03/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 11/03/2026 12:35

BBC Film celebrates 20 nominations across 4 films for the British Independent Film Awards 2026

Published: 06:28 pm, 3 November 2026

Four films backed by BBC Film have received a total of 20 nominations for this year's British Independent Film Awards, with winners to be announced at the awards ceremony in London on Sunday 6 December.

Clio Barnard's I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning leads the BBC Film backed cohort with 8 nominations including for Best British Independent Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Ensemble Performance, building on its success at the Cannes Film Festival where it won the Un Certain Regard People's Choice Award. The film will be released in UK and Ireland on 4 December.

Shining a light on new talent, 3 features by debut filmmakers also received multiple nominations. FLORID, written and directed by Billy Lumby, receives 5 nominations, including for Best Debut Director and Best Lead and Best Breakthrough performance for Jonathan Jules in his first leading feature film role; Oscar Hudson's Straight Circle received 5 craft nominations including for Cinematography, Costume Design, Editing, Make-Up & Hair Design and Production Design; and Black Church Bay which receives nominations for writer/director Rhys Marc Jones for Best Debut Screenwriter and for Alex Polunin for Breakthrough Producer.

Eva Yates, Director of BBC Film, says: "Congratulations to all the films and filmmakers nominated for a British Independent Film Award today. These nominations celebrate the talent and variety that continue to make British independent cinema so distinctive. We are grateful to BIFA for the wonderful work it does all year round to support independent film in the UK."

AS

BBC Film's BIFA nominations

I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning

8 nominations: Best British Independent Film (Clio Barnard, Enda Walsh, Tracy O'Riordan), Best Director (Clio Barnard), Best Screenplay (Enda Walsh), Best Ensemble Performance (Anthony Boyle, Joe Cole, Jay Lycurgo, Daryl McCormack, Lola Petticrew), Best Casting (Shaheen Baig), Best Cinematography (Simon Tindall), Best Editing (Maya Maffioli), Best Music Supervision (Connie Farr).

FLORID

5 nominations: The Douglas Hickox Award for Best Debut Director (Billy Lumby), Best Lead Performance (Jonathan Jules), Breakthrough Performance (Jonathan Jules), Best Casting (Lara Manwaring), Best Sound (Dario Swade, George Elliott, Tom Harburt).

Straight Circle

5 nominations: Best Cinematography (Christopher Ripley), Best Costume Design (Darion Hing), Best Editing (Fouad Gaber), Best Make-Up & Hair Design (Tristan Versluis), Best Production Design (Luke Moran-Morris).

Black Church Bay

2 nominations: Best Debut Screenwriter (Rhys Marc Jones), Breakthrough Producer (Alex Polunin).

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BBC Films published this content on November 03, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on November 03, 2026 at 18:35 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]