The King's Speech leads the pack at BIFA nominations

The nominations for the 13th British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) were announced in London today, with Tom Hooper’s The Kings Speech picking up a leading eight nominations, including Best British Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Actor.

Gareth Edwards’ Monsters, Mark Romanek’s Never Let Me Go and Clio Barnard’s LFF double award winner The Arbor were not far behind with six nominations each, followed by Chris Morris’ Four Lions, which was shortlisted in five categories.

Nigel Cole’s Made In Dagenham and Rowan Joffe’s Brighton Rock each received four nominations, as did Another Year, which earned Mike Leigh a Best Director nomination, but failed to be recognised in the Best Film category.

Instead, the five films competing for the Best Film Award will be Four Lions, Kick Ass, The King’s Speech, Monsters and Never Let Me Go.

Debs Gardner Paterson (Africa United), Clio Barnard (The Arbor), Rowan Joffe (Brighton Rock), Chris Morris (Four Lions) and Gareth Edwards (Monsters) will battle it out in the best debut director category.

Colin Firth will go up against Jim Broadbent (Another Year), Riz Ahmed (Four Lions), Scoot McNairy (Monsters) and Aidan Gillen (Treacle Junior) in the Best Actor category.

Meanwhile Carey Mulligan, who won the Best Actress Award last year for her performance in An Education, is nominated again for Never Let Me Go, alongside Manjinder Virk for The Arbor, Ruth Sheen for Another Year, Andrea Risborough for Brighton Rock and Sally Hawkins for Made in Dagenham.

The awards, which are now being sponsored by Moet & Chandon, will take place on Dec 5 at Old Billinsgate in London, with James Nesbitt hosting for the sixth year running.

THE 2010 NOMINATIONS:

Best British Independent Film
Four Lions
Kick Ass
The King’s Speech
Monsters
Never Let Me Go

Best Director
Mike Leigh, Another Year
Matthew Vaughn, Kick Ass
Tom Hooper, The King’s Speech
Gareth Edwards, Monsters
Mark Romanek, Never Let Me Go

The Douglas Hickox Award for Best Debut Director
Debs Gardner Paterson, Africa United
Clio Barnard, The Arbor
Rowan Joffe, Brighton Rock
Chris Morris, Four Lions
Gareth Edwards, Monsters

Best Screenplay
Jesse Armstrong, Sam Bain, Simon Blackwell, Chrs Morris, Four Lions
Jane Goldman and Matthew Vaughn, Kick Ass
David Seidler, The King’s Speech
William Ivory, Made In Dagenham
Alex Garland, Never Let Me Go

Best Actress
Manjinder Virk, The Arbor
Ruth Sheen, Another Year
Andrea Risborough, Brighton Rock
Sally Hawkins, Made In Dagenham
Carey Mulligan, Never Let Me Go

Best Actor
Jim Broadbent, Another Year
Riz Ahmed, Four Lions
Colin Firth, The King’s Speech
Scoot McNairy, Monsters
Aidan Gillen, Treacle Junior

Best Supporting Actress
Lesley Manville, Another Year
Helena Bonham Carter, The King’s Speech
Rosamund Pike, Made In Dagenham
Keira Knightley, Never Let Me Go
Tamsin Greig, Tamara Drewe

Best Supporting Actor
Kayvan Novak, Four Lions
Guy Pearce, The King’s Speech
Geoffrey Rush, The King’s Speech
Bob Hoskins, Made In Dagenham
Andrew Garfield, Never Let Me Go

Most Promising Newcomer
Manjinder Virk, The Arbor
Andrea Riseborough, Brighton Rock
Tom Hughes, Cemetery Junction
Joanne Froggatt, In Our Name
Connor McCarron, Neds

Best Achievement In Production
The Arbor
In Our Name
Monsters
Skeletons
Streedance 3D

Raindance Award
Brilliantlove
Jackboots On Whitehall
Legacy
Son Of Babylon
Treacle Junior

Best Documentary
The Arbor
Enemies Of The People
Exit Through The Gift Shop
Fire In Babylon
Waste Land

Best Foreign Film
Dogtooth
I Am Love
A Prophet
The Secret In Their Eyes
Winter’s Bone