Yorgos Lanthimos’s period comedy The Favourite won a record 10 prizes at this year’s British Independent Film Awards.
At a ceremony held in London hosted by actor Russell Tovey – who in his opening monologue declared the night a “Brexit-free zone” - the film took the night’s main prize, Best British Independent Film, as well as Best Director for Lanthimos and Best Screenplay for writers Deborah Davis and Tony Mcnamara.
The Favourite star Olivia Colman continued her perfect record at the BIFAs, taking home Best Actress to make it four wins from four nominations at the annual ceremony. Co-star Rachel Weisz won Best Supporting Actress, her first BIFA since 2005, when she won Best Actress for The Constant Gardener.
Those five awards added to the five that the film won at the previously-announced craft awards earlier this month.
Rising star Joe Cole was arguably a surprise winner in the Best Actor category for his role in Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire’s Thai boxing picture A Prayer Before Dawn, beating a field including more established names such as Joaquin Phoenix and Steve Coogan. Elsewhere in the acting categories, Alessandro Nivola also triumphed over a strong field to win Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Sebastián Lelio’s Disobedience.
Bart Layton’s American Animals also picked up two awards: the Debut Screenwriter prize for writer-director Layton, which added to the Best Editing craft award.
Turner Prize-winning artist Richard Billingham received The Douglas Hickox Award for Best Debut Director for his Ray & Liz. The film’s producer Jacqui Davies won the award for Breakthrough Producer.
Lynne Ramsay’s You Were Never Really Here also won two BIFAs - Best Music and Best Sound.
Jessie Buckley, star of Michael Pearce’s Beast, was named Most Promising Newcomer.
On the distribution side, Fox Searchlight won 10 prizes (all for The Favourite), Studiocanal won three (You Were Never Really Here and Early Man), Altitude took two (Beast, A Prayer Before Dawn), New Wave also took two (Ray & Liz), STXEntertainment won two (both for American Animals), and Curzon took one (Disobedience).
Elsewhere, Orlando von Einsiedel’s Evelyn – the director’s follow-up to his Oscar-winning short The White Helmets - was named Best Documentary.
The Discovery Award went to May Miles Thomas’ Voyageuse, while Best International Independent Film went to Alfonso Cuaron’s ROMA - that was Netflix’s first ever BIFA. Dawn Shadforth’s The Big Day won best British Short Film.
As previously announced, Judi Dench and Felicity Jones were both recipients of honorary awards, while UK filmmaker Horace Ové received the event’s Special Jury Prize.
Winners list:
Winners in bold
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, Frida Torresblanco, Ed Guiney, Rachel Weisz
- THE FAVOURITE Yorgos Lanthimos, Deborah Davis, Tony McNamara, Ceci Dempsey, Ed Guiney, Lee Magiday
- YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE Lynne Ramsay, Pascal Caucheteux, Rosa Attab, James Wilson, Rebecca O’Brien
Best Director
- ANDREW HAIGH Lean on Pete
- YORGOS LANTHIMOS The Favourite
- BART LAYTON American Animals
- MICHAEL PEARCE Beast
- LYNNE RAMSAY You Were Never Really Here
Best Actress
- GEMMA ARTERTON The Escape
- JESSIE BUCKLEY Beast
- OLIVIA COLMAN The Favourite
- MAXINE PEAKE Funny Cow
- RACHEL WEISZ Disobedience
Best Actor
- JOE COLE A Prayer Before Dawn
- STEVE COOGAN Stan & Ollie
- RUPERT EVERETT The Happy Prince
- JOAQUIN PHOENIX You Were Never Really Here
- CHARLIE PLUMMER Lean on Pete
Best Screenplay
- DEBORAH DAVIS, TONY McNAMARA The Favourite
- BART LAYTON American Animals
- SEBASTIÁN LELIO, REBECCA LENKIEWICZ Disobedience
- MICHAEL PEARCE Beast
- LYNNE RAMSAY You Were Never Really Here
Best Supporting Actress
- NINA ARIANDA Stan & Ollie
- RACHEL McADAMS Disobedience
- EMMA STONE The Favourite
- RACHEL WEISZ The Favourite
- MOLLY WRIGHT Apostasy
Best Supporting Actor
- STEVE BUSCEMI Lean on Pete
- BARRY KEOGHAN American Animals
- ALESSANDRO NIVOLA Disobedience
- EVAN PETERS American Animals
- DOMINIC WEST Colette
Best Documentary
- BEING FRANK: THE CHRIS SIEVEY STORY Steve Sullivan
- EVELYN Orlando von Einsiedel, Joanna Natasegara
- ISLAND Steven Eastwood, Elhum Shakerifar
- NAE PASARAN Felipe Bustos Sierra
- UNDER THE WIRE Christopher Martin, Tom Brisley
Most Promising Newcomer
- JESSIE BUCKLEY Beast
- MICHAELA COEL Been So Long
- LIV HILL Jellyfish
- MARCUS RUTHERFORD Obey
- MOLLY WRIGHT Apostasy
The Douglas Hickox Award (Best Debut Director)
- RICHARD BILLINGHAM Ray & Liz
- DANIEL KOKOTAJLO Apostasy
- MATT PALMER Calibre
- MICHAEL PEARCE Beast
- LEANNE WELHAM Pili
Debut Screenwriter
- KAREN GILLAN The Party’s Just Beginning
- DANIEL KOKOTAJLO Apostasy
- BART LAYTON American Animals
- MATT PALMER Calibre
- MICHAEL PEARCE Beast
Breakthrough Producer
- KRISTIAN BRODIE Beast
- JACQUI DAVIES Ray & Liz
- ANNA GRIFFIN Calibre
- MARCIE MACLELLAN Apostasy
- FAYE WARD Stan & Ollie
The Discovery Award
- THE DIG Andy Tohill, Ryan Tohill, Stuart Drennan, Brian J. Falconer
- 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
Best British Short Film
- THE BIG DAY Dawn Shadforth, Kellie Smith, Michelle Stein
- BITTER SEA Fateme Ahmadi, Emma Parsons
- THE FIELD Sandhya Suri, Balthazar de Ganay, Thomas Bidegain
- POMMEL Paris Zarcilla, Sebastian Brown, Ivan Kelava
- TO KNOW HIM Ted Evans, Kellie Smith, Jennifer Monks, Michelle Stein
Best International Independent Film
- CAPERNAUM Nadine Labaki, Jihad Hojeily, Michelle Keserwani, Khaled Mouzanar, Michel Merkt
- COLD WAR Pawel Pawlikowski, Tanya Seghatchian, Ewa Puszczynska
- THE RIDER Chloé Zhao, Mollye Asher, Sacha Ben Harroche, Bert Hamelinck
- ROMA Alfonso Cuarón, Nicolás Celis, Gabriela Rodriguez
- SHOPLIFTERS Hirokazu Koreeda
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