Film - The British Independent Film Awards

The Favourite proves to be by far the favourite as the BIFA's for 2018 got announced last night...

Period comedy The Favourite (read Ren's review here) swept the boards at a star-studded Awards ceremony hosted by Russell Tovey last night, picking up ten of the 13 awards it was up for, including the "big awards" of Best Film, Best Director for Yorgos Lanthimos and Best Actress for Olivia Colman. Rachel Weisz pipped her co-star Emma Stone to the award for Best Supporting Actress and the film only missed out on two of the craft categories that it was nominated for, with You Were Never Really Here picking up the award for Best Sound, and also picking up the Best Music Award, and American Animals picking up the award for Best Editing. American Animals also took the award for Debut Screenwriter for Bart Layton. Ray & Liz was another multiple award winner, garnering the awards for both Debut Director and Breakthrough Producer. In the other acting awards, amidst very stiff competition, Joe Cole won the Best Actor Award for A Prayer Before Dawn and Best Supporting Actor went to Alessandro Nivola for Disobedience.

There were also three special awards on the night, with writer/director Horace Ové CBE being given the Jury Special Award, actor Felicity Jones getting the Variety Award and the Richard Harris Award for Outstanding Contribution going to Dame Judi Dench.


Here's the full list of WINNERS and other nominations, along with the ones that Susan Omand thought would win back when the nominations were announced. She was, of course, (almost) completely wrong.

Best British Independent Film

American Animals - Bart Layton / Katherine Butler / Dimitri Doganis / Derrin Schlesinger / Mary Jane Skalski
Beast - Michael Pearce / Kristian Brodie / Lauren Dark / Ivana Mackinnon
Disobedience - Sebastián Lelio / Rebecca Lenkiewicz / Ed Guiney / Frida Torresblanco / Rachel Weisz
** WILL WIN ** The Favourite - Yorgos Lanthimos / Deborah Davis / Tony Mcnamara / Ceci Dempsey / Ed Guiney / Lee Magiday ** WINNER **
You Were Never Really Here - Lynne Ramsay / Pascal Caucheteux / Rosa Attab / James Wilson / Rebecca O’Brien


Best Screenplay (Sponsored By BBC Films)

American Animals - Bart Layton
Beast - Michael Pearce
Disobedience - Sebastián Lelio / Rebecca Lenkiewicz
** WILL WIN ** The Favourite - Deborah Davis / Tony Mcnamara  ** WINNER **
You Were Never Really Here - Lynne Ramsay


Best Director (Sponsored By Broadsword Event House)

American Animals - Bart Layton
Beast - Michael Pearce
The Favourite - Yorgos Lanthimos ** WINNER **
Lean On Pete - Andrew Haigh
** WILL WIN ** You Were Never Really Here - Lynne Ramsay


Best British Short (Supported By BFI Network)

The Big Day - Dawn Shadforth / Kellie Smith / Michelle Stein ** WINNER **
Bitter Sea - Fateme Ahmadi / Emma Parsons
The Field - Sandhya Suri / Balthazar De Ganay / Thomas Bidegain
Pommel - Paris Zarcilla / Sebastian Brown / Ivan Kelava
** WILL WIN ** To Know Him - Ted Evans / Kellie Smith / Jennifer Monks / Michelle Stein

Best Actor

The Happy Prince - Rupert Everett
Lean On Pete - Charlie Plummer
A Prayer Before Dawn - Joe Cole ** WINNER **
Stan & Ollie - Steve Coogan
** WILL WIN ** You Were Never Really Here - Joaquin Phoenix


Best Actress (Sponsored By M.A.C Cosmetics)

Beast - Jessie Buckley
Disobedience - Rachel Weisz
The Escape - Gemma Arterton
** WILL WIN ** The Favourite - Olivia Colman ** WINNER **
Funny Cow - Maxine Peake


Best Supporting Actor

American Animals - Evan Peters
American Animals - Barry Keoghan
Colette - Dominic West
Disobedience - Alessandro Nivola ** WINNER **
** WILL WIN ** Lean On Pete - Steve Buscemi


Best Supporting Actress

Apostasy - Molly Wright
** WILL WIN ** Disobedience - Rachel Mcadams
The Favourite - Emma Stone
The Favourite - Rachel Weisz ** WINNER **
Stan & Ollie - Nina Arianda


Most Promising Newcomer

Apostasy - Molly Wright
Beast - Jessie Buckley ** WINNER **
Been So Long - Michaela Coel
Jellyfish - Liv Hill
** WILL WIN ** Obey - Marcus Rutherford

The Discovery Award (Sponsored By Raindance)

The Dig - Andy Tohill / Ryan Tohill / Stuart Drennan / Brian J. Falconer
** WILL WIN ** Irene’s Ghost - Iain Cunningham / Rebecca Mark-Lawson / David Arthur / Ellie Land
A Moment In The Reeds - Mikko Makela / James Watson
Super November - Douglas King / Josie Long
Voyageuse - May Miles Thomas ** WINNER **


The Douglas Hickox Award (Debut Director) (Sponsored By Kodak & Pinewood)

Apostasy - Daniel Kokotajlo
** WILL WIN ** Beast - Michael Pearce
Calibre - Matt Palmer
Pili - Leanne Welham
Ray & Liz - Richard Billingham ** WINNER **


Debut Screenwriter

American Animals - Bart Layton ** WINNER **
Apostasy - Daniel Kokotajlo
Beast - Michael Pearce
** WILL WIN ** Calibre - Matt Palmer
The Party’s Just Beginning - Karen Gillan


Best Documentary

** WILL WIN ** Being Frank: The Chris Sievey Story - Steve Sullivan
Evelyn - Orlando Von Einsiedel / Joanna Natasegara ** WINNER **
Island - Steven Eastwood / Elhum Shakerifar
Nae Pasaran - Felipe Bustos Sierra
Under The Wire - Chris Martin / Tom Brisley


Breakthrough Producer (Supported By Creativity Media)

Apostasy - Marcie Maclellan
Beast - Kristian Brodie
** WILL WIN ** Calibre - Anna Griffin
Ray & Liz - Jacqui Davies ** WINNER **
Stan & Ollie - Faye Ward

Best International Independent Film (Sponsored By Champagne Taittinger)

Capernaum - Nadine Labaki / Jihad Hojeily / Michelle Keserwani / Khaled Mouzanar / Michel Merkt
** WILL WIN ** Cold War - Pawel Pawlikowski / Janusz Glowacki / Tanya Seghatchian / Ewa Puszczynska
The Rider - Chloé Zhao / Mollye Asher / Sacha Ben Harroche / Bert Hamelinck
Roma - Alfonso Cuarón / Gabriela Rodriguez / Nicolás Celis ** WINNER **
Shoplifters - Hirokazu Koreeda


Best Casting (Sponsored By Casting Society Of America & Spotlight)

American Animals - Avy Kaufman
Apostasy - Michelle Smith
Beast - Julie Harkin
** WILL WIN ** The Favourite - Dixie Chassay ** WINNER **
Stan & Ollie - Andy Pryor


Best Cinematography (Supported By Blackmagic Design)

American Animals - Ole Bratt Birkeland
The Favourite - Robbie Ryan ** WINNER **
Lean On Pete - Magnus Nordenhof Jønck
A Prayer Before Dawn - David Ungaro
** WILL WIN ** You Were Never Really Here - Tom Townend


Best Costume Design

Colette - Andrea Flesch
An Evening With Beverly Luff Linn - Alyssa Tull
** WILL WIN ** The Favourite - Sandy Powell ** WINNER **
Peterloo - Jacqueline Durran
Stan & Ollie - Guy Speranza

Best Editing (Sponsored By Intermission Film)

American Animals - Nick Fenton / Julian Hart / Chris Gill ** WINNER **
The Favourite - Yorgos Mavropsaridis
** WILL WIN ** Happy New Year, Colin Burstead - Ben Wheatley
A Prayer Before Dawn - Marc Boucrot
You Were Never Really Here - Joe Bini


Best Make-Up & Hair Design

Colette - Ivana Primorac
** WILL WIN ** The Favourite - Nadia Stacey ** WINNER **
Peterloo - Christine Blundell
A Prayer Before Dawn - Stacey Louise Holman
Stan & Ollie - Mark Coulier / Jeremy Woodhead


Best Music (Sponsored By Universal Music Publishing Group)

** WILL WIN ** American Animals - Anne Nikitin
Beast - Jim Williams
Funny Cow - Richard Hawley
Island Of The Hungry Ghosts - Aaron Cupples
You Were Never Really Here - Jonny Greenwood ** WINNER **


Best Production Design

Colette - Michael Carlin
The Favourite - Fiona Crombie ** WINNER **
Peterloo - Suzie Davies
Ray & Liz - Beck Rainford
** WILL WIN ** Stan & Ollie - John Paul Kelly


Best Sound (Supported By Silk Factory)

American Animals - Andrew Stirk
The Favourite - Johnnie Burn
A Prayer Before Dawn - Séverin Favriau
Time Trial - CJ Mirra
** WILL WIN ** You Were Never Really Here - Paul Davies ** WINNER **

Best Effects

** WILL WIN ** Dead In A Week (Or Your Money Back) - Matthew Strange / Mark Wellband
Early Man - Howard Jones ** WINNER **
Peterloo - George Zwier / Paul Driver

Images & info - BIFA