The first cab off the award-season ranks, the British Independent Film Awards, or BIFAs, has announced its nominations, with the Andrea Arnold's high-acclaimed Brit drama Fish Tank picking up eight and Duncan Jones' space elergy Moon in hot pursuit with seven nods.

In a strong year for high-calibre British filmmaking, Arnold and Jones joined Lone Scherfig, Jane Campion, and Armando Iannucci in the Best Director category. Iannucci's sweary satire was also recognised in the Best Film category, alongside An Education, Fish Tank, Moon, and Nowhere Boy, while Peter Capaldi's turn as Malcolm T#ck@r has scored him a Best Actor nomination.

Among those picking the lucky winners will be Jodie Whittaker, Idris Elba, Liam Cunningham, Eddie Marsan and Peter Mullan. One shoe-in for a gong is Daniel Day Lewis who'll be honoured with the Richard Harris Award for outstanding contribution to British film by an actor.

The BIFAs take place on Sunday 6th December, with James Nesbitt telling the jokes and opening those envelopes.

Those nominations in full...

Best Film
An Education
Fish Tank
In The Loop
Moon
Nowhere Boy

Best Director
Lone Scherfig (An Education)
Jane Campion (Bright Star)
Andrea Arnold (Fish Tank)
Armando Iannucci (In The Loop)
Duncan Jones (Moon)

The Douglas Hickox Award For Debut Director
Armando Iannucci (In The Loop)
Peter Strickland (Katalin Varga)
Duncan Jones (Moon)
Sam Taylor-Wood (Nowhere Boy)
Samantha Morton (The Unloved)

Best Screenplay
Nick Hornby (An Education)
Andrea Arnold (Fish Tank)
Armando Iannucci, Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell and Tony Roche (In The Loop)
Nathan Parker (Moon)
Matt Greenhalgh (Nowhere Boy)

Best Actress
Carey Mulligan (An Education)
Abbie Cornish (Bright Star)
Katie Jarvis (Fish Tank)
Sophie Okonedo (Skin)
Emily Blunt (The Young Victoria)

Best Actor
Tom Hardy (Bronson)
Peter Capaldi (In The Loop)
Sam Rockwell (Moon)
Aaron Johnson (Nowhere Boy)
Andy Serkis (Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll)

Best Supporting Actress
Rosamund Pike (An Education)
Kerry Fox (Bright Star)
Kierston Wareing (Fish Tank)
Anne Marie Duff (Nowhere Boy)
Kristin Scott Thomas (Nowhere Boy)

Best Supporting Actor
Alfred Molina (An Education)
Michael Fassbender (Fish Tank)
Tom Hollander (In The Loop)
John Henshaw (Looking For Eric)
Jim Broadbent (The Damned United)

Most Promising Newcomer
Katie Jarvis (Fish Tank)
Hilda Peter (Katalin Varga)
Christian McKay (Me And Orson Welles)
George McKay (The Boys Are Back)
Edward Hogg (White Lightnin')