Olivia Colman royal drama The Favourite leads Bifa nominations

Olivia Colman's road to the Oscars will include a stop at this year's British Independent Film Awards, where her new royal drama is up for 12 awards.

Colman, who was named best actress at the Venice Film Festival, is up for another best actress prize for her role as 18th Century monarch Queen Anne.

Yorgos Lanthimos's The Favourite has 13 nominations in all, two of them in the best supporting actress category.

Set during Anne's reign, the film tells of two women competing for her favour.

The courtiers in question are played by Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone, who will themselves compete for the supporting actress award.

Weisz gets another nomination in the best actress category for her performance as a Jewish lesbian in religious drama Disobedience.

Colman's other royal roles include playing The Queen in the third season of Netflix drama The Crown, currently in production.

Her portrayal of the flighty, petulant and pain-riddled Queen Anne has been widely praised by the critics, among them The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw.

"Just when we thought Colman couldn't get any better, she steps up to movie-star lead status with an uproarious performance," he wrote after The Favourite's Venice premiere.

Heist caper American Animals receives 11 Bifa nominations ahead of this year's ceremony, to be held at London's Old Billingsgate on 2 December.

In the best actor category, meanwhile, Rupert Everett's turn as Oscar Wilde in The Happy Prince goes up against Steve Coogan's take on Stan Laurel in the upcoming Stan and Ollie.

Michaela Coel, recently seen in BBC Two's Black Earth Rising, is up for most promising newcomer for her work in Netflix's London-set musical Been So Long.

Also recognised is former Doctor Who companion Karen Gillan, in line for the debut screenwriter award for her directorial debut The Party's Just Beginning.

Disobedience comes out on 30 November, while The Favourite hits UK cinemas on 1 January. Stan and Ollie will follow on 11 January.

The full list of nominations is available on the official Bifa website.

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