Paul Greengrass To Be Honoured At This Years Moet British Independnet Film Awards

The recipient of The Variety Award has been announced by Johanna von Fischer and Tessa Collinson, joint Directors, The Moët British Independent Film Awards.

Paul Greengrass will receive The Variety Award at the ceremony on Sunday 8th December at Old Billingsgate.

The Variety Award recognises a director, actor, writer or producer who has helped to focus the international spotlight on the UK. The Variety Award was bestowed upon Jude Law last year and has previously been awarded to Kenneth Branagh, Liam Neeson, Sir Michael Caine, Daniel Craig, Dame Helen Mirren and Richard Curtis to name a few.

Paul Greengrass became an internationally renowned and respected filmmaker who earned an Academy Award® nomination for Best Director and a Best Original Screenplay nomination from the Writers Guild of America for his work on UNITED 93. He won recognition for his work on BLOODY SUNDAY when the film won the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival and the World Cinema Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival. BLOODY SUNDAY starred MBIFA 2013 host and patron James Nesbitt, who won best actor at BIFA alongside Greengrass who also picked up his first BIFA for Best Director. Greengrass directed THE BOURNE SUPREMACY, picking up the baton from Doug Liman on the blockbuster hit franchise. He was subsequently nominated for a BAFTA for Best Director for the final film in the saga, THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM which also received all three Academy Awards® it was nominated for, and two BAFTAs. The film broke records in the US when it became the highest grossing August opening. Greengrass continued his working relationship with actor Matt Damon with GREEN ZONE. CAPTAIN PHILLIPS, which opened the 2013 BFI London Film Festival earlier this year, is Greengrass’ latest critical success and is expected to garner much recognition during this year’s awards season.

Greengrass has had a long and distinguished career in British television: he has written and directed TV films concerned with social and political issues, including THE MURDER OF STEPHEN LAWRENCE (winner of BAFTA’s Best Single Drama Award in 2000 and the Special Jury Prize at the BANFF World Television Festival), as well as THE FIX, THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY, and OPEN FIRE. He produced and co-wrote the 2004 television film OMAGH, set in the aftermath of a real IRA car-bombing that killed 29 people in Omagh, Northern Ireland. OMAGH won BAFTA’s Best Single Drama Award in 2005. Greengrass spent the first decade of his career covering global conflict for the ITV current affairs programme WORLD IN ACTION and writing and directing many documentaries. He also co-wrote the bestselling memoir Spycatcher with Peter Wright, former assistant director of Britain’s MI5.

Previous winners of the prestigious Best British Independent Film award include Broken, Tyrannosaur, The King’s Speech, Moon, Control, Slumdog Millionaire, The Constant Gardener and This Is England.

The Moët British Independent Film Awards will take place  on Sunday 8th December at 8pm, the whole event can be watched exclusively here.

The Moët British Independent Film Awards Announce Their 2013 Nominees

The nominations for the 16th annual Moët British Independent Film Awards were announced today, at Saint Martins Lane, London by actor, BIFA Patron and previous winner, Ewan McGregor.

Joint Directors, The Moët British Independent Film Awards’ Johanna von Fischer & Tessa Collinson said: “We would like to thank our dedicated members who viewed over 200 films, in an extremely competitive year. The variety of films submitted reached a new level this year with films covering a range of subject matters and genres that perfectly showcases the diversity and creativity at work in British independent filmmaking today. Now our wonderful independent jury, announced today, will have the unenviable task of choosing the winners who will be the first to receive the newly launched iconic signature trophy designed by Fredrikson Stallard, created by Swarovski at the Moët British Independent Film Awards.

The highest number of nominations this year goes to Starred Up with 8 nominations including Best British Independent Film, Best Director for David Mackenzie, Best Screenplay for Jonathan Asser, Best Actor for Jack O’Connell, and two Best Supporting Actor nominations for Rupert Friend and Ben Mendelsohn. The Selfish Giant picked up 7 nominations and Filth, Metro Manila and Le Week-end all picked up 5 nominations each.

Nominations for Best Actress go to Judi Dench for Philomena, Lindsay Duncan for Le Week-end, Scarlett Johansson for Under The Skin, Felicity Jones for The Invisible Woman and Saoirse Ronan for How I Live Now. Along with Jack O’Connell for Starred Up, leading men hoping to take home the Best Actor award include Jim Broadbent for Le Week-end, Steve Coogan for Philomena, Tom Hardy for Locke and James McAvoy for Filth.

Best Supporting Actor nominations go to John Arcilla for Metro Manila, Jeff Goldblum for Le Week-end, Eddie Marsan for Filth and the two Starred Up actors Rupert Friend and Ben Mendelsohn.

Siobhan Finneran for The Selfish Giant, Shirley Henderson for Filth, Imogen Poots for The Look of Love, Kristin Scott Thomas for The Invisible Woman and Mia Wasikowska for The Double are all nominated for the Best Supporting Actress Award.

Directors who have delivered dynamic debuts this year and are fighting for the Douglas Hickox Award are Charlie Cattrall for Titus, Tina Gharavi for I Am Nasrine, Jeremy Lovering for In Fear, Omid Nooshin for Last Passenger and Paul Wright for For Those in Peril.

Elsa Corbineau, Marketing Director Moët & Chandon: “Every year the talent pool recognised by the Moët British Independent Awards continues to inspire us with the depth and richness it represents. With a century-long history supporting the stars of the silver screen, Moët & Chandon is looking forward to celebrating the British film industry's achievements in a fittingly glamorous way at the Awards on December 8th”.

Ben Roberts, Director of the BFI Film Fund comments: “Where other awards sometimes fear to tread, the MBIFAs puts the wild creativity of British independent filmmaking front and centre. This year we have witnessed a renewed confidence in bold UK filmmaking which has been recognised around the world and will inspire a new generation of talent. The BFI NET.WORK has been established to support extraordinary new voices who need a platform like the BIFAs to showcase their talent to the industry, and that’s why we are so pleased to support the Best British Short award this year.”

The Raindance Award nominees for 2013 include: Everyone’s Going to Die, The Machine, The Patrol, Sleeping Dogs and Titus. This award honours exceptional achievement for filmmakers working against the odds, often with little or no industry support. Elliot Grove, Founder of Raindance Film Festival and Moët British Independent Film Awards added: “Its a delight to see how In just a few years the BIFA nominations have become one of the most eagerly anticipated film events of the calendar year. Congratulations to all the nominees.”

The Pre-Selection Committee of 70 members viewed over 200 films, out of which they selected the nominations, which were decided by ballot.

The winners of The Moët British Independent Film Awards are decided by an independent jury comprised of leading professionals and talent from the British film industry.

The Jury for 2013 includes: Jury Chair - Penny Woolcock (Director), Antonia Campbell-Hughes (Actress), Art Malik (Actor), Ate de Jong (Director), Bart Layton (Director), James Floyd (Actor), Jill McCullough (Dialect Coach), Julien Temple (Director), Liza Marshall (Producer), MyAnna Buring (Actress), Natascha McElhone (Actress), Pippa Harris (Producer), Roland Gift (Musician), Sally El Hosaini (Director), Sandy Powell (Costume Designer), Steve Hamilton Shaw (Producer).

The winners will be announced at the much anticipated 16th awards ceremony which will be hosted by actor and BIFA Patron, James Nesbitt, who returns for his eighth year on Sunday 8 December at the impressive Old Billingsgate in London.

The awards ceremony will be streamed exclusively live on www.film3sixty.com/moetbifa from 8.00pm

The Moët British Independent Film Awards is proud to announce the following nominees for this year’s awards:

BEST BRITISH INDEPENDENT FILM
Sponsored by Moët &Chandon
Metro Manila
Philomena
The Selfish Giant
Starred Up
Le Week-end

BEST DIRECTOR
Sponsored by AllCity &Intermission
Jon S Baird – Filth
Clio Barnard – The Selfish Giant
Sean Ellis – Metro Manila
Jonathan Glazer – Under the Skin
David Mackenzie – Starred Up

THE DOUGLAS HICKOX AWARD [BEST DEBUT DIRECTOR]
Sponsored by 3 Mills Studios
Charlie Cattrall – Titus
Tina Gharavi – I Am Nasrine
Jeremy Lovering – In Fear
Omid Nooshin – Last Passenger
Paul Wright – For Those in Peril

BEST SCREENPLAY
Jonathan Asser – Starred Up
Clio Barnard – The Selfish Giant
Steven Knight – Locke
Hanif Kureishi – Le Week-end
Jeff Pope, Steve Coogan – Philomena

BEST ACTRESS
Sponsored by M.A.C Cosmetics
Judi Dench – Philomena
Lindsay Duncan – Le Week-end
Scarlett Johansson – Under the Skin
Felicity Jones – The Invisible Woman
Saoirse Ronan – How I Live Now

BEST ACTOR
Sponsored by BBC Films
Jim Broadbent – Le Week-end
Steve Coogan – Philomena
Tom Hardy – Locke
Jack O'Connell – Starred Up
James McAvoy – Filth

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Siobhan Finneran – The Selfish Giant
Shirley Henderson – Filth
Imogen Poots – The Look Of Love
Kristin Scott Thomas – The Invisible Woman
Mia Wasikowska – The Double

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Sponsored by Sanderson & Saint Martins Lane
John Arcilla – Metro Manila
Rupert Friend – Starred Up
Jeff Goldblum – Le Week-end
Eddie Marsan – Filth
Ben Mendelsohn – Starred Up

MOST PROMISING NEWCOMER
Sponsored by Studiocanal
Harley Bird – How I Live Now
Conner Chapman / Shaun Thomas – The Selfish Giant
Caity Lotz – The Machine
Jake Macapagal – Metro Manila
Chloe Pirrie – Shell

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN PRODUCTION
Sponsored by Company3
A Field in England
Filth
Metro Manila
The Selfish Giant
Starred Up

BEST TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT
Sponsored by LightBrigade Media
Shaheen Baig – Casting – Starred Up
Johnnie Burn – Sound Design – Under the Skin
Amy Hubbard – Casting – The Selfish Giant
Mica Levi – Music – Under the Skin
Justine Wright – Editing – Locke

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Pussy Riot - A Punk Prayer
The Great Hip Hop Hoax
The Moo Man
The Spirit of '45
The Stone Roses: Made of Stone

BEST BRITISH SHORT
Supported by BFI NET.WORK
L'Assenza
Dr Easy
Dylan's Room
Jonah
Z1

BEST INTERNATIONAL INDEPENDENT FILM
Blue is the Warmest Colour
Blue Jasmine
Frances Ha
The Great Beauty
Wadjda

THE RAINDANCE AWARD
Sponsored by Wentworth Media and Arts
Everyone’s Going to Die
The Machine
The Patrol
Sleeping Dogs
Titus

THE RICHARD HARRIS AWARD (for outstanding contribution by an actor to British Film)
To Be Announced

THE VARIETY AWARD
To Be Announced

THE SPECIAL JURY PRIZE
Announced at the Moët British Independent Film Awards on Sunday 8th December