For Sama (2019)For Sama, Waad Al-kateab and Edward Watts’s powerful documentary about life in war-torn Syria, has been named both best British independent film and best documentary at this year’s British Independent Film Awards (BIFAs). It also won best director and best editing.
The film with the most awards was Armando Iannucci’s Dickens adaptation The Personal History of David Copperfield, winning best screenplay for Iannucci and Simon Blackwell, best supporting actor for Hugh Laurie, best production design, best costume design and best casting.
Renée Zellweger won best actress for her turn as Judy Garland in Judy, while Josh O’Connor won best actor for the relationship drama Only You. Ruthxjiah Bellenea took home best supporting actress for The Last Tree.
The winner of best international film was Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite.
The BFI’s CEO, Amanda Nevill, won a Special Jury Prize.
Winning films with backing from the BFI Film Fund include Wild Rose, The Last Tree and Beats, while the BFI NETWORK supported film Anna won best short.
The Personal History of David Copperfield was the opening night gala of this year’s BFI London Film Festival.
Best British independent film
Winner: For Sama
Bait
The Personal History of David Copperfield
The Souvenir
Wild Rose
Best director
Winner: Waad Al-kateab and Edward Watts (For Sama)
Oliver Hermanus (Moffie)
Joanna Hogg (The Souvenir)
Mark Jenkin (Bait)
Asif Kapadia (Diego Maradona)
Best screenplay
Winner: Armando Iannucci and Simon Blackwell (The Personal History of David Copperfield)
Joanna Hogg (The Souvenir)
Paul Laverty (Sorry We Missed You)
Peter Strickland (In Fabric)
Nicole Taylor (Wild Rose)
Best actress
Winner: Renee Zellweger (Judy)
Jessie Buckley (Wild Rose)
Holliday Grainger (Animals)
Sally Hawkins (Eternal Beauty)
Vicky Knight (Dirty God)
Best actor
Winner: Josh O’Connor (Only You)
Sam Adewunmi (The Last Tree)
Tom Burke (The Souvenir)
Kris Hitchen (Sorry We Missed You)
Dev Patel (The Personal History Of David Copperfield)
Best supporting actress
Winner: Ruthxjiah Bellenea (The Last Tree)
Jessica Barden (Scarborough)
Elizabeth Debicki (Vita & Virginia)
Tilda Swinton (The Personal History of David Copperfield)
Julie Walters (Wild Rose)
Best supporting actor
Winner: Hugh Laurie (The Personal History of David Copperfield)
Chiwetel Ejiofor (The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind)
Edlison Manuel Olbera Núñez Yuli (The Carlos Acosta Story)
Peter Mullan (The Vanishing)
Bluey Robinson (Dirty God)
Best cinematography
Winner: Benjamin Kracun (Beats)
Ole Bratt Birkeland (Judy)
Zac Nicholson (The Personal History of David Copperfield)
Jamie D Ramsay (Moffie)
Ari Wegner (In Fabric)
Best editing
Winner: Chloe Lambourne, Simon Mcmahon (For Sama)
Mick Audsley, Peter Lambert (The Personal History of David Copperfield)
Mark Jenkin (Bait)
Chris King (Diego Maradona)
Helle Le Fevre (The Souvenir)
Best sound
Winner: David Bowtle-Mcmillan, Joakim Sundström and Robert Farr (Beats)
Anna My Bertmark, Jonathan Seale and Jules Woods (Gwen)
Stephen Griffiths, Tim Cavagin, Max Walsh and Andy Shelley (Diego Maradona)
Lee Walpole, Colin Nicholson, Stuart Hilliker (Wild Rose)
Martin Pavey (In Fabric)
Best casting
Winner: Sarah Crowe (The Personal History of David Copperfield)
Shaheen Baig (In Fabric)
Shaheen Baig, Aisha Bywaters (The Last Tree)
Kahleen Crawford, Caroline Stewart (Only You)
Kahleen Crawford (Wild Rose)
Best costume design
Winner: Suzie Harman, Robert Worley (The Personal History of David Copperfield)
Anna Mary Scott Robbins (Wild Rose)
Grace Snell (The Souvenir)
Jany Temime (Judy)
Jo Thompson (In Fabric)
Best effects
Winner: Howard Jones (A Shaun The Sheep Movie: Farmageddon)
Paul Mann (In Fabric)
Andy Quinn (The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind)
Best makeup and hair design
Winner: Jeremy Woodhead (Judy)
Morten Jacobsen, Rogier Samuels, Lindelotte Van Der Meer (Dirty God)
Karen Hartley-Thomas (The Personal History of David Copperfield)
Emma Scott (In Fabric)
Jody Williams (Wild Rose)
Best music
Winner: Jack Arnold (Wild Rose)
Cavern Of Anti-Matter (In Fabric)
Nainita Desai (For Sama)
Antonio Pinto (Diego Maradona)
Jd Twitch, Penelope Trappes, Stephen Hindman (Beats)
Best production design
Winner: Cristina Casali (The Personal History of David Copperfield)
Stéphane Collonge (The Souvenir)
Kave Quinn (Judy)
Anne Seibel (The White Crow)
Paki Smith (In Fabric)
The Douglas Hickox Award (debut director)
Winner: Harry Wootliff (Only You)
Will Becher, Richard Phelan (A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon)
Fyzal Boulifa (Lynn + Lucy)
Ninian Doff (Boyz in the Wood)
Chiwetel Ejiofor (The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind)
Breakthrough producer
Winner: Kate Byers, Linn Waite (Bait)
Finn Bruce (Tucked)
Joy Gharoro-akpojotor (Blue Story)
Becky Read (Three Identical Strangers)
Jack Sidey (Moffie)
Debut screenwriter
Winner: Emma Jane Unsworth (Animals)
Kieran Hurley (Beats)
Lisa Owens (Days of the Bagnold Summer)
Nicole Taylor (Wild Rose)
Harry Wootliff (Only You)
Most promising newcomer
Winner: Sam Adewumni (The Last Tree)
Vicky Knight (Dirty God)
Lorn Macdonald (Beats)
Roxanne Scrimshaw (Lynn + Lucy)
Honor Swinton Byrne (The Souvenir)
Best documentary
Winner: For Sama
Coup 53
Diego Maradona
Seahorse
Tell Me Who I Am
Best international independent film
Winner: Parasite
Ash Is Purest White
Marriage Story
Monos
Portrait of a Lady on Fire
The Raindance Discovery Award
Winner: Children of the Snow Land
A Bump Along the Way
Here for Life
Muscle
The Street
Best British short film
Winner: Anna
Boiling Point
The Devil’s Harmony
Goldfish
Serious Tingz
Special Jury Prize
Amanda Nevill, BFI CEO
The Richard Harris Award
Kristin Scott Thomas
