Vera icon Brenda Blethyn picks up major award nomination for her emotional new film role

Yesterday (Monday 3rd November) saw the announcement of this year's British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) nominations, and Akinola Davies Jr's My Father's Shadow lead the way with 12 nominations.

There were also some big name nominees in the acting categories, including past Oscar winners Cillian Murphy and Jennifer Lawrence. One other beloved actor who is up for an award is Vera legend Brenda Blethyn.

Blethyn and her co-star Andrea Riseborough are nominated together in the Best Joint Performance Category for their superb turns in emotional drama Dragonfly, which arrives in UK cinemas this Friday (7th November).

They will face competition from Brides stars Ebada Hassan and Safiyya Ingar – both of whom are also individually nominated in the Best Breakthrough Performance category – and from The Ballad of Wallis Island duo Tim Key and Tom Basden.

In Dragonfly, Blethyn stars as a vulnerable pensioner living alone, with Riseborough playing the next-door neighbour with whom she strikes up an unlikely bond after she offers to lend a hand.

Directed by Paul Andrew Williams (Bull) the film is described as "a gripping human story straight from the heart of broken Britain" – and you can get a glimpse of the tone by watching the below trailer.

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Blethyn and Riseborough have already had some awards success for their performances, sharing the Performance Award at the Tribeca Film Festival where the film premiered in June, and now have a very good chance of adding another trophy to their collection at the BIFAs.
Both actors are also previous Oscar nominees, with Blethyn having been nominated twice (for Best Actress for Secrets & Lies in 1996 and Best Supporting Actress for Little Voice in 1998), and Andrea Riseborough getting an underdog nod for independent drama To Leslie in 2022.

They are joined in the cast for Dragonfly by Jason Watkins, who plays the son of Blethyn's character.

Dragonfly will be available to watch in UK cinemas from Friday 7th November.

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