Co-directors David Mills and Danielle Boucher took the grand prize at the London Independent Film Festival for their debut film The Burial.

David Mills and Danielle Boucher took the grand prize at the London Independent Film Festival for their debut feature film The Burial.

The film, which tells the story of three French brothers taking their dead mother on a road trip to fulfil her final wish, was the festival’s closing night film.

The prize, sponsored by Prime Focus London, secures a significant portion of the finance for Mills and Boucher’s next feature. The co-directors will receive post production services for their next feature to the value of $73,000 (£50,000).

The prize will be used for their next film called Model Girlfriend. Boucher said: “The script is at the first draft stage and we’re re-writing that at the moment.”

The story is a romance thriller and is set in the Parisian fashion world. It follows the escapades of a model, her boyfriend and a paparazzi-style photographer.

UK director Sam Holland took the prize for best director for Zebra Crossings, his brutal portrayal of London youth culture, while Maeve Murphy took the prize for best UK feature for Beyond The Fire, a harrowing tale of sexual abuse and sexual healing.  Nick Pilton won for best no-budget feature with Reservations.

Oscar nominated director Mike Figgis and the British Film Institute each received the festival’s Champion of Independent Cinema award, which annually recognises one celebrity and one organisation for outstanding service to the UK independent filmmaking community.

The 2009 London Independent Film Festival screened over 110 films over 10 days.