THE HIT film about an Irish woman’s search for her son has been nominated for four gongs at the British Independent Film Awards.
Second generation Irish actors Steve Coogan and Dame Judi Dench have been nominated in the best actor and best actress categories for their roles in Philomena.
Coogan has also been nominated along with co-writer Jeff Pope for Best Screenplay, while Philomena itself has been included in the five-strong shortlist for Best British Independent Film.
The movie, which was named Best Screenplay at the Venice Film Festival and was nominated for the Golden Lion, has received rave reviews since its release in British cinemas earlier this month.
Philomena has also fared well at the box office, grossing £1.5m in its opening weekend.
The winners of the British Independent Film Awards will be announced at an awards ceremony, hosted by Irish actor James Nesbitt, in London on December 8.
Dame Judi is joined among the nominees for Best Actress by rising Irish star Saoirse Ronan, who has been singled out for her role in coming-of-age drama How I Live Now.
The other nominees for the award include Lindsay Duncan, Scarlett Johansson and Felicity Jones.
Meanwhile, second generation Irishman Jack O’Connell will compete with Coogan in the Best Actor category. The Skins star plays the lead role in Starred Up, which received the highest number of nominations for the awards with eight.
Siobhan Finneran, who also has Irish roots, has been nominated in the Best Supporting Actress category for her performance in The Selfish Giant.
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The Nominees:
BEST BRITISH INDEPENDENT FILM
Metro Manila
Philomena
The Selfish Giant
Starred Up
Le Week-end
BEST DIRECTOR
Jon S Baird – Filth
Clio Barnard – The Selfish Giant
Sean Ellis – Metro Manila
Jonathan Glazer – Under the Skin
David Mackenzie – Starred Up
THE DOUGLAS HICKOX AWARD [BEST DEBUT DIRECTOR]
Charlie Cattrall – Titus
Tina Gharavi – I Am Nasrine
Jeremy Lovering – In Fear
Omid Nooshin – Last Passenger
Paul Wright – For Those in Peril
BEST SCREENPLAY
Jonathan Asser – Starred Up
Clio Barnard – The Selfish Giant
Steven Knight – Locke
Hanif Kureishi – Le Week-end
Jeff Pope, Steve Coogan – Philomena
BEST ACTRESS
Judi Dench – Philomena
Lindsay Duncan – Le Week-end
Scarlett Johansson – Under the Skin
Felicity Jones – The Invisible Woman
Saoirse Ronan – How I Live Now
BEST ACTOR
Jim Broadbent – Le Week-end
Steve Coogan – Philomena
Tom Hardy – Locke
Jack O'Connell – Starred Up
James McAvoy – Filth
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Siobhan Finneran – The Selfish Giant
Shirley Henderson – Filth
Imogen Poots – The Look Of Love
Kristin Scott Thomas – The Invisible Woman
Mia Wasikowska – The Double
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
John Arcilla – Metro Manila
Rupert Friend – Starred Up
Jeff Goldblum – Le Week-end
Eddie Marsan – Filth
Ben Mendelsohn – Starred Up
MOST PROMISING NEWCOMER
Harley Bird – How I Live Now
Conner Chapman / Shaun Thomas – The Selfish Giant
Caity Lotz – The Machine
Jake Macapagal – Metro Manila
Chloe Pirrie – Shell
BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN PRODUCTION
A Field in England
Filth
Metro Manila
The Selfish Giant
Starred Up
BEST TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT
Sponsored by LightBrigade Media
Shaheen Baig – Casting – Starred Up
Johnnie Burn – Sound Design – Under the Skin
Amy Hubbard – Casting – The Selfish Giant
Mica Levi – Music – Under the Skin
Justine Wright – Editing – Locke
BEST DOCUMENTARY
Pussy Riot - A Punk Prayer
The Great Hip Hop Hoax
The Moo Man
The Spirit of '45
The Stone Roses: Made of Stone
BEST BRITISH SHORT
L'Assenza
Dr Easy
Dylan's Room
Jonah
Z1
BEST INTERNATIONAL INDEPENDENT FILM
Blue is the Warmest Colour
Blue Jasmine
Frances Ha
The Great Beauty
Wadjda
THE RAINDANCE AWARD
Everyone’s Going to Die
The Machine
The Patrol
Sleeping Dogs
Titus
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