Georgia Oakley’s ‘Blue Jean’ leads Bifa new talent longlists; new award introduced

Georgia Oakley’s Blue Jean, Charlotte Wells’ Aftersun and Jono McLeod’s My Old School and are among the titles that have made the new talent longlists for the 2022 British Independent Film Awards (Bifas), with 28 fiction and 14 documentary features longlisted.

Blue Jean has taken the most nominated spots with five  – the Douglas Hickox Award for best debut director, as well as best debut screenwriter for Oakley, best breakthrough performance for Lucy Halliday and Screen Star of Tomorrow 2022 Rosy McEwen and best breakthrough producer for Hélène Sifre.

Scroll down for the full new talent longlist

Venice premiere Blue Jean is set in England in 1988 as the Conservative government is about to pass a new law stigmatising gay and lesbian people. McEwen plays a PE teacher whose double life is put under pressure by the arrival of a new girl at her school. Sifre produces through the UK’s Kleio Films, with backing from BBC Film and the BFI, in association with Great Point Media.

The title had its UK premiere at BFI London Film Festival last month, with Film Constellation handling sales.

Fridtjof Ryder’s BFI London Film Festival premiere Inland has four nominations – best debut director, best debut screenwriter, both for Ryder, plus breakthrough performance for Rory Alexander and breakthrough producer for Henry Richmond, Louis Paine and Ryder.

Charlotte Wells’ Cannes premiere Aftersun has been nominated for three awards – best debut director for Wells, best debut screenwriter for Well and best breakthrough performance for Frankie Corio.

Jim Archer’s Brian And Charles, Roger Williams’ The Feast, Ruth Paxton’s A Banquet and Andrew Cumming’s The Origin have also each scored three nominations.

New award

For the 25th year of Bifa, a new award has been introduced, for best debut director – feature documentary. The longlist includes Jono McLeod’s documentary-animation hybrid My Old School, which features a lip syncing performance from Alan Cumming and tells the true story of a man in his 30s who returns to his old high school in Glasgow posing as a pupil. It premiered at Sundance, ahead of a festival run that included Glasgow Film Festival, Zurich and Dinard.

Also on the inaugural best debut director – feature documentary longlist is Kathryn Ferguson for Sundance premiere Nothing Compares, that charts the life of Irish musician Sinead O’Connor.

The international and documentary longlists were announced last week. The final five nominations in each category will be announced November 4. Winners will be revealed at the Bifa ceremony on December 4.

Bifa 2022 new talent longlist

Best debut director

Ruth Paxton, A Banquet

Charlotte Wells, Aftersun

Georgia Oakley, Blue Jean

Jim Archer, Brian And Charles

Frances O’Connor, Emily

Lee Haven Jones, The Feast

Stacey Gregg, Here Before

Fridtjof Ryder, Inland

Thomas Hardiman, Medusa Deluxe

Mikey Murray, Mind-Set

Andrew Cumming, The Origin

Best debut screenwriter

Charlotte Wells, Aftersun

Georgia Oakley, Blue Jean

David Earl, Chris Hayward, Brian And Charles

Claire Peate, The Colour Room

Frances O’Connor, Emily

Roger Williams, The Feast

William Stone, The Fence

Shane Crowley, God’s Creatures

Stacey Gregg, Here Before

Fridtjof Ryder, Inland

Thomas Hardiman, Medusa Deluxe

Ruth Greenberg, The Origin

Maysoon Pachachi, Our River…Our Sky

Best debut director – feature documentary

Joseph Curran, Dominic Aubrey De Vere, A Story Of Bones

Jay Bedwani, Donna

Marie Lidén, Electric Malady

Matthew Dyas, Explorer

Sarah Beddington, Fadia’s Tree

Becky Hutner, Fashion Reimagined

Leah Gordon, Eddie Hutton Mills, Kanaval

Jono McLeod, My Old School

Victoria Fiore, Nascondino (Hide And Seek)

Kathryn Ferguson, Nothing Compares

Peter Day, Off The Rails

Elena Sánchez Bellot, Maia Kenworthy, Rebellion

Matthew Bauer, The Other Fellow

Best breakthrough performance

Jessica Alexander, A Banquet

Rory Alexander, Inland

Percelle Ascott, I Came By

Kíla Lord Cassidy, The Wonder

Frankie Corio, Aftersun

Phoebe Dynevor, The Colour Room

Bally Gill, Allelujah

Lucy Halliday, Blue Jean

Luca Hogan, A Bit Of Light

Alexander Lincoln, In From The Side

Leo Long, I Used To Be Famous

Rosy McEwen, Blue Jean

Safia Oakley-Green, The Origin

David Perkins, The Fence

Daniel Watson, Give Them Wings

Breakthrough producer

Aleksandra Bilić, 8 Bar - The Evolution of Grime (also produced by Jamie Clark, David Upshal)

Leonora Darby, A Banquet (also produced by Nik Bower, James Harris, Mark Lane, Laure Vaysse)

Hélène Sifre, Blue Jean

Rupert Majendie, Brian And Charles

Becky Hutner, Lindsay Lowe, Fashion Reimagined (also produced by Andrea van Beuren)

Roger Williams, The Feast

Serena Armitage, Flux Gourmet (also produced by Pietro Greppi)

Elizabeth Eves, The Forgiven (also produced by John Michael McDonagh, Nick Gordon, Trevor Matthews)

Collie McCarthy, I Used To Be Famous

Henry Richmond, Louis Paine, Fridtjof Ryder, Inland

Aleksandra Bilić, Jennifer Corcoran, Nascondino (Hide And Seek)

Paul Kennedy, Nightride (also produced by Jon Silk)

Tom Miller, Kate Glover, The Phantom Of The Open (also produced by Nichola Martin)

Ben Pullen, The Score (also produced by Matthew James Wilkinson)

Nadira Murray, Winners (also produced by Paul Welsh)

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