BIFA 2023 Feature Film Entries

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The British Independent Film Awards are for theatrical feature films and short films. The majority of categories are only open to British independent films. There are separate eligibility criteria for international independent films.

There have been a number of updates to the rules and eligibility requirements for this year’s awards process. For a summary of these changes, click here.

Timeline

Please click here for full timeline information

ENTRY DEADLINES & FEES

Please click here for entry deadlines and fee information

VOTING & ADJUDICATION PROCESS

More details about the BIFA voting and adjudication process can be found here.

FILM eligibility requirements

In all cases, final decisions about a film’s eligibility rest with BIFA’s Nomination Committee. Under exceptional circumstances, inclusion and consideration of films which do not strictly comply with the below criteria will be subject to the discretion of the Committee. If you have questions about your film’s eligibility, please contact BIFA on entry@bifa.film.

independent

Films will usually qualify as independent where there is no involvement in the production or financing of a film by a major studio.

Any involvement by a major studio will be assessed by BIFA and a budget cap of $25m (gross) applies.

As a guide, a film which has major studio involvement may be eligible for BIFA if:

The film was acquired by the studio post completion for distribution only
OR
The gross budget did not exceed $25m and the project was not originated or majority co-produced by the major studio

BIFA considers the following companies to be ‘major studios’*:

Fox / Disney	Netflix	Universal
Amazon Studios	Paramount	Warner Bros.
Apple	Sony

If there is no major studio involvement, no budget cap applies.

*studios can be added to the major studios list at any time

UK NATIONALITY – FILMS

BIFA considers a film to be ‘British*’ if the writer(s), director and originating producer(s) are British.

Where this is not the case, films are assessed by BIFA’s Nomination Committee, who take into account the following factors:

Whether the film was originated by a British production company or individual(s)
The creative contribution from the UK (i.e. key creative team, lead cast and HoDs)
UK funding source(s)
Where each stage of production took place

Films that are not originated by a UK production company or individual(s) and that do not have a lead UK production company are unlikely to be eligible.

This applies to shorts and feature films entering all categories except for Best International Independent Film.

*Throughout the rules, when using the term ‘British’, BIFA is referring to the UK and British Crown dependencies Jersey and Guernsey (The Channel Islands) and the Isle of Man.

UK NATIONALITY – INDIVIDUALS

Where an individual must be British to qualify for an award, such as in the debut categories, or for the purposes of identifying the nationality of a film, we will ask entrants if they or others who worked on a film have a British passport or the right to hold one, or if they have achieved ‘settled status’ by living in the UK for more than five years. BIFA’s Nomination Committee may, at its discretion, accept individuals as ‘British’ if they have not lived in the UK for more than five years or do not have settled status but have demonstrably been living and working in the UK for a considerable period of time and intend to do so in the future. If you are unsure, please use this test: https://www.gov.uk/check-british-citizen and get in touch with us on entry@bifa.film.

BFI DIVERSITY STANDARDS

In 2023 the BFI launched updated Diversity Standards criteria and meeting the Standards now requires passing three of five Standards (A, B, C, D, E). Standards C and E are mandatory for all (some concessions may be made for smaller projects).

Films entered to the BIFA British feature film categories must be assessed against these new criteria, and should fill in the mandatory elements for Standards they wish to meet as fully as possible. However, as productions transition to the new requirements and in recognition that most films entered into BIFA 2023 will have been in production before these updates came into effect, to qualify this year the rule will remain that entered films will only be required to meet standard C, plus one of standards A, B or D.

Films that have already been assessed against the Standards (either pre or post Diversity Standards updates) do not need to be re-assessed.

If your film has not already been assessed against the standards, the deadline for completing the form is Friday 1 September. We will send this form to you after your entry has been submitted.

Short films entered to the Best British Short Film award must be assessed against the BFI’s Diversity Standards. There is no requirement for short films to meet the Standards, simply to be assessed against them. Please see the Rules and Eligibility criteria for Short films for more information.

Please note, all assessments are made by the BFI and BIFA has no input into this process.

You can find out more about the BFI Diversity Standards here

FILM RELEASE REQUIREMENTS

RELEASE REQUIREMENTS

To be eligible, feature films must be intended for theatrical release and must screen, or be scheduled to screen, to a paying public audience either at a qualifying festival or on general release during the eligibility period.

This year, the eligibility period is 1 November 2022 to 30 November 2023.

Where formal distribution is confirmed after a qualifying festival screening, the festival screening remains as the qualifying eligibility criterion for BIFA.

No re-releases may be entered. Once entered, a film can be withdrawn up to a week before the first round of voting opens. Films that are withdrawn at this point (by 11 September 2023) can be entered in subsequent years, if eligible. Otherwise, previously entered films are not eligible.

BRITISH FEatures

Must be intended for UK theatrical release
Must be over 70 minutes in running time
Must screen or have been scheduled to screen:
- On general release in the UK during the eligibility period, for a run consisting of at least seven screenings in aggregate

- At one of BIFA’s qualifying (see list here) film festivals during the eligibility period. Where there is no British theatrical release on the calendar, proof of intention to release theatrically may be required

Films that are between 40 and 70 minutes in length may be eligible if they have a theatrical release in the UK during the eligibility period.

Where formal distribution is confirmed after a qualifying festival screening, the festival screening remains as the qualifying eligibility criterion for BIFA. Films which have a qualifying festival screening but are scheduled for theatrical release in early 2024 (up to the cut-off date for eligibility for British films for the BAFTA Film Awards) may choose whether to enter in the current year or to wait until next year. Please contact BIFA to discuss this via entry@bifa.film.

International features

Must be intended for theatrical release
Must be over 70 minutes in running time
Must have confirmed UK distribution
Must screen or have been scheduled to screen:
- On general release in the UK during the eligibility period, for a run consisting of at least seven screenings in aggregate

- At one of BIFA’s qualifying international film festivals (see list here) during the eligibility period and be intended for theatrical release. Where there is no British theatrical release on the calendar, proof of intention to release theatrically may be required.

International features may also be entered if they have won an award at one of BIFA’s qualifying international film festivals and are available for voters to watch.

category rules & requirements

Films may be submitted to as many or as few categories as entrants wish. However, voters or the Nomination Committee may choose to consider a film in additional categories to those submitted.

Credits and eligibility decisions are based on the credits featured on exhibited prints of the film.

Films entered to British feature film categories must also supply information about their production budget and production staff. This information is used by BIFA to analyse the state of the British film industry and will not affect the outcome of a film’s entry in any way.

Category/ies	Named nominee(s)	Additional rules	Supporting material required
Best British Independent Film	Fully credited writers, producers and directors Other producer credits, such as Associate, Executive, etc. are not eligible for this award. Co-directors and co-writers are only eligible where there are no lead directors or writers credited. ‘Additional Material by…’, ‘Original Story by…’ and similar credits are not eligible. Where PGA determination has been made about eligible producers, only those credited p.g.a. will be listed
Best International Independent Film	Fully credited writers, producers and directors See Best British Independent Film for our rules on which writing, directing and producing credits are eligible to be listed as nominees
Best Director	Director(s) Co-directors are only eligible where there is no lead director credited
Best Screenplay	Screenwriter(s) Co-writers are only eligible where there is no lead screenwriter credited. ‘Additional Material by…’, ‘Original Story by…’ and similar credits are not eligible		Screenplay sample [mandatory]
Best Lead Performance Best Supporting Performance	Lead & Supporting performers	Entrants may select which category a performer should be considered for but BIFA’s Nomination Committee reserves the right to make final decisions about performers’ category placement
Best Joint Lead Performance	Lead Performers	For two (or exceptionally three) performances that are the joint focus of the film, especially where the performances share a large number of scenes and screen time Entrants may choose to put performers forward for Best Joint Lead as well as Lead Performance. Please note: performers entered into this category must also be entered into the Best Lead Performance category. Performers will be listed for voting in both categories but can only be nominated in one category Performers put forward for Best Supporting Performance may not enter the Joint Lead Category The number of nominations in these categories is variable (up to a maximum of five) and is dependent on the number of eligible entries in any given year. This award will only be presented if there are sufficient nominations in the category
Best Ensemble Performance	Three or more performers who form a core ensemble	This award is for a group of three or more performers in films without a clear lead performer and where the ensemble drives the story. Examples might include films like The Death of Stalin or The History Boys, as opposed to films like Billy Elliot. Entrants are responsible for electing which performers to put forward for this category, but the suitability of entries will be subject to the approval of the Performance subgroup, who may decide to limit which performers are included in the ensemble of the film. This award will only be presented in the case that the Performance subgroup deem there to be a suitable winner. Ordinarily, the winner in this category will be announced in advance of the ceremony, with no nominations selected. In exceptional years however, where there are multiple competitive entries, up to three nominations may be announced and the winner declared at the ceremony
Breakthrough Performance	Lead & supporting performers Must hold, or have the right to hold, a British passport	For British performers taking their first significant role in a theatrical feature film. Eligibility of performers with significant theatre or TV credits will be determined by the Nomination Committee
The Douglas Hickox Award (Best Debut Director)	Director(s) Must hold, or have the right to hold, a British passport Co-directors are only eligible where there is no lead director credited	For a British director for their debut fiction feature film. Previous television or documentary credits do not disqualify an individual from consideration. Documentaries are ineligible in this category Where a director has previously made a micro-budget feature (under £50k budget), they may still be eligible for this award for a subsequent film, subject to review by BIFA’s Nomination Committee
Best Debut Director – Feature Documentary	Director(s) Must hold, or have the right to hold, a British passport Co-directors are only eligible where there is no lead director credited	For a British director for their debut documentary feature film. Previous television or fiction feature credits do not disqualify an individual from consideration Filmmakers must be able to show the appropriate release forms if requested. If they are not able to do so, BIFA’s Nomination Committee will determine whether the film is eligible for BIFA
Best Debut Screenwriter	Screenwriter(s) Must hold, or have the right to hold, a British passport Co-writers are only eligible where there is no lead screenwriter credited. ‘Additional Material by…’, ‘Original Story by…’ and similar credits are not eligible	For a British screenwriter for their debut fiction feature film. Previous television or documentary credits do not disqualify an individual from consideration	Screenplay sample [mandatory]
Breakthrough Producer	Producer(s) Must hold, or have the right to hold, a British passport Other producer credits, such as Associate, Executive, etc. are not eligible for this award	For a British producer for their first or second documentary or fiction feature film Where a producer wishes to be considered for the award for their second feature film, BIFA’s subgroup and Nomination Committee will assess whether the producer’s first film could be considered their industry breakthrough	Questionnaire [mandatory] Additional statements from other members of the production team will be requested at Longlist stage.
The Raindance Maverick Award	Fully credited writer(s), producer(s) and director(s) By default, all above-listed people are listed as nominees in this category. Entrants may, at their discretion, choose instead to limit the number of nominees (e.g. just the director, or just the producers) but must explain this decision in the statement accompanying their entry See Best British Independent Film for our rules on which writing, directing and producing credits are eligible to be listed as nominees	This award highlights innovation, uniqueness of vision, maverick filmmaking and risk-taking generally in fiction films with a budget under £1m, rewarding bold, creative, ambitious work that belies its limited budget. Eligible films must not have exceeded a £1m (gross) production budget. From 2023, films may enter this category which have achieved any level of UK theatrical distribution. All other eligibility criteria must be met.	Questionnaire [mandatory]
Best Feature Documentary	Director(s) & Producer(s) Co-directors are only eligible where there is no lead director credited	Films should be non-fiction and photograph an actual occurrence or employ partial re-enactment, stock footage, stills, animation, stop-motion or other techniques, as long as the emphasis is on fact and not on fiction Filmmakers must be able to show the appropriate release forms, if requested. If they are not able to do so, BIFA’s Nomination Committee will determine whether the film is eligible for BIFA
Best British Short Film	Fully credited writers, producers and directors Other producer credits, such as Associate, Executive, etc. are not eligible for this award Co-directors and co-writers are only eligible where there are no lead directors or writers credited	Films must be under 40 minutes in length Must be narrative, experimental, documentary or animation. Music videos and fashion films are usually ineligible, but may be included at the discretion of the Nomination Committee and Shorts subgroup where the film has sufficient narrative elements. To request an exception, please contact entry@bifa.film
Best Casting	Casting Director		Statement [mandatory]
Best Cinematography	Director of Photography		Statement [optional]
Best Costume Design	Costume Designer		Statement [optional]
Best Editing	Editor Other editing credits, such as Assistant or Co-Editor, are not eligible		Statement [optional]
Best Effects	Special Effects Supervisor and/or Visual Effects Supervisor		Statement [mandatory]Effects breakdown reel [optional]
Best Make-Up & Hair Design	Make-Up & Hair Designer	Prosthetics Designers are also eligible in this category	Statement [optional]
Best Original Music	Composer/Songwriter Other credits such as co-composers are only eligible where there is no lead composer	This award is for the composition of original music for a film where original music makes up at least 40% of the film’s music soundtrack. To be eligible, it must be clear which music in the film is original score (either within the film or via supporting documents). Pre-existing instrumental music should not be considered score unless written specifically for the film Documentaries about music, where the majority of the music featured is that of the subject of the documentary, are not eligible unless the music has been composed specifically for the film The number of nominations in this category is variable (up to a maximum of five) and is dependent on the number of eligible entries in any given year. This award will only be presented if there are sufficient entries in the category	Questionnaire [mandatory] Music Cue Sheet, plus breakdown of percentages of original and source music [mandatory]
Best Music Supervision	Music Supervisor	This award is for the supervision of sourced music where sourced music makes up at least 40% of the film’s music soundtrack. To be eligible, it must be clear which music in the film is sourced or licensed music (either within the film or via supporting documents) Documentaries about music, where the majority of the music featured is that of the subject of the documentary, are not eligible The number of nominations in this category is variable (up to a maximum of five) and is dependent on the number of eligible entries in any given year. This award will only be presented if there are sufficient entries in the category	Questionnaire [mandatory] Music Cue Sheet, plus breakdown of percentages of original and source music [mandatory]
Best Production Design	Production Designer		Statement [optional]
Best Sound	The following professionals may be entered, up to a maximum of five people: Lead or sole Sound Designer / Supervising Sound Editor / HoD Lead or sole Dialogue Supervisor / Editor Lead or sole SFX Supervisor / Editor Lead or sole Re-Recording Mixer Lead or sole Production Sound Mixer / Sound Recordist		Statement [optional]
The Special Jury Prize	An individual or organisation within the British independent film industry.	This award is intended to recognise an individual or organisation for their outstanding contribution within the British independent film industry. Entrants are invited to submit a single member of their production team whose work deserves recognition but whose role is not currently recognised by one of our competitive awards categories. These recommendations will be compiled and submitted to our juries for consideration, though jury members reserve the right to award the Prize to a recipient not associated with any of the productions in competition.	Statement [mandatory]

Mandatory supporting material

Breakthrough Producer – questionnaire (all entrants); confirmation of this statement by another producer / a director / writer / HoD also involved in the project is required.
Best Casting, Best Effects, Special Jury Prize – supporting statement
The Raindance Maverick Award – questionnaire
Best Original Music, Best Music Supervision – questionnaire (all entrants); music cue sheet, breakdown of percentage of original and source music
Best Screenplay, Best Debut Screenwriter – screenplay sample

You can download PDFs of the statement formats for the Craft categories (excluding Original Music and Music Supervision) and the Special Jury Prize by clicking the links below:

Craft categories (Casting, Costume Design, Cinematography, Editing, Effects, Make-Up & Hair, Production Design, Sound)

Special Jury Prize

Please be aware: the information provided by entrants in statements and questionnaires and via screenplay samples and music cue sheets is made available to all BIFA voters to view, with the exception of the Special Jury Prize statement, which is made available to the BIFA juries only.

NOTES

One award trophy will be issued to the winner of each category where the winner is a film (e.g. Best British Short Film); one award trophy will be issued to each named nominee where the winner is an individual (e.g. Best Director). Where multiple nominees have been accepted by BIFA, additional trophies can be purchased in the event of an award win.

BIFA aims to include all nominees at events held to celebrate the nominees and to announce the winners but unfortunately this is not always possible. Confirmation of which nominees will be offered complimentary tickets to BIFA events will be issued in advance of each event. This year’s ticket allocations for the ceremony are explained here.

In the event that BIFA does not receive sufficient entries into an awards category, we reserve the right to not present that award.
If BIFA does not receive sufficient entries into the Joint Lead category to ensure a minimum of three nominees, we may choose to present two awards in the Best Lead category.
If BIFA does not receive sufficient suitable entries into the Best Ensemble category to ensure a winner can be announced, we may choose to present two awards in the Best Supporting Performance category.

If you are unsure about category placement for any of your entries, please get in touch with us at entry@bifa.film

entry & film access

how to enter

Entries to BIFA can be made by a film’s distributor or another representative, such as the producer, a sales agent or a festivals/awards advisor. If duplicate entries are made, BIFA will contact the entrants to clarify which one to proceed with.

To enter a film to BIFA:

Create an account (or log in to your existing account) here: https://members.bifa.film/entries
Complete an entry form for the type of film that you wish to enter
If an entry fee is applicable, it will need to be paid on submission of the entry to BIFA

Entrants will be invited to check their completed entries before voting opens. It is the entrant’s responsibility to ensure that all category listings are accurate and complete as no changes can be made once voting is open.

access to Entered films

For the 2023 awards, entrants must provide BIFA voters with online access to their entered films. In-person screenings may be organised at the discretion of the entrant, in addition to online access.

Feature films entered into BIFA this year can be uploaded to Eventive. Entrants will be asked to indicate if they wish to use this platform during the entry process. Use of Eventive is not compulsory, and entrants may continue to use their screening platform of choice and handle distribution of screening links directly with voters (subject to signature of a data processing agreement) where applicable. Use of Eventive will incur a charge which the entrant is responsible for covering; more information about the Eventive platform, fees, security and process can be found here. Eventive is not available for use for short film entries.

Where adequate access to films or mandatory supporting information has not been provided by the deadline of 15 September (or 9 September for Short Films), entry to BIFA will be rescinded and the film will be removed from contention. There will be no refund for any entry fees paid.

INTERNATIONAL FEATURES
In exceptional circumstances, international feature film entries may provide screeners after 15 September but before Friday 6 October. All extensions must be approved in advance by BIFA. Please email entry@bifa.film to discuss any application for extension before making your entry. This extension may be approved for International feature entries only.

access requirements

Mandatory:

Online: all screeners should be provided with closed caption subtitles
In-person: access information must be provided for all screenings and included in screening invitations

Preferred:

Online: subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing (SDH) and audio description should be included in screeners where possible
In-person: an option for SDH subtitles at screenings or specific subtitled screenings where several screenings are offered

CLICK HERE TO ENTER YOUR FEATURE FILM

All decisions made by BIFA and its Board and Committees are final and no correspondence will be entered into as to why particular entries were or were not nominated.

Category	Named nominee(s) / recipient(s)	Eligible films	Winner decided by…
Best British Independent Film	Director, Screenwriter(s), Producer(s)	British features	BIFA voters
Best Director	Director	British features	Filmmaker Jury
Best Screenplay	Screenwriter(s)	British features	Filmmaker Jury
Best Lead Performance	Lead Performers	British features	Performance Jury
Best Supporting Performance	Supporting Performers	British features	Performance Jury
Best Joint Lead Performance	Lead Performers	British features	Performance Jury
Best Ensemble	Ensemble Performers	British features	Performance Jury
Breakthrough Performance	British Lead & Supporting Performers	British features	Performance Jury
The Douglas Hickox Award (Best Debut Director)	British Director	British features	Filmmaker Jury
Best Debut Director – Feature Documentary	British Director	British features	Filmmaker Jury
Best Debut Screenwriter	British Screenwriter(s)	British features	Filmmaker Jury
Breakthrough Producer	British Producer(s)	British features	Filmmaker Jury
Best Feature Documentary	Director(s) & Producer(s)	British features	BIFA voters
The Raindance Maverick Award (formerly The Raindance Discovery Award)	Director, Screenwriter(s), Producer(s) Entrants may choose to nominate all or any of the above-listed people	British features	BIFA voters
Best Casting	Casting Director	British features	BIFA voters
Best Cinematography	Director of Photography	British features	BIFA voters
Best Costume Design	Costume Designer	British features	BIFA voters
Best Editing	Editor	British features	BIFA voters
Best Effects	Special Effects Supervisor(s) Visual Effects Supervisor(s)	British features	BIFA voters
Best Make-Up & Hair Design	Make-Up Designer Hair Designer	British features	BIFA voters
Best Original Music	Composer	British features	BIFA voters
Best Music Supervision	Composer or Music Supervisor	British features	BIFA voters
Best Production Design	Production Designer	British features	BIFA voters
Best Sound	The following professionals may be entered, up to a maximum of five people: – Sound Designer / Supervising Sound Editor / HoD – Dialogue Supervisor / Editor – SFX Supervisor / Editor – Re-Recording Mixer – Production Sound Mixer / Sound Recordist	British features	BIFA voters
Best British Short Film	Director, Screenwriter(s), Producer(s)	British short films	BIFA voters
Best International Independent Film	Director, Screenwriter(s), Producer(s)	International features	BIFA voters
The Richard Harris Award	British Performer	Individual	Nomination Committee & Board
The Special Jury Prize	Decided by Main Jury	Individual or organisation	BIFA Juries