Elsinore Leads the 2026 BIFA Nominations With 12
Elsinore has picked up 12 nominations at the 2026 British Independent Film Awards, the BIFAs, according to Variety. The film is up for Best British Independent Film, and its director, Simon Stone, is nominated for Best Director.
Two of its actors are also on the list. Andrew Scott is nominated for Best Lead Performance, and Billie Piper for Best Supporting Performance. Nominations are shortlist places, not wins, so the final decisions are still to come.
Close behind are three other films. I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning has eight nominations, Animol has seven, and Effi O Blaenau and Queen at Sea have six each. Those figures are also from Variety.
The performer list reaches beyond those names. The Hollywood Reporter reports that Erin Doherty, Bella Ramsey and Juliette Binoche are among the performers nominated.
The awards body says its 2026 nominations recognise 39 British feature films. It has also shortlisted five cinemas for its Cinema of the Year award, which honours a venue rather than a film. The BIFA website lists the schedule as well.
Craft category winners will be announced on social media on Tuesday 24 November. The main ceremony follows on Sunday 6 December at London's Roundhouse, a converted railway building in Camden. The Cinema of the Year winner will be revealed there too.
For anyone new to awards season, the pattern is simple. Nominations come first, then craft prizes such as editing, sound and design, and then the main categories on the night. Most of the 39 films will not reach the final stage, and the shortlist is the first public test for each of them.
For cinema-goers, the calendar matters more than the trophies. Several of these titles may be looking for screens, and the nominations give them a little more attention heading into the final weeks of the year. The December ceremony will settle the top prizes, and the dates are now fixed.
