Film - British Independent Film Awards

This year's British Independent Film Awards have been announced...

A couple of weeks after the BIFA Craft Award winners were announced, the great and the good of the British Independent Film community gathered at a star studded event in London, hosted by Mark Gatiss for the main BIFA awards ceremony.

The big winners on the night included Lady Macbeth, I Am Not a Witch and God's Own Country with three awards apiece, with God's Own Country picking up the coveted Best British Independent Film. Death of Stalin was a surprise to miss out on a lot of awards, picking up only one for Best Supporting Actor despite half a dozen nominations in other categories, as was Three Billboards which couldn't add to its BIFA Craft awards on the night. 

The only category of the night open to non-UK films, Best International Independent Film was won by Get Out, picked up by the film’s stars Daniel Kaluuya and Allison Williams. Best Documentary went to Carol Salter's look at training for China's biggest funeral home, Almost Heaven, and the best short film went to Fish Story, documenting an unusual gathering of people with piscine surnames.

The special jury prize was presented to Femi Oguns, founder of Identity School of Acting and Identity Agency Group for his work in tackling the lack of diversity on screens and creating opportunity for BAME talent. The Richard Harris award was presented to Vanessa Redgrave by Richard Harris’ son Jared and Vanessa’s daughter Joely Richardson. The award recognises outstanding contribution to British film by an actor. And Gary Oldman received the Variety award by Kristin Scott Thomas in recognition of generally being a god of British film and filmmaking.

The full list of nominees in the BIFA 2017 categories (winners in BOLD) were:


Best British Independent Film

The Death Of Stalin - Armando Iannucci, David Schneider, Ian Martin, Yann Zenou, Kevin Loader, Nicolas Duval Adassovsky, Laurent Zeitoun
God’s Own Country - Francis Lee, Jack Tarling, Manon Ardisson
I Am Not A Witch - Rungano Nyoni, Juliette Grandmont, Emily Morgan
Lady Macbeth - William Oldroyd, Alice Birch, Fodhla Cronin O’Reilly
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri - Martin McDonagh, Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin


Best International Independent Film

The Florida Project - Sean Baker, Chris Bergoch, Kevin Chinoy, Andrew Duncan, Alex Saks, Francesca Silvestri, Shih-Ching Tsou
Get Out - Jordan Peele, Jason Blum, Edward H Hamm Jr, Sean McKittrick
I Am Not Your Negro - Raoul Peck, James Baldwin, Hébert Peck, Rémi Grellety
Loveless - Andrey Zvyaginstev, Oleg Negin, Gleb Fetisov, Sergey Melkumov, Alexander Rodnyansky
The Square - Ruben Östlund, Erik Hemmendorff


Best Director

The Death Of Stalin - Armando Iannucci
God’s Own Country - Francis Lee
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri - Martin Mcdonagh
I Am Not A Witch - Rungano Nyoni
Lady Macbeth - William Oldroyd


Best Screenplay

Lady Macbeth - Alice Birch
The Death Of Stalin - Armando Iannucci, David Schneider, Ian Martin
God’s Own Country - Francis Lee
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri - Martin Mcdonagh
I Am Not A Witch - Rungano Nyoni

Best Actress

Daphne - Emily Beecham
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri - Frances Mcdormand
I Am Not A Witch - Margaret Mulubwa
Lady Macbeth - Florence Pugh
Dark River - Ruth Wilson

Best Actor

Film Stars Don’t Die In Liverpool - Jamie Bell
Journeyman - Paddy Considine
Jawbone - Johnny Harris
God’s Own Country - Josh O’Connor

God’s Own Country - Alec Secareanu


Best Supporting Actress

Lady Macbeth - Naomi Ackie
The Party - Patricia Clarkson
Goodbye Christopher Robin - Kelly Macdonald
The Death Of Stalin - Andrea Riseborough
Film Stars Don’t Die In Liverpool - Julie Walters


Best Supporting Actor

The Death Of Stalin - Simon Russell Beale
The Death Of Stalin - Steve Buscemi
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri - Woody Harrelson
God’s Own Country - Ian Hart
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri - Sam Rockwell


Most Promising Newcomer

Lady Macbeth - Naomi Ackie
Just Charlie - Harry Gilby
Lady Macbeth - Cosmo Jarvis
Chubby Funny - Harry Michell
Pin Cushion - Lily Newmark


The Douglas Hickox Award (Best Debut Director)

Pin Cushion - Deborah Haywood
God’s Own Country - Francis Lee
Jawbone - Thomas Napper
I Am Not A Witch - Rungano Nyoni
Lady Macbeth - William Oldroyd

Debut Screenwriter

Lady Macbeth - Alice Birch
Their Finest - Gaby Chiappe
Jawbone - Johnny Harris
God’s Own Country - Francis Lee
I Am Not A Witch - Rungano Nyoni


Breakthrough Producer

Pin Cushion - Gavin Humphries
I Am Not A Witch - Emily Morgan
Bad Day For The Cut - Brendan Mullin, Katy Jackson
Lady Macbeth - Fodhla Cronin O’Reilly
God’s Own Country - Jack Tarling, Manon Ardisson


The Discovery Award

Even When I Fall - Sky Neal, Kate McLarnon, Elhum Shakerifar Halfway - Ben Caird, Jonny Paterson
In Another Life - Jason Wingard, Hannah Stevenson, Rebecca Clare Evans
Isolani - R Paul Wilson, Lisa Hague
My Pure Land - Sarmad Masud, Bill Kenwright


Best Documentary

Almost Heaven - Carol Salter
Half Way - Daisy-May Hudson
Kingdom Of Us - Lucy Cohen, Julia Nottingham, Lucas Ochoa, Thomas Benski, Bill Rudgard
Uncle Howard - Aaron Brookner, Paula Vaccaro
Williams - Morgan Matthews, Hayley Reynolds, Sarah Hamilton


Best British Short Film

1745 - Gordon Napier, Morayo Akandé, John McKay
Fish Story - Charlie Lyne, Catherine Bray, Anthony Ing
The Entertainer - Jonathan Schey, Jodie Brown, Jun Bung Lee
Work - Aneil Karia, Scott O’Donnell
Wren Boys - Harry Lighton, John Fitzpatrick, Sorcha Bacon

Honorary Awards

Special Jury Prize: Femi Oguns

Richard Harris Award: Vanessa Redgrave

The Variety Award: Gary Oldman



Images - BIFA