David Farnor | On 05, Dec 2016

The 2016 BIFA Awards took place last night – and I, Daniel Blake and American Honey dominated the list of winners.

Andrea Arnold’s road movie enjoyed sweet success, taking home the top prize of Best British Independent Film, as well as Best Director. The film also won Best Actress for Sasha Lane.

Ken Loach’s I, Daniel Blake has been a hit across the UK, as its story of people struggling to survive on benefits has resonated with audiences. Dave Johns won Best Actor for the film, alongside Hayley Squires, who won Most Promising Newcomer.

The show was stolen, though, by Iranian horror Under the Shadow, with Iran-born Babak Anvari, who lives in the UK, winning Best Screenplay, as well as the Douglas Hickox Award for Best Debut Director. Completing its trio of wins was Avin Manshadi, who was crowned Best Supporting Actress at the London ceremony.

All three have been some of the most talked-about films in UK cinemas this year, but Under the Shadow had the advantage of a VOD release the week after its theatrical debut, making the movie accessible to audiences all over the country. Indeed, the BIFA winners are a reminder of the impact that VOD continues to have upon the indie film industry, with a number of winners already available to watch online, following a digital day-and-date release alongside their cinema run; Discovery Award winner The Greasy Strangler, Best Documentary Notes on Blindness and two-time winner Adult Life Skills (Best Supporting Actor and Debut Screenwriter) are all available to stream in the UK.

You can see the full list of BIFA winners highlighted in green below, plus where to watch them online.

Best British Independent Film

American Honey
Couple in a Hole
I, Daniel Blake
Notes on Blindness
Under the Shadow

Best Director

Andrea Arnold – American Honey
Ben Wheatley – Free Fire
Ken Loach – I, Daniel Blake
James Spinney & Pete Middleton – Notes on Blindness
Babak Anvari – Under the Shadow

Best Screenplay

Under the Shadow
Adult Life Skills
American Honey
I Am Not A Serial Killer
I, Daniel Blake

Best Actor

Dave Johns – I, Daniel Blake
Shia LaBeouf – American Honey
Max Records – I Am Not A Serial Killer
Steve Brandon – My Feral Heart
Michael Fassbender – Trespass Against Us

Best Actress

Sasha Lane – American Honey
Jodie Whittaker – Adult Life Skills
Kate Dickie – Couple in a Hole
Hayley Squires – I, Daniel Blake
Narges Rashidi – Under the Shadow

Best Supporting Actor

Brett Goldstein – Adult Life Skills
Jamie Dornan – Anthropoid
Christopher Lloyd – I Am Not A Serial Killer
Arinzé Kene – The Pass
Sean Harris – Trespass Against Us

Best Supporting Actress

Avin Manshadi – Under the Shadow
Gemma Arterton – The Girl With All the Gifts
Shana Swash – My Feral Heart
Naomie Harris – Our Kind of Traitor
Terry Pheto – A United Kingdom

Most Promising Newcomer

Hayley Squires – I, Daniel Blake
Sennia Nanua – The Girl With All the Gifts
Dave Johns – I, Daniel Blake
Steve Brandon – My Feral Heart
Letitia Wright – Urban Hymn

The Douglas Hickox Award (Debut Director)

Babak Anvari – Under the Shadow
Rachel Tunnard – Adult Life Skills
Pete Middleton & James Spinney – Notes on Blindness
Alice Lowe – Prevenge
Adam Smith – Trespass Against Us

Outstanding Achievement in Craft

Robbie Ryan – American Honey
Shaheen Baig – Free Fire
Seb Barker – The Girl With All the Gifts
Joakim Sundström – Notes on Blindness
Paul Monaghan & Mat Whitecross – Supersonic

Best Documentary

Notes on Blindness
The Confession: Living the War on Terror
Dancer
The Hard Stop
Versus: The Life and Films of Ken Loach

Best International Independent Film

Moonlight
Hunt for the Wilderpeople
Manchester by the Sea
Mustang
Toni Erdmann

Best British Short

Jacked
Mother
Over
Rate Me
The Wrong End of the Stick

The Discovery Award (Sponsored by Raindance)

The Greasy Strangler
Black Mountain Poets
The Darkest Universe
The Ghoul
Gozo

Breakthrough Producer

Camille Gatin – The Girl With All the Gifts
Michael Berliner – Adult Life Skills
Dionne Walker – The Hard Stop
Mike Brett & Jo Jo Ellison & Steve Jamison – Notes on Blindness
Paul Fegan – Where You’re Meant To Be

Debut Screenwriter

Rachel Tunnard – Adult Life Skills
Hope Dickson Leach – The Levelling
Simon Farnaby & Julian Barratt – Mindhorn
John Cairns & Michael McCartney – A Patch of Fog

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