Simon Stone's Elsinore leads the 2026 British Independent Film Awards with 12 nominations, announced November 3 at One Hundred Shoreditch. The film dramatises the final stage performance of actor Ian Charleson, who played Hamlet at the National Theatre in 1989 while dying of AIDS. Andrew Scott stars as Charleson, with Billie Piper earning a supporting acting nomination alongside him.
The 12 nominations include Best British Independent Film, Best Director for Stone, Best Screenplay, and acting recognition for both Scott and Piper. The film opens in US cinemas November 20 through Focus Features, with a UK and Ireland release set for January 29, 2027.
Clio Barnard's I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning, following five childhood friends approaching 30, trails with eight nominations, including Best British Independent Film, Best Director, and Best Ensemble Performance. Ashley Walters' debut feature Animol, set in a young offenders' institution, earned seven nominations, including the Douglas Hickox Award for Best Debut Director.
The Best British Independent Film category also includes Mike Leigh's Tender Loving Care, described as his farewell film, and Lance Hammer's Queen at Sea, starring Juliette Binoche and Tom Courtenay. Andrew Haigh received a Best Director nomination for A Long Winter, adapted from a Colm Tóibín work.
Craft awards will be announced November 24. The BIFA ceremony takes place at the Roundhouse on December 6.