*see the links for Smoke Screen reviews
The longlist for the London Evening Standard British Film Awards are revealed this week, with the best film award nominations fairly evenly spread between the arthouse (American Honey from British director Andrea Arnold and I,Daniel Blake from veteran filmmaker Ken Loach) and the crowdpleasers (Bridget Jones’s Baby). Also getting a lot of love is the post-apocalyptic thriller The Girl with all the Gifts (nominated in several categories), whilst actor David Oyelowo is given a best actor nod for two films simultaneously – Queen of Katwe and A United Kingdom, both now in cinemas this month. The Smoke Screen was pleased to see actor and director Alice Lowe getting a best actress nod for her new comedy thriller Prevenge (read the review here and the Smoke Screen’s interview with Lowe from this year’s London Film Festival). Russel Tovey and Arinzé Kene also get well-deserved acting nods for their roles in the taught, heartrending drama The Pass.
Films are eligible for consideration if they had a public screening in London between February 7 and October 21. This year’s advisory judging panel comprises Evening Standard film reviewers David Sexton and Charlotte O’Sullivan; Evening Standard film and TV writer Ellen E Jones; Kate Muir, chief film critic for The Times; Peter Bradshaw, Guardian film critic, and Tim Robey of the Daily Telegraph. The panel is chaired by Evening Standard editor Sarah Sands.
The shortlist will be announced in the paper next Thursday. The three final contenders for the Everyman Award for Best Film will be screened to the public in Everyman cinemas in the last two weeks before all winners are revealed at the ceremony at Claridge’s on December 8.
The winner of the Editor’s Award in partnership with Claridge’s — a special honour for a cinematic event or person to have grabbed the headlines in the past year — will also be announced on the night.
This year also sees a new audience award for Most Powerful Scene, where readers can vote online for their favourite film moment from 2016. The 10 scenes to choose from will be published in the Evening Standard with details of how to vote.
Everyman Award for Best Film
- American Honey
- Bridget Jones’s Baby
- Ethel & Ernest
- I, Daniel Blake
- Lady Macbeth
- The Girl with All the Gifts
Best Actor
- Benedict Cumberbatch, Doctor Strange
- Ralph Fiennes, A Bigger Splash
- Hugh Grant, Florence Foster Jenkins
- Dave Johns, I, Daniel Blake
- David Oyelowo, Queen of Katwe & A United Kingdom
- Dev Patel, Lion
- Mark Rylance, The BFG
- Russell Tovey, The Pass
New West End Company Award for Best Actress
- Gemma Arterton, Their Finest
- Kate Beckinsale, Love & Friendship
- Emily Blunt, The Girl on the Train
- Alexa Davies, Spaceship
- Alice Lowe, Prevenge
- Helen Mirren, Eye in the Sky
- Rosamund Pike, A United Kingdom
- Tilda Swinton, A Bigger Splash
Best Supporting Actor
- Tom Bennett, Love & Friendship
- Chiwetel Ejiofor, Doctor Strange
- Brendan Gleeson,Trespass Against Us
- Arinzé Kene, The Pass
- George MacKay, Captain Fantastic
Best Supporting Actress
- Naomi Ackie, Lady Macbeth
- Lyndsey Marshal, Trespass Against Us
- Sarah Solemani, Bridget Jones’s Baby
- Hayley Squires, I, Daniel Blake
- Rachel Weisz, The Light Between Oceans
Best Documentary
- Bobby Sands: 66 Days
- Before the Flood
- My Scientology Movie
- Notes on Blindness
- Oasis: Supersonic
- The Hard Stop
Amanda Eliasch Best Screenplay Award
- Mike Carey, The Girl with All the Gifts
- Terence Davies, A Quiet Passion
- Jane Goldman, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children
- Guy Hibbert, Eye in the Sky
- Paul Laverty, I, Daniel Blake
- David Farr, The Ones Below
Peter Sellers Award for Comedy
- Julian Barrat, Mindhorn
- Bridget Jones’s Baby
- Bill Nighy, Their Finest
- David Brent: Life on the Road
Malone Souliers Award for Breakthrough of the Year
- Babak Anvari, Under the Shadow
- Lewis MacDougall, A Monster Calls
- William Oldroyd, Lady Macbeth
- Colm McCarthy, The Girl with All the Gifts
- Sennia Nanua, The Girl with All the Gifts
- Florence Pugh, Lady Macbeth
Technical Achievement
- Consolata Boyle, Florence Foster Jenkins (costume design)
- Guy Farley and Robin Foste, Anthropoid (music)
- Max Richter, Arrival (contribution to the music)
- Laurie Rose, Free Fire (cinematography)
- Robbie Ryan, American Honey (cinematography)