Sunset Song actress Agyness Dean nominated for award

ENGLISH actress Agyness Deyn is in the running for a major film industry honour for her lead role in the big-screen adaptation of classic Scottish novel Sunset Song.

Agyness Dean, left, with Peter Mullan in Sunset Song

The Lancashire-born model, who plays the heroine Chris Guthrie, has been shortlisted as most promising newcomer in the British Independent Film Awards.

The 32-year-old, who had to master a Scottish accent for the role, has won widespread critical acclaim for her performance in Terence Davies’ lavish film, which gets a Scottish premiere in Edinburgh next week.

A new big-screen version of Macbeth - which was partly shot on the Isle of Skye - is jointly leading the running for honours at next month’s ceremony, with six nominations. These include Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard - who played Macbeth and Lady Macbeth - for best actor and actress - and director Justin Kerzel.

Fife-born filmmaker John Maclean, a founding member of the cult indie outfit The Beta Band, is up for best first-time director for his western Slow West, in which Fassbender also stars. It was largely shot in New Zealand, although some scenes were filmed in Wester Ross. Fassbender is up against Colin Farrell for best actor for his role in sci-fi romance The Lobster, which also has six nominations, including Olivia Colman for best supporting actress. Cotillard will be up against Carey Mulligan, Charlotte Rampling, Saoirse Ronan and Alicia Vikander in her category.

A controversial Amy Winehouse documentary, which had its UK premiere at the Edinburgh International Film Festival in June, scooped five nominations, including one for director Asif Kapadia.

Deyn, who stars alongside Scottish actors Kevin Guthrie and Peter Mullan in Sunset Song, told her Twitter followers she was “speechless” at being shortlisted for the awards in London on 6 December.

She added: “I am truly honoured to be next to such talented actors.”

Sunset Song will finally be released in the UK in December, 15 years after Davies and producer Bob Last started talks over an adaptation of Lewis Grassic Gibbon’s novel after working together on The House of Mirth.

The shoot began early last year in New Zealand, which stood in for the Mearns landscape in Aberdeenshire to capture the crucial harvest season scenes, before the cast and crew moved to Scotland for several weeks.

BRITISH INDEPENDENT FILM AWARDS NOMINATIONS

Best British Independent Film

45 YEARS

AMY

EX MACHINA

THE LOBSTER

MACBETH

Best Director

45 YEARS - Andrew Haigh

AMY - Asif Kapadia

EX MACHINA - Alex Garland

THE LOBSTER - Yorgos Lanthimos

MACBETH - Justin Kurzel

Best Screenplay

45 YEARS - Andrew Haigh

BROOKLYN - Nick Hornby

EX MACHINA - Alex Garland

HIGH-RISE - Amy Jump

THE LOBSTER - Yorgos Lanthimos, Efthymis Filippou

Best Actress

MARION COTILLARD - Macbeth

CAREY MULLIGAN - Suffragette

CHARLOTTE RAMPLING - 45 Years

SAOIRSE RONAN - Brooklyn

ALICIA VIKANDER - The Danish Girl

Best Actor

TOM COURTENAY - 45 Years

COLIN FARRELL - The Lobster

MICHAEL FASSBENDER - Macbeth

TOM HARDY - Legend

TOM HIDDLESTON - High-Rise

Best Supporting Actress

HELENA BONHAM CARTER - Suffragette

OLIVIA COLMAN - The Lobster

ANNE-MARIE DUFF - Suffragette

SIENNA MILLER - High-Rise

JULIE WALTERS - Brooklyn

Best Supporting Actor

LUKE EVANS - High-Rise

BRENDAN GLEESON - Suffragette

DOMHNALL GLEESON - Brooklyn

SEAN HARRIS - Macbeth

BEN WHISHAW - The Lobster

Most Promising Newcomer

AGYNESS DEYN - Sunset Song

MIA GOTH - The Survivalist

ABIGAIL HARDINGHAM - Nina Forever

MILO PARKER - Mr Holmes

BEL POWLEY - A Royal Night Out

Best Debut Director

THE HALLOW - Corin Hardy

KAJAKI: THE TRUE STORY - Paul Katis

NINA FOREVER - Chris & Ben Blaine

SLOW WEST - John Maclean

THE SURVIVALIST - Stephen Fingleton

Discovery Award

AAAAAAAAH! - Andrew Starke, Steve Oram

BURN BURN BURN - Daniel-Konrad Cooper, Tim Phillips, Charlie Covell, Chanya Button

ORION: THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING - Jeanie Finlay

THE RETURN - Oliver Nias

WINTER - Tilly Wood, Paula Crickard, Heidi Greensmith

Best Documentary

AMY

DARK HORSE: THE INCREDIBLE TRUE STORY OF DREAM ALLIANCE

HOW TO CHANGE THE WORLD

PALIO

A SYRIAN LOVE STORY

Producer of the Year

TRISTAN GOLIGHER - 45 Years

JAMES GAY-REES - Amy

PAUL KATIS, ANDREW DE LOTBINIERE - Kajaki: The True Story

CECI DEMPSEY, ED GUINEY, YORGOS LANTHIMOS, LEE MAGIDAY - The Lobster

DAVID A HUGHES, DAVID MOORES -The Violators

Outstanding Achievement in Craft

ADAM ARKAPAW Cinematography – Macbeth

MARK DIGBY Production Design – Ex Machina

CHRIS KING Editing – Amy

FIONA WEIR Casting – Brooklyn

ANDREW WHITEHURST Visual Effects - Ex Machina

Best British Short Film

BALCONY

CRACK

EDMOND

LOVE IS BLIND

MANoMAN

Best International Independent Film

CAROL

FORCE MAJEURE

GIRLHOOD

ROOM

SON OF SAUL