Michael Kiwanuka, The Weeknd Among Nominees For 2020 UK Music Video Awards

Videos from Michael Kiwanuka, The Weeknd, FKA twigs, Dua Lipa and DJ Shadow ft De La Soul have gained the most nominations at this year’s UK Music Video Awards, in the shortlists announced at 7pm last night, September 29.

With the largest number of categories in the history of the 12 year-old event that celebrates music video creativity and craft in the UK and worldwide over the past year, there are 8 nods for 3 different Dua Lipa videos, 5 nods for 3 videos by The Weeknd, including 3 for the official video for “Blinding Lights”, 5 nominations for Michael Kiwanuka videos, and 5 nominations for the Sam Pilling-directed video for DJ Shadow’s “Rocket Fuel”, featuring De La Soul.

FKA twigs’s video for “Sad Day”, directed by Hiro Murai – the co-creator of TV comedy Atlanta whose previous video was UKMVA Video of the Year Childish Gambino’s “This Is America” – has 3 nominations. Murai is one of several heavy-hitting directors who are recognised at this year’s UKMVAs, including Henry Scholfield, last year’s Best Director winner, who returns to the category shortlist this year for his work with Dua Lipa and Stormzy, together with US music video veteran Dave Meyers, British team Crowns & Owls, Spanish director Diana Kunst, British duo Zhang & Knight, and Finnish director Anton Tammi.

The 2020 UK Music Video Awards also celebrates up and coming filmmaking talent in a range of Best Video – Newcomer categories and in the Best New Director shortlist, which features British directors Brock Neal-Roberts (regular collaborator with rising star Berwyn), Jocelyn Anquetil (Ashnikko, King Krule), KC Locke (Meekz, Mahalia) and Will Hooper (Bree Runway, Declan McKenna), together with French director Arnaud Bresson (Headie One, Flatbush Zombies).

In a year when the production of music videos was interrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic crisis, and then quickly resumed during lockdown in a variety of inventive ways, the 2020 UK Music Video awards have added a special Best Lockdown Video category – which attracted a record number of entries. The shortlist includes Glass Animals “Dreamland” – with frontman Dave Bayley directed by Colin Read during isolation, Diana Kunst’s sexy Guille Asesino for Spanish artist C Tangana, and Dave Meyers’ video for Anderson .Paak’s timely “Lockdown” – which also addresses the Black Lives Matter protests sparked by the death of George Floyd.

This year the UKMVAs has also redefined its genre titles in its video categories, creating new honours for Best R&B/Soul Video and Best Hip Hop/Grime/Rap Video. The British R&B/Soul Video UK shortlist features videos for Jorja Smith, FKA twigs, Olivia Dean, Celeste, Lola Young and Berwyn; in the Best Hip Hop/Grime/Rap UK shortlist, there are nods for videos for Avelino, JME, Stormzy, Headie One, Octavian and slowthai.

This year’s UK Music Video Awards also recognises work in shortform live video, special video projects and longform music film. The Best Music Film category includes documentaries for Mark Ronson and Miles Davis, a livestream from The Streets, a live re-telling of the Beastie Boys Story, live coverage of Ludovico Einaudi in concert, and the Beyoncé album project, Black Is King.

Since its inception in 2008, the UK Music Video Awards has grown into the leading global awards programme for music video creativity, the most important annual event in the calendar for the world of music video production. The global reach of the competition once again saw entries from over 30 different territories.

Despite the impossibility of staging a ceremony with an audience at London’s Roundhouse this year, the organisers remain committed to celebrating the winners via a virtual ceremony with a live audience, details of which will be announced shortly.

The nominations for the 2020 UK Music Video Awards are as follows:

Best Pop Video – UK
Harry Styles – “Adore You”
Lewis Capaldi – “Before You Go”
Dua Lipa – “Break My Heart”
Ashnikko – “Cry”
Harry Styles – “Falling”
Dua Lipa – “Physical”

Best Dance/Electronic Video – UK:
Waze & Odyssey, George Michael, Mary J Blige & Tommy Theo – “Always”
Prospa – “Control The Party”
Mura Masa & slowthai – “Deal Wiv It”
Disclosure – “Energy”
Disclosure ft Aminé & slowthai – “My High”
Duke Dumont, Zac Abel – “The Power”

Best R&B/Soul Video – UK
Jorja Smith – “By Any Means”
FKA twigs ft Future – “Holy Terrain”
Olivia Dean – “Password Change”
Celeste – “Stop This Flame”
Berwyn – “Trap Phone”
Lola Young – “Woman”

Best Rock Video – UK
Sam Fender – “Borders”
Michael Kiwanuka – “Hero”
The 1975 – “People”
Declan McKenna – “The Key To Life on Earth”
Coldplay – “Trouble In Town”
IDLES – “War”

Best Alternative Video – UK
Ghostpoet – “Concrete Pony”
Thom Yorke – “Last I Heard (…He was Circling the Drain)”
Låpsley – “My Love Was Like The Rain”
FKA twigs – “Sad Day”
Moses Boyd – “Stranger Than Fiction”
Mura Masa – “Teenage Headache Dreams”

Best Hip Hop / Grime / Rap Video – UK
Stormzy ft Headie One – “Audacity”
Headie One & Fred Again – “Gang”
Avelino – “Higher Power”
JME ft Merky Ace – “Live”
Octavian – “Poison”
slowthai – “Psycho”

Best Pop Video – International
Rosalía – “A Palé”
Tove Lo ft MC Zaac – “Are U Gonna Tell Her?”
The Weeknd – “Blinding Lights”
Rosalía – “Juro Que”
BTS – “On”
Rosalía, Travis Scott – “TKN”

Best Dance/Electronic Video – International
Flight Facilities – “Better Than Ever”
Salvatore Ganacci – “Boycycle”
Piero Pirupa – “Braindead (Heroin Kills)”
Bronson – “Keep Moving”
Chris Liebing & Charlotte De Witte – “Liquid Slow”
Brodinski ft ZelooperZ – “Master Section”

Best R&/Soul Video – International
Tiwa Savage – “49-99”
Beyoncé, Shatta Wale, Major Lazer – “Already”
Yseult – “Corps”
070 Shake – “Nice To Have”
Gregory Porter – “Revival”
Marvin Gaye – “What’s Going On”

Best Rock Video – International
Håkan Hellström – “Alla Drömmar Är Uppfyllda”
The Strokes – “Bad Decisions”
Broken Bells – “Good Luck”
Joywave – “Obsession”
The Strokes – “Ode To The Mets”
Leonard Cohen – “The Hills”

Best Alternative Video – International
Agoria – “Call of the Wild”
Moses Sumney – “Cut Me”
Meryem Aboulouafa – “Deeply”
Ferran Palau – “Flora & Caic”
Woodkid – “Goliath”
Sheenah Ko – “Wrap Me Up”

Best Hip Hop / Grime / Rap Video – International
Flatbush Zombies – “After Life”
A$AP Rocky – “Babushka Boi”
Future ft Drake – “Life Is Good”
Run the Jewels ft Greg Nice & DJ Premier – “Ooh La La”
DJ Shadow ft De La Soul – “Rocket Fuel”
Tommy Cash – “Sdubid”

Best Pop Video – Newcomer
Babeheaven – “Cassette Beat”
Ashnikko – “Drunk With My Friends”
Nick Wilson – “Enough to Know You”
Vagabon – “In a Bind”
filous – “Monday”
Raine Allen-Miller – “W_k Wiggle”

Best Dance/Electronic Video – Newcomer
Leifur James – “AAID”
Samaran – “Allo”
Raven – “Cass & Lex”
Akwasi – “Extase”
Saavan – “In My Head”
Mild Minds ft Boats – “Walls”

Best R&B/Soul Video – Newcomer
Jeshi ft Celeste – “30,000 Feet”
Arlo Parks – “Black Dog”
Black Square ft Laville – “Coral Blues”
Fredwave – “Dust”
Ni Houstonn ft Darius Raheem – “Gemini”
Greentea Peng – “Mr Sun (miss da sun)”

Best Rock Video – Newcomer
The Academic – “Acting My Age”
Sports Team – “Camel Crew”
Beabadobee – “I Wish I Was Stephen Malkmus”
Dream Wife – “So When You Gonna…”
Kid Kapichi – “Thugs”
Willie J Healey – “True Stereo”

Best Alternative Video – Newcomer
María José Llergo – “A Través De Ti”
Alaskan Tapes – “And, We Disappear”
Midnight Tracks – “Anymore”
L’Homme Statue – “Braços/Vela”
LL Burns – “Get Me Back In The Game”
Zebra Katz – “Moor”

Best Hip Hop / Grime / Rap Video – Newcomer
Louis Culture – “Being Me”
Spxxn P – “Complicació”
KAM-BU ft Lord Apex – “Different”
Meekz – “Like Me”
Flohio – “WAY2”
Jurdan Bryant – “Words For Thomas”

Best Production Design in a Video
Michael Kiwanuka – “Hero”
Dua Lipa – “Physical”
Eden – “Projector”
DJ Shadow ft De La Soul – “Rocket Fuel”
Tommy Cash – “Sdubid”
Aigel – “You’re Born”

Best Styling in a Video
Tiwa Savage – “49-99”
Beyoncé, Shatta Wale, Major Lazer – “Already”
Raleigh Ritchie – “Aristocrats”
Yves Tumor – “Gospel For A New Century”
Michael Kiwanuka – “Hero”
Dua Lipa – “Physical”

Best Choreography in a Video
Beyoncé, Shatta Wale, Major Lazer – “Already”
Waze & Odyssey, George Michael, Mary J Blige & Tommy Theo – “Always”
Tove Lo ft MC Zaac – “Are U Gonna Tell Her?”
Christine and the Queens – “La Vita Nuova”
Jessie Ware – “Step Into My Life”
Sheenah Ko –” Wrap Me Up”

Best Cinematography in a Video
The Weeknd – “Blinding Lights”
Ferran Palau – “Flora & Caic”
DJ Shadow ft De La Soul – “Rocket Fuel”
FKA twigs – “Sad Day”
IDLES – “War”
Aigel – “You’re Born”

Best Colour Grading in a Video in association with CHEAT
The Weeknd – “Blinding Lights”
Dua Lipa – “Break My Heart”
Woodkid – “Goliath”
Michael Kiwanuka – “Hero”
Eden – “Projector”
DJ Shadow ft De La Soul – “Rocket Fuel”

Best Editing in a Video
Jorja Smith – “By Any Means”
Raven – “Cass & Lex”
Disclosure ft Aminé & slowthai – “My High”
Dua Lipa – “Physical”
DJ Shadow ft De La Soul – “Rocket Fuel”
IDLES – “War”

Best Visual Effects in a Video
Flatbush Zombies – “After Life”
Dua Lipa – “Break My Heart”
Taylor Swift – “Cardigan”
Woodkid – “Goliath”
Bronson – “Keep Moving”
FKA twigs – “Sad Day”

Best Animation in a Video
Jorja Smith – “Come Over”
Coldplay – “Daddy”
Ghetts ft Jaykae & Moonchild Sanelly – “Mozambique”
Moby – “My Only Love”
Max Cooper – “Repetition”
Yusuf/Cat Stevens – “Where Do The Children Play?”

Best Live Video
The Weeknd – “Blinding Lights” (Live)
Dua Lipa – “Don’t Start Now” (Live In LA, 2019)
The Weeknd – “Heartless” (Live)
Tom Misch & Yussef Dayes – “Lift Off”
Michael Kiwanuka – “Live At The Mildmay Club”
Charlie Winston – “Lost in the Memory”

Best Lockdown Video
Glass Animals – “Dreamland”
Gracey ft Ruel – “Empty Love”
C Tangana – “Guille Asesino”
Bronson – “Keep Moving”
Anderson .Paak – “Lockdown”
LYR ft Florence Pugh, Melt Yourself Down – “Lockdown” (in aid of Refuge)

Best Special Video Project
J Views ft Instagram – Featuring
MASN – How To Kill a Rockstar
Christine and the Queens – La Vita Nuova
Nightmares On Wax – Smoker’s Delight
Riz Ahmed – The Long Goodbye
FKJ – They Saw The Sun First

Best Music Film
Ludovico Einaudi – Apple Music Live from the Steve Jobs Theatre
Beastie Boys – Beastie Boys Story
Miles Davis – Birth Of The Cool
Beyoncé – Black Is King
Mark Ronson – From The Heart
The Streets – None Of Us Are Getting Out Of This LIVE Alive (Livestream)

Best Director
Anton Tammi
Crowns & Owls
Dave Meyers
Diana Kunst
Henry Scholfield
Zhang & Knight

Best New Director
Arnaud Bresson
Brock Neal-Roberts
Douglas Bernardt
Jocelyn Anquetil
KC Locke
Will Hooper

Best Producer in association with WPA
Daniella Manca
Horace de Gunzbourg
Kareem Adeshina
Karen Saurí
Luke Tierney
Mayling Wong

Best Commissioner
Caroline Clayton
Kat Cattaneo
Nicola Sheppard
Sam Seager
Scott Wright
Semera Khan

Best Agent
Andy Roberts
Barnaby Laws
Claire Stubbs
Joceline Gabriel
Lee Fairweather
Sam Davey

Best Production Company
Blink
CANADA
COMPULSORY
Division
FRIEND
Somesuch

Best Post Production Company
Black Kite Studios
CHEAT
Electric Theatre Collective
Ingenuity Studios
tenthree
The Mill