The Favourite, Yorgos Lanthimos’s absurdist Restoration-era comedy starring Olivia Colman as a volatile Queen Anne, leads the nominations for this year’s British independent film awards (BIFAs).

The film, which premiered at the Venice film festival in August but is yet to go on general release, won 13 nominations including for best British independent film and best screenplay.

Colman’s portrayal of the frail, needy 18th-century monarch has won particular praise. The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw said it could not get any better, adding: “She steps up to movie-star lead status with an uproarious performance.”

The jury at Venice agreed, awarding her the Volpi Cup for best female actor. Many observers believe that Colman, who will soon play another royal role when she takes over from Claire Foy in Netflix’s The Crown, is a contender for Oscar success.

She will be up against Gemma Arterton (The Escape), Jessie Buckley (Beast), Maxine Peake (Funny Cow) and Rachel Weisz (Disobedience) in the best actress category. Colman’s co-stars in The Favourite, Weisz and Emma Stone, are also nominated in the best supporting actress category.

Lanthimos, the film’s Greek director, has said he was influenced by a number of films including Ingmar Bergman’s Cries and Whispers, Milos Foreman’s Amadeus and Peter Greenaway’s The Draughtsman’s Contract.

He is nominated in the BIFA’s best director category alongside Andrew Haigh (Lean on Pete), Bart Layton (American Animals), Michael Pearce (Beast) and Lynne Ramsay (You Were Never Really Here).

The Favourite also features heavily in the technical categories, which were introduced last year. It is nominated in seven of the nine, including costume design, makeup and hair, production design and cinematography.

The second most nominated film is American Animals, the true-crime heist film about an incompetent attempted robbery of a valuable book. It has received 11 nominations, including best supporting actor for the rising star Barry Keoghan.

After that there are 10 nominations for the Jersey-set serial-killer thriller Beast; and eight for Ramsay’s crime drama You Were Never Really Here. The latter stars Joaquin Phoenix as a gun for hire who rescues trafficked girls, a portrayal that won him the best actor prize at Cannes. He is up for the best actor BIFA along with Joe Cole (A Prayer Before Dawn), Steve Coogan (Stan & Ollie), Rupert Everett (The Happy Prince), and Charlie Plummer (Lean on Pete).

Gender inequality has for a long time appeared to be more entrenched in the film industry than other creative areas but the organisers of the BIFAs said 2018 was a record year for female representation. Women make up over 40% of individual nominations across directing, writing, producing, performance and craft, as well as nine of the 12 nominees across the breakthrough producer and most promising newcomer categories.

Winners for the 2018 BIFAs, the 21st edition of the prize, will be announced at a ceremony in London on 2 December.

Full list of nominations

Best British independent film
American Animals
Beast
Disobedience
The Favourite
You Were Never Really Here

Best screenplay
American Animals
Beast
Disobedience
The Favourite
You Were Never Really Here

Best director
Bart Layton, American Animals
Michael Pearce, Beast
Yorgos Lanthimos, The Favourite
Andrew Haigh, Lean on Pete
Lynne Ramsay, You Were Never Really Here

Best British short
The Big Day
Bitter Sea
The Field
Pommel
To Know Him

Best actor
Rupert Everett, The Happy Prince
Charlie Plummer, Lean on Pete
Joe Cole, A Prayer Before Dawn
Steve Coogan, Stan & Ollie
Joaquin Phoenix, You Were Never Really Here

Best actress
Jessie Buckley, Beast
Rachel Weisz, Disobedience
Gemma Arterton, The Escape
Olivia Colman, The Favourite
Maxine Peake, Funny Cow

Best supporting actor
Evan Peters, American Animals
Barry Keoghan, American Animals
Dominic West, Colette
Alessandro Nivola, Disobedience
Steve Buscemi, Lean on Pete

Best supporting actress
Molly Wright, Apostasy
Rachel McAdams, Disobedience
Emma Stone, The Favourite
Rachel Weisz, The Favourite
Nina Arianda, Stan & Ollie

Most promising newcomer
Molly Wright, Apostasy
Jessie Buckley, Beast
Michaela Coel, Been So Long
Liv Hill, Jellyfish
Marcus Rutherford, Obey

The Discovery award
The Dig
Irene’s Ghost
A Moment in the Reeds
Super November
Voyageuse

The Douglas Hickox award for debut director
Daniel Kokotajlo, Apostasy
Michael Pearce, Beast
Matt Palmer, Calibre
Leanne Welham, Pili
Richard Billingham, Ray & Liz

Debut screenwriter
Bart Layton, American Animals
Daniel Kokotajlo, Apostasy
Michael Pearce, Beast
Matt Palmer, Calibre
Karen Gillan, The Party’s Just Beginning

Best documentary
Being Frank: The Chris Sievey Story
Evelyn
Island
Nae Pasaran
Under the Wire

Breakthrough producer
Marcie MacLellan, Apostasy
Kristian Brodie/Lauren Dark/Ivana Mackinnon, Beast
Anna Griffin, Calibre
Jacqui Davies, Ray & Liz
Faye Ward, Stan & Ollie

Best international independent film
Capernaum
Cold War
The Rider
Roma
Shoplifters

Best casting
American Animals
Apostasy
Beast
The Favourite
Stan & Ollie

Best cinematography
American Animals
The Favourite
Lean on Pete
A Prayer Before Dawn
You Were Never Really Here

Best costume design
Colette
An Evening With Beverly Luff Linn
The Favourite
Peterloo
Stan & Ollie

Best editing
American Animals
The Favourite
Happy New Year, Colin Burstead
A Prayer Before Dawn
You Were Never Really Here

Best make-up & hair design
Colette
The Favourite
Peterloo
A Prayer Before Dawn
Stan & Ollie

Best music
American Animals
Beast
Funny Cow
Island of the Hungry Ghosts
You Were Never Really Here

Best production design
Colette
The Favourite
Peterloo
Ray & Liz
Stan & Ollie

Best sound
American Animals
The Favourite
A Prayer Before Dawn
Time Trial
You Were Never Really Here

Best effects
Dead in a Week (Or Your Money Back)
Early Man
Peterloo