Posted in: Movies, Recent Updates | Tagged: awards, bifa, film, michael gambon, sightseers

The BIFA Awards Go Giallo, Get Broken

Patrick Dane writes for Bleeding Cool

With memories of the London Film Festival slowly falling into the back of my mind, tonight actually provided a very welcome reminder of the amount of great films that showed.

The BIFA awards took place in London, rewarding the best of British Independent Film*. Here's a full list of nominees with winners in bold.

BEST BRITISH INDEPENDENT FILM
Berberian Sound Studio
Broken
Sightseers
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
The Imposter

BEST DIRECTOR
Bart Layton – The Imposter
Ben Wheatley – Sightseers
John Madden – The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Peter Strickland – Berberian Sound Studio
Rufus Norris – Broken

THE DOUGLAS HICKOX AWARD [BEST DEBUT DIRECTOR]
Bart Layton – The Imposter
Ben Drew – Ill Manors
Rowan Athale – Wasteland
Rufus Norris – Broken
Sally El Hosaini – My Brother the Devil

BEST SCREENPLAY
Abi Morgan – The Iron Lady
Alice Lowe, Steve Oram, Amy Jump – Sightseers
Mark O'Rowe – Broken
Paul Andrew Williams – Song for Marion
Peter Strickland – Berberian Sound Studio

BEST ACTRESS
Alice Lowe (Tina) – Sightseers
Andrea Riseborough (Colette McVeigh) – Shadow Dancer
Elle Fanning (Ginger) – Ginger & Rosa
Judi Dench (Evelyn Greenslade) – The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Meryl Streep (Margaret Thatcher) – The Iron Lady

BEST ACTOR
Riz Ahmed (Aaron) – Ill Manors
Steve Oram (Chris) – Sightseers
Terence Stamp (Arthur) – Song for Marion
Tim Roth (Archie) – Broken
Toby Jones (Gilderoy) – Berberian Sound Studio

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Alice Englert (Rosa) – Ginger & Rosa
Eileen Davies (Carol) – Sightseers
Maggie Smith (Muriel Donnelly) – The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Olivia Colman (Queen Elizabeth) – Hyde Park on Hudson
Vanessa Redgrave (Marion) – Song for Marion

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Billy Connolly (Wilf) – Quartet
Cillian Murphy (Mike Kiernan) – Broken
Domhnall Gleeson (Connor) – Shadow Dancer
Rory Kinnear (Bob Oswald) – Broken
Tom Wilkinson (Graham Dashwood) – The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

MOST PROMISING NEWCOMER
Elliott Tittensor (Tits) – Spike Island
Eloise Laurence (Skunk) – Broken
James Floyd (Rashid) – My Brother the Devil
Paul Brannigan (Robbie) – The Angels' Share
Zawe Ashton (Joyce Vincent) – Dreams of a Life

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN PRODUCTION
Berberian Sound Studio
Ill Manors
Sightseers
The Imposter
The Sweeney

BEST TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT
Nic Knowland BSC– Cinematography – Berberian Sound Studio
Joakim Sundström, Stevie Haywood AMPS IPS– Sound Design – Berberian Sound Studio
Electric Wave Bureau – Music – Broken
Robbie Ryan – Cinematography – Ginger & Rosa
Andrew Hulme – Editing – The Imposter

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Dreams of a Life
London: The Modern Babylon
Marley
Roman Polanski: A Film Memoir
The Imposter

BEST BRITISH SHORT
Friday
Junk
Skyborn
Swimmer
Volume

BEST INTERNATIONAL INDEPENDENT FILM
Amour
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Rust and Bone
Searching For Sugar Man
The Hunt

THE RAINDANCE AWARD
Frank
Strings
Love Tomorrow
City Slacker
Jason Becker: Not Dead Yet

THE RICHARD HARRIS AWARD (for outstanding contribution by an actor to British Film)
Sir Michael Gambon

THE VARIETY AWARD
Jude Law

THE SPECIAL JURY PRIZE
Sandra Hebron – former London Film Festival director.

What I found interesting about this list is how well shared it is with nothing like a landslide.

While the sort-of Giallo sort-of thriller Berbian Sound Studio came away with the most awards, Broken took Best Picture and Sightseers netted best Screenplay.

I have seen a fair few of these films, and to not go into too much detail, I wouldn't argue with too many of the choices. However…

…the big shock for me was The Hunt coming away with the international prize. Beating out the critics' darlings Amour and Beast of the Southern Wild was no mean feat.

James Flloyd picked up a best newcomer award and that could be a nice boon to his career. I think very few would doubt his abilities after seeing him in My Brother the Devil.

British Cinema has always been a hot spot for creative talent and BIFA looked to celebrate that too. Sir Michael Gambon and Jude Law picking up celebratory awards was testament to the British cinematic legacy, both recent and less so.

It's been a fairly decent year for us Brits and BIFA was a good first setep in celebrating our 2012 achievements in film. Plus, any award show that toasts Toby Jones is good in my books.

*Brendon's note: Depends what you mean by British and Independent but I agree that they're all films. And see how good I am not editing or commenting on your Jude Law comment too, eh?

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