‘Moffie’ earns three British Independent Film Awards nominations

Moffie, the gay-themed South African film, has scored three nominations at the 2019 British Independent Film Awards (BIFA).

These include Best Director for Oliver Hermanus, Best Breakthrough Producer (Jack Sidey) and Best Cinematographer (Jamie D Ramsay).

“It’s such great news to have our film included in the BIFA nominations today,” exclaimed Hermanus. “Being recognised is an honour and a real milestone for the film. We have had an amazing team come together to make this film, and to be celebrated and acknowledged in this way is truly wonderful.”

Starring Kai Luke Brummer, Moffie tells the story of a gay conscript who embarks on his military service in South Africa in 1981. His efforts to survive the brutality of the apartheid military are made all the worse when a connection is sparked between him and a fellow recruit.

The British Independent Film Awards was founded in 1998 and is a celebration of the best, most innovative and creative independent filmmaking and filmmakers in the UK. The awards ceremony will take place on Sunday, 1 December 2019 and will be hosted by comedian, actress and writer Aisling Bea.

In September, Moffie, produced by Portobello Productions and Penzance Films, garnered acclaim at the Venice Film Festival, where it had its world premiere. It is the second film by Hermanus and only the fourth South African film to receive an official invitation to the Venice Film Festival in its 76-year existence.

This was followed by a sold-out screenings of Moffie at the London Film Festival in October where the film was in competition for the Best Film Prize.

Having received rave reviews from the international press (with Variety hailing the film as ‘Oliver Hermanus’ masterpiece’), Moffie will next feature at the Thessaloniki Film Festival in Greece and the Stockholm Film Festival in Scandinavia. It will also premiere in Scotland, Ireland, Morocco and even Estonia, before heading for local screens next year.

“The film is heartfelt and emotive, and I hope audiences will get a visceral experience. No doubt, for some, it will conjure up memories of their own time in the military,” says Hermanus. ‘It has been amazing thus far to see how the film is opening veterans of the SADF to speak about this time in their life for the first time.”

Moffie will premiere in South Africa on 13 March 2020.