BIFA wins and Golden Globe nominations for Film 4-backed films

Picture: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Two Film4 backed films received further awards attention this weekend, with Martin McDonagh’s Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri nominated for six Golden Globes, and first time writer/director Rungano Nyoni’s I Am Not a Witch winning three BIFAs.

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri received six Golden Globe nominations: Best Motion Picture, Drama, Martin McDonagh picked up nominations for Best Director – Motion Picture and Best Screenplay – Motion Picture, Frances McDormand is nominated for Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama, Sam Rockwell is nominated for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture, and Carter Burwell is nominated for Best Original Score – Motion Picture.

Last night I Am Not a Witch won three British Independent Film Awards: Rungano Nyoni took home both Best Director and the Douglas Hickox Award for Debut Director, while Emily Morgan won the award for Breakthrough Producer.

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri earlier won two craft awards from the BIFAs, announced two weeks ago: Jon Gregory won Best Editing and Carter Burwell won Best Music (sponsored by Universal Music Publishing Group).

Director of Film4 Daniel Battsek commented: “Congratulations to Martin, Graham Broadbent and the whole Three Billboards team on their Golden Globe nominations. Congratulations also to Rungano and Emily on their BIFA wins. Everyone at Film4 is thrilled to see I Am Not a Witch receiving acclaim in such a strong year for British independent film.”

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri has been steadily accruing awards and nominations since bowing at the Venice Film Festival in September, where it won the Best Screenplay prize. It went on to win the Toronto Film Festival’s Grolsch People’s Choice Award, following in the footsteps of previous Film4 backed winners Room (2015), 12 Years a Slave (2013) and Slumdog Millionaire (2008). The film won further audience awards at film festivals in San Sebastián, Denver and Leeds, as well as at Camerimage, is one of the AFI Movies of the Year, has six Critics Choice Awards nominations, three Independent Spirit Awards nominations, and has so far received awards or nominations from critics groups in Los Angeles, Boston, Detroit and Washington. The film just crossed $18 million at the US box office after its fifth weekend on release through Fox Searchlight, and opens in the UK on 12th January, 2018.