David Farnor | On 06, Dec 2021

The winners of the 2021 British Independent Film Awards have been announced and After Love is leading the pack.

Asim Chaudhry hosted the ceremony last night at London’s Old Billingsgate, where the award for Best British Independent Film, went to After Love, Aleem Khan’s directorial debut. Khan won three more BIFA awards – Best Director, The Douglas Hickox Award for Best Debut Director and Best Screenplay, with Joanna Scanlan taking home Best Actress and Talid Ariss Best Supporting Actor for their performances in the film.

Adeel Akhtar was awarded Best Actor for his role in Clio Barnard’s Ali & Ava, which also saw Connie Farr and Harry Escott scoring the Best Music prize.

The Best Supporting Actress award went to Vinette Robinson for her work in Philip Barantini’s multi-BIFA nominated single-take restaurant kitchen drama Boiling Point. Boiling Point also received awards for Carolyn McCleod for Best Casting, Matthew Lewis for Best Cinematography and James Drake, Rob Entwistle and Kiff McManus for Best Sound.

Breakthrough Performance went to Nell Barlow, star of Marley Morrison’s British holiday park-set coming-of-age debut Sweetheart, which also won the Breakthrough Producer prize for Michelle Antoniades.

Cathy Brady won Best Debut Screenwriter for Wildfire. Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliché, Paul Sng and Celeste Bell’s film about the titular punk icon, claimed both the Best Documentary and Raindance Discovery Award.

Best British Short Film went to Femme, in which a night out takes a dark turn for a femme gay man.

Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s Flee, the animated real-life story of a childhood refugee’s hidden past, won Best International Independent Film.

The Souvenir Part II, Joanna Hogg’s follow up to The Souvenir, was awarded three craft awards: Best Costume Design for Grace Snell, Best Editing for Helle Le Fevre and Best Production Design for Stéphane Collonge.

Best Effects was taken by Mike Knights, Steven Bray Dan Martin and Leigh Cranston for their work on Rob Savage’s Dashcam and Vickie Lang, Kristyan Mallet and Donald McInnes were awarded the Best Make Up & Hair Design BIFA for Will Sharpe’s The Electrical Life of Louis Wain.

The Richard Harris Award for Outstanding Contribution by an Actor to British Film was presented to Riz Ahmed.

The Special Jury Prize, awarded by the BIFA Main Jury, was given to Raising Films, the organisation that supports and campaigns for parents and carers working in the UK screen sector.

Flee and Boiling Point played online at the 2021 London Film Festival, while After Love and Wildfire both played online at the 2020 London Film Festival.

Here’s the full list of winners:

The Richard Harris Award for Outstanding Contribution by an Actor to British Film

Riz Ahmed

The Special Jury Prize

Raising Films

Best British Independent Film

★ AFTER LOVE Aleem Khan, Matthieu de Braconier

ALI & AVA Clio Barnard, Tracy O’Riordan

BOILING POINT Philip Barantini, James Cummings, Bart Ruspoli, Hester Ruoff

THE NEST Sean Durkin, Ed Guiney, Derrin Schlesinger, Rose Garnett, Amy Jackson, Cristina Piovesan

THE SOUVENIR PART II Joanna Hogg, Ed Guiney, Emma Norton, Andrew Lowe, Luke Schiller

Best Director

PHILIP BARANTINI Boiling Point

CLIO BARNARD Ali & Ava

SEAN DURKIN The Nest

JOANNA HOGG The Souvenir Part II

★ ALEEM KHAN After Love

Best Actress

CAITRÍONA BALFE Belfast

CARRIE COON The Nest

CLAIRE RUSHBROOK Ali & Ava

★ JOANNA SCANLAN After Love

RUTH WILSON True Things

Best Supporting Actress

JUDI DENCH Belfast

JO HARTLEY Sweetheart

NATHALIE RICHARD After Love

★ VINETTE ROBINSON Boiling Point

TILDA SWINTON The Souvenir Part II

The Douglas Hickox Award (Best Debut Director)

PRANO BAILEY-BOND Censor

CELESTE BELL Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliché [also directed by Paul Sng]

CATHY BRADY Wildfire

★ ALEEM KHAN After Love

MARLEY MORRISON Sweetheart

Breakthrough Performance

LAURYN AJUFO Boiling Point

★ NELL BARLOW Sweetheart

MAX HARWOOD Everybody’s Talking About Jamie

JUDE HILL Belfast

ELLORA TORCHIA In the Earth

Best Documentary

COW Andrea Arnold, Kat Mansoor

DYING TO DIVORCE Chloë Fairweather, Sinead Kirwan

I AM BELMAYA Sue Carpenter, Christopher Hird

KEYBOARD FANTASIES Posy Dixon, Liv Proctor

★ POLY STYRENE: I AM A CLICHÉ Paul Sng, Celeste Bell, Zoë Howe, Rebecca Mark-Lawson, Matthew Silverman, Daria Nitsche

Best Screenplay

CLIO BARNARD Ali & Ava

TERENCE DAVIES Benediction

SEAN DURKIN The Nest

JOANNA HOGG The Souvenir Part II

★ ALEEM KHAN After Love

Best Actor

RIZ AHMED Encounter

★ ADEEL AKHTAR Ali & Ava

STEPHEN GRAHAM Boiling Point

JUDE LAW The Nest

JAMES NORTON Nowhere Special

Best Supporting Actor

★ TALID ARISS After Love

RICHARD AYOADE The Souvenir Part II

LUCIAN-RIVER CHAUHAN Encounter

CIARÁN HINDS Belfast

RAY PANTHAKI Boiling Point

Breakthrough Producer

★ MICHELLE ANTONIADES Sweetheart

HELEN JONES Censor

JESSICA MALIK She Will [also produced by Bob Last]

HESTER RUOFF Boiling Point [also produced by Bart Ruspoli]

ROB WATSON The Power [also produced by Matthew James Wilkinson]

Best Debut Screenwriter

PRANO BAILEY-BOND Censor [also written by Anthony Fletcher]

★ CATHY BRADY Wildfire

ALEEM KHAN After Love

MARLEY MORRISON Sweetheart

REGGIE YATES Pirates

The Raindance Discovery Award

BANK JOB Daniel Edelstyn, Hilary Powell, Christopher Hird

THE BIKE THIEF Matt Chambers, PK Fellowes, Sophia Gibber, Lene Bausager

I AM BELMAYA Sue Carpenter, Christopher Hird

★ POLY STYRENE: I AM A CLICHÉ Paul Sng, Celeste Bell, Zoë Howe, Rebecca Mark-Lawson, Matthew Silverman, Daria Nitsche

REBEL DYKES Harri Shanahan, Siân A. Williams, Siobhan Fahey

Best British Short Film

EGÚNGÚN (MASQUERADE) Olive Nwosu, Alex Polunin

★ FEMME Sam H. Freeman, Ng Choon Ping, Sam Ritzenberg, Hayley Williams, Rienkje Attoh

NIGHT OF THE LIVING DREAD Ida Melum, Laura Jayne Tunbridge, Hannah Kelso, Danielle Goff

PLAY IT SAFE Mitch Kalisa, Chris Toumazou

PRECIOUS HAIR & BEAUTY John Ogunmuyiwa, Sophia Gibber, Tony Longe, Lene Bausager

Best International Independent Film

COMPARTMENT NO. 6 Juho Kuosmanen, Livia Ulman, Andris Feldmanis, Jussi Rantamäki, Emilia Haukka

FIRST COW Kelly Reichardt, Jon Raymond, Neil Kopp, Vincent Savino, Anish Savjani

★ FLEE Jonas Poher Rasmussen, Amin Nawabi, Monica Hellstrøm, Signe Byrge Sørensen

PETITE MAMAN Céline Sciamma, Bénédicte Couvreur

PLEASURE Ninja Thyberg, Peter Modestij, Erik Hemmendorff, Eliza Jones, Markus Waltå

Best Casting

SHAHEEN BAIG After Love

SHAHEEN BAIG Ali & Ava

SHAHEEN BAIG Pirates

LUCY BEVAN, EMILY BROCKMANN Belfast

★ CAROLYN MCLEOD Boiling Point

Best Cinematography

MÁTYÁS ERDÉLY The Nest

MAGDALENA KOWALCZYK Cow

★ MATTHEW LEWIS Boiling Point

ANNIKA SUMMERSON Censor

HARIS ZAMBARLOUKOS Belfast

Best Costume Design

MICHAEL O’CONNOR The Electrical Life of Louis Wain

★ GRACE SNELL The Souvenir Part II

GUY SPERANZA Everybody’s Talking About Jamie

ANNIE SYMONS Benediction

CHARLOTTE WALTER Belfast

Best Music

IAIN COOKE Pirates

★ CONNIE FARR, HARRY ESCOTT Ali & Ava

JED KURZEL Encounter

CLINT MANSELL In the Earth

VAN MORRISON Belfast

Best Effects

★ MIKE KNIGHTS, STEVEN BRAY, DAN MARTIN, LEIGH CRANSTON Dashcam

GARY BROWN, ISTVÁN MOLNÁR, DAN MARTIN Censor

RUPERT DAVIES, NICK RIDEOUT The Electrical Life of Louis Wain

Best Editing

★ HELLE LE FEVRE The Souvenir Part II

REBECCA LLOYD, JACOB SCHULSINGER, NICOLAS CHAUDEURGE Cow

ÚNA NÍ DHONGHAÍLE Belfast

MARK TOWNS Censor

BEN WHEATLEY In the Earth

Best Make-Up & Hair Design

SIOBHAN HARPER-RYAN The Souvenir Part II

★ VICKIE LANG, KRISTYAN MALLETT, DONALD MCINNES The Electrical Life of Louis Wain

RUTH PEASE Censor

NADIA STACEY Everybody’s Talking About Jamie

WAKANA YOSHIHARA Belfast

Best Production Design

JIM CLAY Belfast

★ STÉPHANE COLLONGE The Souvenir Part II

SUZIE DAVIES The Electrical Life of Louis Wain

AIMEE MEEK Boiling Point

PAULINA RZESZOWSKA Censor

Best Sound

NICOLAS BECKER, CYRIL HOLTZ, LINDA FORSEN, NIKKY FRENCH Cow

★ JAMES DRAKE, ROB ENTWISTLE, KIFF MCMANUS Boiling Point

TIM HARRISON, JAMIE RODEN, ADELE FLETCHER, DAVID MITCHELL Censor

MARTIN PAVEY In the Earth

ANDREW STIRK, PAUL DAVIES, MORGAN MUSE, BERNARD O’REILLY, JULIAN HOWARTH Encounter

 

BIFA 2021: After Love, First Cow, Encounter, The Power join nominees

3rd November 2021

The nominations for the 2021 British Independent Film awards have been announced, and among the top contenders are BFI’s After Love, Amazon’s Encounter, MUBI’s First Cow and Shudder’s The Power.

Rrevealed by Samuel Adewunmi and Mimi Keene at Curzon Soho in London, the nominees are led by Kenneth Branagh’s autobiographical Belfast, which has 10 nods in total – including Best Actress for Caitríona Balfe, Best Supporting Actress for Judi Dench, Best Supporting Actor for Ciarán Hinds and a Breakthrough Performance nomination for newcomer Jude Hill. Belfast has received seven craft nominations, including Best Casting, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Make-Up and Hair Design, Best Music, Best Production Design and Best Costume Design winner.

Alongside nominations for Best British Independent Film and Best Director, Philip Barantini’s adrenaline-fuelled, single-take Boiling Point, which played online at the London Film Festival, has scored a Best Actor nomination for Stephen Graham, Best Supporting Actor for Ray Panthaki, Best Supporting Actress for Vinette Robinson and a Breakthrough Performance nomination for Lauryn Ajufo, as well as a Breakthrough Producer nomination for Hester Ruoff. Further nominations include Best Casting, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design and Best Sound.

Debut feature directors Aleem Khan (After Love) and Prano Bailey-Bond (Censor) are going head-to-head with nine nominations apiece. Aleem Khan is the only debut filmmaker to receive a Best British Independent Film nomination this year, following After Love’s UK premiere online and in cinemas at the London Film Festival in 2020. Khan also earns nominations for Best Director, Best Screenplay, The Douglas Hickox Award and Best Debut Screenwriter. In the acting categories, Joanna Scanlon picks up Best Actress, Nathalie Richard Best Supporting Actress and Talid Ariss a Best Supporting Actor nomination. Shaheen Baig is nominated for Best Casting. The film is available to stream online with a BFI Player subscription.

Prano Bailey-Bond is nominated for Best Debut Director and Best Debut Screenwriter for Censor, her psychological-horror-mystery set in the world of 1980s video nasties, which is now streaming exclusively on MUBI UK after its theatrical run. Censor also receives a nomination for Breakthrough Producer for Helen Jones, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Production Design, Best Effects, Best Make-Up & Hair and Best Sound.

MUBI’s extensive slate of acquisitions has seen four of its films nominated in total, including Andrew Arnold’s Cow, Céline Sciamma’s Petite Maman, Ninja Thyberg’s Please, and Kelly Reichardt’s First Cow.

Clio Barnard is nominated in the Best Director and Best Screenplay sponsored by BBC Film categories for Ali & Ava, which also received a Best British Independent Film nomination, Best Actor for Adeel Akhtar and Best Actress for Claire Rushbrook. Shaheen Baig receives a second nomination for Best Casting and Connie Farr gets a nomination for Best Music alongside Harry Escott.

Best International Independent Film sponsored by Champagne Taittinger features nominations for Juho Kuosmanen’s Compartment No 6, Kelly Reichardt’s First Cow, Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s Flee, Céline Sciamma’s Petite Maman and Ninja Thyberg’s Pleasure.

The Souvenir Part II has received nine nominations: Best British Independent Film, Best Director and Best Screenplay sponsored by BBC Film for Joanna Hogg, Best Supporting Actor for Richard Ayoade and Best Supporting Actress for Tilda Swinton. Best Costume Design, Best Editing, Best Production Design and Best Make-Up & Hair Design round off its nominations.

Jude Law is nominated for Best Actor in Sean Durkin’s The Nest alongside Carrie Coon with a Best Actress nod. The film also garners nominations for Best Director and Best Screenplay for Sean Durkin, Best Cinematography and Best British Independent Film.

Elsewhere in the acting categories, Riz Ahmed (winner of last year’s Debut Screenwriter award) and Lucien-River Chauhan are nominated for their performances in Michael Pearce’s Encounter, which will be released by Amazon Prime Video later this year and also has nominations for its music and sound).

Ruth Wilson is nominated for Harry Wootliff’s True Things, which played online at this year’s London Film Festival, and James Norton for Uberto Pasolini’s Nowhere Special.

The team behind debut feature Sweetheart (out now to buy and rent on digital) score with nominations for Best Debut Director and Best Debut Screenwriter for Marley Morrison. Best Supporting Actress for Jo Hartley and a Breakthrough Performance nomination for Nell Barlow. Michelle Antoniades is nominated for Breakthrough Producer, alongside Rob Watson for Shudder’s The Power and Jessica Malik for She Will.

Max Harwood (Everybody’s Talking About Jamie – available with Amazon Prime) and Ellora Torchia (In the Earth – out now to buy and rent) are both nominated for Breakthrough Performance. The films have two and three further craft nominations each, respectively. The Electrical Life of Louis Wain has four craft nominations. Dashcam is nominated for Best Effects.

Cathy Brady is nominated in both the Best Debut Director and Best Debut Screenwriter categories for her first feature, Wildfire. Reggie Yates is also nominated in the latter category for his debut film, Pirates, which has two further nominations, including a third casting nod for Shaheen Baig.

Terence Davies’ Benediction is nominated for Best Screenplay and Best Costume Design.

This year’s Best Documentary nominees, sponsored by Intermission Film are Dying to Divorce, I Am Belmaya (also nominated for the Raindance Discovery Award), Keyboard Fantasies, Cow (which has three further craft nominations) and Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliché, which is also nominated for Debut Director and for the Raindance Discovery Award. Also nominated in that category are Bank Job, The Bike Thief and Rebel Dykes.

Nominees for Best British Short, supported by BFI NETWORK, are Egúngún (Masquerade), FEMME, Night of the Living Dread, Play It Safe and Precious Hair and Beauty, directed by John Ogunmuyiwa.

The winners will be announced at the awards ceremony on Sunday 5th December.

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