2021 British Independent Film Awards – Winners
The Twenty-Fourth British Independent Film Awards (BIFAs) took place live from London on Sunday 5th December 2021, with 24 awards handed to the very best of British independent cinema in a ceremony hosted by comedian Asim Choudhry and broadcast live on Facebook.
Among the evening’s winners were the likes of coming-of-age drama Sweetheart and the Bradfordian drama Ali & Ava, but it was Aleem Khan’s After Love that was the big winner, earning awards for Best Actress, Best Screenplay, Best Director and Best Independent British Film. Altogether, After Love, the tale of a widow discovering a dark secret from her deceased husband’s past, earned 6 British Independent Film Awards, the most of any film in 2021.
Accepting the Richard Harris award for outstanding contribution to British independent cinema was Sound of Metal Oscar nominee Riz Ahmed, whose continued presence in the industry was described by presenter Yann Demange to have “carved a space for himself and a whole generation”. Ahmed said of the honour, ‘I want to thank my teachers for telling me if I messed around in class I might get expelled but if I did it on the stage I might get a round of applause’.
The winners of the 2021 British Independent Film Awards:
Best British Independent Film – AFTER LOVE
Ali & Ava
Boiling Point
The Nest
The Souvenir: Part II
Best Director – ALEEM KHAN (AFTER LOVE)
Philip Barantini (Boiling Point)
Clio Barnard (Ali & Ava)
Sean Durkin (The Nest)
Joanna Hogg (The Souvenir: Part II)
Best Actress – JOANNA SCANLAN (AFTER LOVE)
Caitríona Balfe (Belfast)
Carrie Coon (The Nest)
Claire Rushbrook (Ali & Ava)
Ruth Wilson (True Things)
Best Actor – ADEEL AKHTAR (ALI & AVA)
Riz Ahmed (Encounter)
Stephen Graham (Boiling Point)
Jude Law (The Nest)
James Norton (Nowhere Special)
Best Supporting Actress – VINETTE ROBINSON (BOILING POINT)
Judi Dench (Belfast)
Jo Hartley (Sweetheart)
Nathalie Richard (After Love)
Tilda Swinton (The Souvenir: Part II)
Best Supporting Actor – TALID ARISS (AFTER LOVE)
Richard Ayoade (The Souvenir: Part II)
Lucian-River Chauhan (Encounter)
Ciarán Hinds (Belfast)
Ray Panthaki (Boiling Point)
The Douglas Hickox Award
(Best Debut Director) – ALEEM KHAN (AFTER LOVE)
Prano Bailey-Bond (Censor)
Celeste Bell (Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliché)
Cathy Brady (Wildfire)
Marley Morrison (Sweetheart)
Best Screenplay – ALEEM KHAN (AFTER LOVE)
Clio Barnard (Ali & Ava)
Terence Davies (Benediction)
Sean Durkin (The Nest)
Joanna Hogg (The Souvenir: Part II)
Breakthrough Producer – MICHELLE ANTONIADES (SWEETHEART)
Helen Jones (Censor)
Jessica Malik (She Will)
Hester Ruoff (Boiling Point)
Rob Watson (The Power)
Best Debut Screenwriter – CATHY BRADY (WILDFIRE)
Prano Bailey-Bond (Censor)
Aleem Khan (After Love)
Marley Morrison (Sweetheart)
Reggie Yates (Pirates)
The Raindance Discovery Award – POLY STYRENE: I AM A CLICHE (PAUL SNG, CELESTE BELL, ZOE HOWE, REBECCA MARK-LAWSON, MATTHEW SILVERMAN, DARIA NITSCHE)
Bank (Job Daniel Edelstyn, Hilary Powell, Christopher Hird)
The Bike Thief (Matt Chambers, Pk Fellowes, Sophia Gibber, Lene Bausager)
I Am Belmaya (Sue Carpenter, Christopher Hird)
Rebel Dykes (Harri Shanahan, Siân A. Williams, Siobhan Fahey)
Best British Short Film – FEMME
Egúngún (Masquerade)
Night of the Living Dread
Play It Safe
Precious Hair & Beauty
Best International Independent Film – FLEE
Compartment No. 6
First Cow
Petite Maman
Pleasure
Best Casting – CAROLYN MCLEOD (BOILING POINT)
Shaheen Baig (After Love)
Shaheen Baig (Ali & Ava)
Shaheen Baig (Pirates)
Lucy Bevan, Emily Brockmann (Belfast)
Best Cinematography – MATTHEW LEWIS (BOILING POINT)
Mátyás Erdély (The Nest)
Magdalena Kowalczyk (Cow)
Annika Summerson (Censor)
Haris Zambarloukos (Belfast)
Best Costume Design – GRACE SNELL (THE SOUVENIR: PART II)
Michael O’Connor (The Electrical Life Of Louis Wain)
Guy Speranza (Everybody’s Talking About Jamie)
Annie Symons (Benediction)
Charlotte Walter (Belfast)
Best Music – CONNIE FARR, HARRY ESCOTT (ALI & AVA)
Iain Cooke (Pirates)
Jed Kurzel (Encounter)
Clint Mansell (In the Earth)
Van Morrison (Belfast)
Best Effects – STEVEN BRAY, MIKE KNIGHTS, DAN MARTIN, LEIGH CRANSTON (DASHCAM)
Gary Brown, István Molnár, Dan Martin (Censor)
Rupert Davies (The Electrical Life of Louis Wain)
Best Editing – HELLE LE FEVRE (THE SOUVENIR: PART II)
Rebecca Lloyd, Jacob Schulsinger, Nicolas Chaudeurge (Cow)
Úna Ní Dhonghaíle (Belfast)
Mark Towns (Censor)
Ben Wheatley (In the Earth)
Best Make-Up & Hair – VICKIE LANG, KRISTYAN MALLETT, DONALD MCINNES (THE ELECTRICAL LIFE OF LOUIS WAIN)
Siobhan Harper-Ryan (The Souvenir: Part II)
Ruth Pease (Censor)
Nadia Stacey (Everybody’s Talking About Jamie)
Wakana Yoshihara (Belfast)
Best Production Design – STEPHANE COLLONGE (THE SOUVENIR: PART II)
Jim Clay (Belfast)
Suzie Davies (The Electrical Life of Louis Wain)
Aimee Meek (Boiling Point)
Paulina Rzeszowska (Censor)
Best Sound – JAMES DRAKE, ROB ENTWISTLE, KIFF MCMANUS (BOILING POINT)
Nicolas Becker, Cyril Holtz, Linda Forsen (Cow)
Tim Harrison, Jamie Roden, Adele Fletcher (Censor)
Martin Pavey (In the Earth)
Andrew Stirk, Paul Davies, Morgan Muse, Bernard O’Reilly, Julian Howarth (Encounter)
RICHARD HARRIS AWARD – RIZ AHMED
