Elle Fanning - Elle Fanning found Ginger and Rosa a 'challenge'

Elle Fanning found Ginger and Rosa a 'challenge'

Elle Fanning found 'Ginger and Rosa' a ''challenge''.

The 14-year-old actress plays British teenager Ginger in her new film, whose friendship with close pal Rosa (Alice Englert) is shattered by the onset of the Cold War, and Elle thinks playing such an ''emotional'' character will be hard to beat in the future - especially after bonding so well with director Sally Potter.

Elle said: ''Right when I read it, I knew the movie was unlike anything that I had ever done before. Ginger has to portray so many different emotions, I knew it would be a challenge, but I was very excited right since the beginning.

''Sally loves hugs and in my first audition, we just clicked together and we had a really intense bond. It's going to be hard to beat it.''

Elle's portrayal of a teenager struggling with personal and political tensions in the 1960s earned her a nomination for Best Actress at the Moet British Independent Film Awards 2012 alongside the likes of Dame Judi Dench for 'The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel' and Meryl Streep's portrayal of Margaret Thatcher in 'The Iron Lady'.

Despite losing out on the award to Andrea Riseborough - who played IRA agent Colette in 'Shadow Dancer' - Elle said she felt ''honoured'' to even be nominated.

Speaking at the ceremony at Old Billingsgate in London on Sunday (09.12.12), she told BANG Showbiz: ''It's incredible, I'm so happy to be here and it's an honor to have my name in the same sentence as Meryl Streep and Judi Dench.''

List of 2012 BIFA Winners:

Best British Independent Film: Broken

Best Director: Peter Strickland - Berberian Sound Studio

The Douglas Hickox Award (Best Debut Director): Basrt Lyton - The Imposter

Best Screenplay: Alice Lowe, Steve Oram, Amy Jump - Sightseers

Best Actress: Andrea Riseborough - Shadow Dancer

Best Actor: Toby Jones - Berberian Sound Studio

Best Supporting Actress: Olivia Colman - Hyde Park on Hudson

Best Supporting Actor: Rory Kinnear - Broken

Most Promising Newcomer: James Floyd - My brother the Devil

Best Achievement in Production: Berberian Sound Studio

Best Technical Achievevent: Joakim Sundström, Stevie Haywood AMS IPS (Sound Design) - Berberian Sound Studio

Best Documentary: The Imposter

Best British Short: Volume

Best Intenational Independent Film: The Hunt

The Raindance Award: Strings

The Richards Harris Awards: Sir Michael Gambon

The Variety Award: Jude Law

The Special Jury Prize: Sandra Hebron