They could not be more different: one is set in the almost unwatchably grim conditions of the Maze prison during the hunger strikes, while the other follows two jovial killers in the pretty town of Bruges. But both are leading contenders at this year's British independent film awards. Steve McQueen's and Martin McDonagh's each have seven nominations in the 11th Bifa awards. McQueen, a Turner prize-winning artist who will represent Britain at next year's Venice Biennale, is nominated in the best director and best first director categories while his leading man Michael Fassbender, who in his depiction of Bobby Sands really does look like he has not eaten for two months, is nominated for best actor. He is up against In Bruges leads, Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, while co-star Ralph Fiennes, who plays the psychotic gang boss Harry Waters, is nominated for best supporting actor. He is also nominated in that category for his portrayal of the Duke of Devonshire in The Duchess. The young actor Thomas Turgoose - still only 16 - will be hoping to follow up his Bifa best actor win of two years ago for This Is England. He is nominated for his leading role as a lovable runaway in Shane Meadows' Somers Town, with the category completed by Riz Ahmed for Shifty. The best actress nominations are Vera Farmiga (The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas), Samantha Morton (The Daisy Chain), Keira Knightley (The Duchess), Kelly Reilly (Eden Lake) and Sally Hawkins in Happy-Go-Lucky directed by Mike Leigh who, strikingly, is not nominated. Fighting it out for best film are Hunger, In Bruges, Somers Town, Man on Wire and Danny Boyle's feelgood tale of an impoverished Mumbai teenager who wins the Hindi version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, Slumdog Millionaire. Two special awards for their contribution to British film will be given to actors David Thewlis and Michael Sheen. The awards ceremony will be held in London on November 30. The nominations were selected from more than 150 films that meet the Bifa criteria and the winners will be decided by a 16-strong jury that includes actor Anne Marie Duff and Internet Movie Database founder Col Needham. © Guardian News & Media Limited 2008 | Use of this content is subject to our | (read more)
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