BFI-backed films celebrate multiple BAFTA nominations
Pillion picks up three nominations, including for Outstanding British Film, while My Father’s Shadow and A Want in Her will also compete for Outstanding British Debut.
Several films supported by BFI National Lottery funding have secured key nominations at this year’s BAFTA Film Awards, marking a strong showing for emerging and established British filmmaking talent.
Harry Lighton’s Pillion leads the BFI‑backed titles with multiple nominations, including a place in the prestigious Outstanding British Film category. Produced by Emma Norton, Lee Groombridge, Ed Guiney and Andrew Lowe, and backed by the BFI Filmmaking Fund, the film is also recognised in Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer for Lighton’s work as both director and writer. For his work in adapting Adam Mars-Jones’ novel Box Hill, Lighton receives a third nomination in Adapted Screenplay.
Also nominated in the Outstanding Debut category is My Father’s Shadow, directed by Akinola Davies Jr, written by Wale Davies, and supported by the BFI Filmmaking Fund.
A third BFI‑supported debut contender, A Want in Her, directed by Myrid Carten, is nominated in the same category. Carten’s film was backed by the BFI Doc Society Fund, which supports independent non‑fiction storytelling across the UK.
In the shorts categories, Two Black Boys in Paradise – created by Baz Sells, Dean Atta and Ben Jackson – has been nominated for British Short Animation. The project was supported by the BFI Short Form Animation Fund, which champions innovative and original work in the animated form.
Joining the BFI‑backed titles is MAGID / ZAFAR, nominated for British Short Film. Directed by Luis Hindman and produced by Sufiyaan Salam and Aidan Robert Brooks, the project was supported by Future Takes, the high‑budget shorts fund delivered jointly by the BFI and Film4.
The winners will be announced on 22 February.