Philomena stars up for British Independent Film Awards

Dame Judi Dench and Steve Coogan star in the true life story of Philomena Lee

Steve Coogan and Judi Dench are up for best actor and actress categories for their roles in Philomena at this year's Moet British Independent Film Awards.

The pair are up against Jim Broadbent and Lindsay Duncan for Le Week-end, about a married couple's trip to Paris.

The most nominated film is prison drama Starred Up, with eight nominations - including best film.

The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony, hosted by actor James Nesbitt, in London on 8 December.

The contenders for best film are:

• Metro Manila

• Philomena

• The Selfish Giant

• Starred Up

• Le Week-end

Le Week-end, written by Hanif Kureishi and directed by Roger Michell, sees Broadbent and Duncan as a couple in a tired marriage who revisit their honeymoon destination of Paris on their 30th anniversary.

The Selfish Giant, Clio Barnard's story of two young boys growing up in an underprivileged town in Yorkshire, picked up seven nominations.

Filth, Metro Manila and Le Week-end all picked up five nominations each.

In Philomena, Dame Judi plays an Irish woman who tries to find a son she was forced to give up for adoption. The true story is based on the book by former BBC foreign correspondent Martin Sixsmith, played by Coogan.

Jack O’Connell plays a violent teenager in Starred Up

Coogan and co-writer Jeff Pope also get a best screenplay nomination.

Starred Up tells the story of young offender Eric, played by Skins and This is England star Jack O'Connell, who is thrown into an adult prison for being too violent.

The screenplay is by first-time scriptwriter Jonathan Asser, who has a background in the prison system working as a therapist. The title comes from the process of prematurely upgrading a teenager from a young offenders institution to prison.

Its eight nominations include:

• best director for David Mackenzie

• best screenplay for Asser

• best actor for O'Connell

Also competing in the best actor category are:

• Tom Hardy for Locke

• James McAvoy for Filth

The best actress field is completed by:

• Scarlett Johansson for Under The Skin

• Felicity Jones for The Invisible Woman

• Saoirse Ronan for How I Live Now

Best supporting actor nominations go to:

• John Arcilla for Metro Manila

• Jeff Goldblum for Le Week-end

• Eddie Marsan for Filth

• Rupert Friend for Starred Up

• Ben Mendelsohn for Starred Up

Nominated for the best supporting actress award are:

• Siobhan Finneran for The Selfish Giant

• Shirley Henderson for Filth

• Imogen Poots for The Look of Love

• Kristin Scott Thomas for The Invisible Woman

• Mia Wasikowska for The Double

Joining Starred Up's Mackenzie in the best director shortlist are:

• Jon S Baird for Filth

• Clio Barnard for The Selfish Giant

• Sean Ellis for Metro Manila

• Jonathan Glazer for Under the Skin

This year's jury, chaired by director Penny Woolcock, includes actors MyAnna Buring, Art Malik and Natascha McElhone and directors Sally El Hosaini, Bart Layton and Julien Temple.

The full list of nominees is on the British Independent Film Awards website.