‘All Of Us Strangers’ big winner with seven awards at Bifas 2023

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All Of Us Strangers

Source: Searchlight Pictures

‘All Of Us Strangers’

Andrew Haigh’s All Of Us Strangers was the major winner at the British Independent Film Awards (Bifas), with How To Have Sex and Femme also scooping key prizes.

The awards unfurled tonight (December 3) in London’s Old Billingsgate, with a ceremony hosted by stars of TV comedy Ghosts, Lolly Adefope and Kiell Smith-Bynoe. The joyous hosts opened the ceremony with a tribute to British independent film. “This is going to be the best night of our lives,” said Smith-Bynoe. Adefope described UK indie cinema as the “much-needed remedy” for Hollywood franchise features, although quipping, “I can’t wait for Rye Lane Two: Tokyo Drift”.

Haigh took home the awards for best British independent film, best director and best screenplay, with the film’s star Paul Mescal clinching best supporting performance – one of two winners of this year’s award. These four awards added to its three craft awards, announced in November: best cinematography, best editing and best music supervision.

Haigh’s feature follow-up to his 2017 Bifa-nominated film Lean On Pete stars Andrew Scott, Paul Mescal, Claire Foy and Jamie Bell. The Telluride premiere, which Haigh described as “the most personal thing I’ve ever done,” sees Scott play a writer who is drawn both back to his past and towards a mysterious new relationship.

Best lead performance went to Mia McKenna-Bruce in Molly Manning Walker’s debut feature How To Have Sex, which follows three teenage girls navigating an unruly summer holiday in Malia. Shaun Thomas also won best supporting performance for his role as Badger. The film won three Bifas in total, including the previously announced win for best casting.

Raine Allen-Miller’s debut, south London-set romantic comedy Rye Lane, was the most-nominated feature at this year’s ceremony, with Vivian Oparah winning the breakthrough performance award, in addition to its previously announced best original music award.

Nathan Stewart-Jarrett and George MacKay were presented with the best joint lead performance award for Sam H Freeman and Ng Choon Ping’s revenge thriller Femme, adding a trophy to its craft wins – best costume design for Buki Ebiesuwa and best make-up and hair design for Marie Deehan.

Justine Triet’s Palme d’Or winning journey into the depths of a couple’s relationship, Anatomy Of A Fall secured itself another accolade, the 2023 Bifa for best international independent film. It recently also was crowned at the Gothams with best international feature, and Triet and Arthur Harari took home the award for best screenplay.

The 2023 Richard Harris Award for outstanding contribution by an actor to British film was presented to Stephen Graham by his old friend Jodie Comer – who credited her career to Graham recommending her to his agent, Jane Epstein. Graham described himself as “extremely overwhelmed”. He recalled the moment his interest in becoming an actor was ignited, while at school. “I’m not that good at English, because I’m dyslexic, but they put a video on – [Ken Loach film] Kes – and it blew my mind.”

He also reflected on the tough moments, “I was going to pack it in after This Is England. I was out of work for eight months,” and paid special tribute to all crew and below-the-line workers he has worked with across his career.

The special jury prize, awarded by the Bifa jury and presented by 2023 jury member Paapa Essiedu, went to We Are Parable, the grassroots company founded by Anthony and Teanne Andrews to deliver Black cinema to audiences in culturally relevant and innovative ways.

“Britain should be so proud of Anthony And Teanne. The most exciting thing is it seems like this is just the beginning,” said Essiedu, noting the success of their mentoring programme, Momentum. We Are Parable is distributing Savannah Leaf’s Earth Mama – their first acquisition – which took home the best debut director award.

Bifa 2023 winners

Winners in bold

Best British Independent Film

All Of Us Strangers - Andrew Haigh, Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin, Sarah Harvey
Femme - Sam H Freeman, Ng Choon Ping, Myles Payne, Sam Ritzenberg
How To Have Sex - Molly Manning Walker, Ivana MacKinnon, Emily Leo, Konstantinos Kontovrakis
Rye Lane - Raine Allen-Miller, Nathan Bryon, Tom Melia, Yvonne Isimeme Ibazebo, Damian Jones
Scrapper - Charlotte Regan, Theo Barrowclough

Best Joint Lead Performance

Lola Campbell, Harris Dickinson - Scrapper
David Jonsson, Vivian Oparah - Rye Lane
Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, George MacKay - Femme

Best Lead Performance

Jodie Comer - The End We Start From
Mia McKenna-Bruce - How To Have Sex
Tia Nomore - Earth Mama
Nabhaan Rizwan - In Camera
Andrew Scott - All Of Us Strangers
Tilda Swinton - The Eternal Daughter

Best Director

Raine Allen-Miller - Rye Lane
Sam H Freeman, Ng Choon Ping - Femme
Andrew Haigh - All Of Us Strangers
Molly Manning Walker - How To Have Sex
Charlotte Regan - Scrapper

Best Screenplay

Nathan Bryon, Tom Melia - Rye Lane
Sam H Freeman, Ng Choon Ping - Femme
Andrew Haigh - All Of Us Strangers
Molly Manning Walker - How To Have Sex
Charlotte Regan - Scrapper

Best Supporting Performance

Ritu Aryu - Polite Society
Jamie Bell - All Of Us Strangers
Samuel Bottomley - How To Have Sex
Alexandra Burke - Pretty Red Dress
Amir El-Masry - In Camera
Claire Foy - All Of Us Strangers
Paul Mescal - All Of Us Strangers
Alia Shawkat - Drift
Shaun Thomas - How To Have Sex
Katherine Waterston - The End We Start From

Best Feature Documentary

Another Body - Sophie Compton, Reuben Hamlyn, Isabel Freeman, Elizabeth Woodward
Bobi Wine: The People’s President - Moses Bwayo, Christopher Sharp, John Battsek
If The Streets Were On Fire - Alice Russell, Gannesh Rajah
Lyra - Alison Millar, Jackie Doyle
Occupied City - Steve Mcqueen, Bianca Stitger, Floor Onrust, Anna Smith-Tenser

Breakthrough Performance

Le’Shantey Bonsu - Girl
Lola Campbell - Scrapper
Priya Kansara - Polite Society
Mia McKenna-Bruce - How To Have Sex
Vivian Oparah - Rye Lane

Best Debut Screenwriter

Nathan Bryon, Tom Melia - Rye Lane
Sam H Freeman, Ng Choon Ping - Femme
Molly Manning Walker - How To Have Sex
Nida Manzoor - Polite Society
Charlotte Regan - Scrapper

The Douglas Hickox Award (Best Debut Director)

Raine Allen-Miller - Rye Lane
Sam H Freeman, Ng Choon Ping - Femme
Savanah Leaf - Earth Mama
Molly Manning Walker - How To Have Sex
Charlotte Regan - Scrapper

Breakthrough Producer

Theo Barrowclough - Scrapper
Georgia Goggin - Pretty Red Dress
Yvonne Isimeme Ibazebo - Rye Lane
[Also Produced By Damian Jones]
Gannesh Rajah - If The Streets Were On Fire
Chi Thai - Raging Grace

Best Debut Director – Feature Documentary

Chloe Abrahams - The Taste Of Mango
Sophie Compton, Reuben Hamlyn - Another Body
Ella Glendining - Is There Anybody Out There?
Alice Russell - If The Streets Were On Fire
Christopher Sharp - Bobi Wine: The People’s President [Also Directed By Moses Bwayo]

The Raindance Maverick Award

If The Streets Were On Fire - Alice Russell, Gannesh Rajah
Is There Anybody Out There? - Ella Glendining, Janine Marmot
Name Me Lawand - Edward Lovelace
Raging Grace - Paris Zarcilla, Chi Thai
Red Herring - Kit Vincent, Ed Owles

Best British Short Film

Christopher At Sea - Tom C J Brown, Laure Desmazières, Emmanuel-Alain Raynal, Pierre Baussaron, Amanda Miller, Hannah Stolarski, Nick Read, Emily-Jane Brown
Festival Of Slaps - Abdou Cissé, Cheri Darbon, George Telfer
Lions - Beru Tessema, Ama Ampadu
Muna - Warda Mohamed, Angela Moneke, Simon Hatton
The Talent - Thomas May Bailey, Emma D’arcy, Ellen Spence

Best International Independent Film

Anatomy Of A Fall - Justine Triet, Arthur Harari, Marie-Ange Luciani, David Thion
Fallen Leaves - Aki Kauriskmäki
Fremont - Babak Jalali, Carolina Cavalli, Marjaneh Moghimi, Sudnya Shroff, Rachael Fung
Monster - Hirokazu Kore-eda, Yuji Sakamoto, Genki Kawamura, Kenji Yamada
Past Lives - Celine Song, David Hinojosa, Christine Vachon, Pamela Koffler

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