Film4 Picks Up Six BAFTA Nominations.

LONDON, Thursday 21st Janaury 2009; Film4 films today received a total of six BAFTA nominations including Outstanding British Film for Sam Taylor-Wood’s Nowhere Boy and Leading Actress for Saoirse Ronan’s performance as Susie Salmon in Peter Jackson’s The Lovely Bones. Winners will be announced on February 21st.

Nowhere Boy, the critically acclaimed Film4 co-funded film about the young John Lennon, has picked up four nominations including Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer for Director Sam Taylor-Wood and two Supporting Actress nominations for Anne-Marie Duff, who plays John Lennon’s mother, Julia, and Kristin Scott-Thomas, who plays his aunt Mimi.

The Lovely Bones, based on Alice Sebold’s best-selling novel, which was originally optioned and initially developed by Film4 before partnering with Peter Jackson’s Wingnut Films Production, DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures, received two BAFTA nominations including Supporting Actor for Stanley Tucci’s role as creepy serial killer, Mr Harvey.

Film4 last night also picked up two London Evening Standard British Film Awards nominations. Anne-Marie Duff is nominated for Best Actress in Nowhere Boy and Peter Laverty is nominated for Best Screenplay for Ken Loach’s Looking For Eric. Winners will be revealed on February 8th.

Film4 has already been honoured with a number of awards this season. At the recent British Independent Film Awards, Anne-Marie Duff picked up Best Supporting Actress for Nowhere Boy, John Henshaw was awarded Best Supporting Actor for Looking For Eric, Love You More took home Best Short and Best Achievement in Production went to Bunny & The Bull. Steve McQueen’s Hunger also won Best First Film at the New York Critics Circle.

Tessa Ross, Controller of Film4 and Channel 4 Drama said: “I’m delighted that Peter Jackson’s The Lovely Bones and Sam Taylor-Wood’s Nowhere Boy have received BAFTA nominations. Congratulations to them both and to everyone who worked on these films. These nominations are testament to the wide range of hugely creative talent that exists both in the UK and globally and Film4 is delighted to be able to play a part in the development of these films.”

The full details of BAFTA nominations are as follows:

 • Outstanding British Film – Nowhere Boy

• Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer – Sam Taylor-Wood (Nowhere Boy)

• Leading Actress – Saoirse Ronan (Susie Salmon) (The Lovely Bones)

• Supporting Actor – Stanley Tucci (Mr Harvey) (The Lovely Bones)

• Supporting Actress – Anne-Marie Duff (Julia) (Nowhere Boy)

• Supporting Actress – Kristin Scott Thomas (Mimi) (Nowhere Boy)

 For more information visit http://www.film4.com/productions

Film4’s current slate of British feature films either in production or due to be released includes Peter Jackson’s The Lovely Bones, Sam Taylor-Wood’s Nowhere Boy, Chris Morris’ Four Lions, which will premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, Mark Romanek’s Never Let Me Go based on Ishiguro’s novel of the same name, Peter Mullan’s Neds, Mike Leigh’s next film and finally Kevin Macdonald’s Roman epic, The Eagle of the Ninth.

Film4’s reputation for nurturing new talent and building on its family of returning talent in the UK is now well established and with a bill shortly due to be passed enshrining film in Channel 4’s public service remit, that commitment is clearly stronger than ever. Directors such as Danny Boyle, Shane Meadows, Michael Winterbottom, Andrea Arnold, Kevin Macdonald, Ken Loach, Sam Taylor-Wood and Mike Leigh have all benefited from Film4’s unflinching support of their particular vision.

Press Contact: Taylor Herring 0208 206 5151