Adeel Akhtar Named Best Actor For ALI & AVA As Winners Are Announced For BRITISH INDEPENDENT FILM AWARDS 2021

After Love wins six awards including Best British Independent Film

Adeel Akhtar named Best Actor for Ali & Ava

Flee wins Best International Independent Film

Live at Old Billingsgate, this year’s host Asim Chaudhry presided over the 2021 British Independent Film Awards (BIFAs) where winners were announced live by stars of the film industry.

The award for Best British Independent Film, presented by Kate Beckinsale, went to After Love, Aleem Khan’s moving directorial debut in which a recently widowed woman comes to terms with a shocking secret about her husband’s life. Aleem Khan won three further BIFA awards – Best Director, The Douglas Hickox Award for Best Debut Director and Best Screenplay sponsored by BBC Film, with Joanna Scanlan taking home Best Actress and Talid Ariss Best Supporting Actor for their performances in the film. 

Adeel Akhtar was awarded Best Actor for his role in Clio Barnard’s tender story of forbidden love, Ali & Ava, which also saw Connie Farr and Harry Escott scoring the Best Music sponsored by Universal Music Publishing BIFA.

The Best Supporting Actress award went to Vinette Robinson for her work in Philip Barantini’s multi-BIFA nominated single-take restaurant kitchen drama Boiling Point. Boiling Point also received awards for Carolyn McCleod for Best Casting sponsored by Casting Society and Spotlight; Matthew Lewis for Best Cinematography sponsored by Dirty Looks & Kodak and James Drake, Rob Entwistle and Kiff McManus for Best Sound supported by Halo.

Breakthrough Performance went to Nell Barlow, star of Marley Morrison’s British holiday park set coming-of-age debut Sweetheart, which also won the Breakthrough Producer sponsored by Pinewood Studio Group for Michelle Antoniades.

Cathy Brady won Best Debut Screenwriter sponsored by Film4 for Wildfire, which follows two sisters from Northern Ireland reconnecting with each other and their past.

Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliché, Paul Sng and Celeste Bell’s intimate film about the titular punk icon and X-ray Spex frontwoman, claimed both Best Documentary sponsored by Intermission and The Raindance Discovery Award.

Best British Short Film went to FEMME, in which a night out takes a dark turn for a femme gay man.

Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s Flee, the animated real-life story of a childhood refugee’s hidden past, won Best International Independent Film sponsored by Champagne Taittinger, this category was won by Chloe Zhao’s Nomadland in 2020.

The Souvenir Part II, Joanna Hogg’s follow up to her critically acclaimed feature The Souvenir was awarded three craft awards, Best Costume Design for Grace Snell, Best Editing for Helle Le Fevre and Best Production Design for Stéphane Collonge, all three were nominated for The Souvenir in 2019.

Best Effects was taken by Mike Knights, Steven Bray Dan Martin and Leigh Cranston for their work on Rob Savage’s Road trip horror Dashcam and Vickie Lang, Kristyan Mallet and Donald McInnes were awarded the Best Make Up & Hair Design BIFA for Will Sharpe’s period biopic The Electrical Life of Louis Wain.

The Richard Harris Award for Outstanding Contribution by an Actor to British Film was presented to Riz Ahmed.

The Special Jury Prize, awarded by the BIFA Main Jury, which this year included Jennifer Ehle, Alice Lowe, Emma Corrin and Bennet McGhee, was given to Raising Films, the groundbreaking organisation which supports and campaigns for parents and carers working in the UK screen sector.

About BIFA
The British Independent Film Awards highlight and celebrate the best independent British film and filmmakers and the best future prospects. We shine a light on and provide access to the best British independent film audiences have and haven’t heard of.

Nominees and winners are selected by the industry – every eligible film is watched and discussed, making BIFA the only truly credible source for the best in British independent film.

Proud patrons of the British Independent Film Awards are Mike Figgis, Tom Hollander, Adrian Lester, Ken Loach, Ewan McGregor, Helen Mirren, Samantha Morton, James Nesbitt, Michael Sheen, Trudie Styler, Tilda Swinton, Meera Syal, David Thewlis, Ray Winstone and Michael Winterbottom.

Our Partners

BBC Film / BFI NETWORK / Casting Society / Champagne Taittinger / Datum / Dirty Looks
DCM / Film4 / Intermission / Kodak / Netflix / Pinewood Studios Group / Print.Works / RSM / Spotlight

Soho House / Studio Juice / Universal Music Publishing Group / Wiggin

Founded by Raindance

BIFA NOMINEES & WINNERS 2021

The Richard Harris Award for Outstanding Contribution by an Actor to British Film

Riz Ahmed

The Special Jury Prize
Raising Films

Best British Independent Film

★ AFTER LOVE Aleem Khan, Matthieu de Braconier

ALI & AVA Clio Barnard, Tracy O’Riordan

BOILING POINT Philip Barantini, James Cummings, Bart Ruspoli, Hester Ruoff

THE NEST Sean Durkin, Ed Guiney, Derrin Schlesinger, Rose Garnett, Amy Jackson, Cristina Piovesan

THE SOUVENIR PART II Joanna Hogg, Ed Guiney, Emma Norton, Andrew Lowe, Luke Schiller

Best Director

PHILIP BARANTINI Boiling Point

CLIO BARNARD Ali & Ava

SEAN DURKIN The Nest

JOANNA HOGG The Souvenir Part II

★ ALEEM KHAN After Love

Best Actress

CAITRÍONA BALFE Belfast

CARRIE COON The Nest

CLAIRE RUSHBROOK Ali & Ava

★ JOANNA SCANLAN After Love

RUTH WILSON True Things

Best Supporting Actress

JUDI DENCH Belfast

JO HARTLEY Sweetheart

NATHALIE RICHARD After Love

★ VINETTE ROBINSON Boiling Point

TILDA SWINTON The Souvenir Part II

The Douglas Hickox Award
(Best Debut Director)

PRANO BAILEY-BOND Censor

CELESTE BELL Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliché [also directed by Paul Sng]

CATHY BRADY Wildfire

★ ALEEM KHAN After Love

MARLEY MORRISON Sweetheart

Breakthrough Performance

LAURYN AJUFO Boiling Point

★ NELL BARLOW Sweetheart

MAX HARWOOD Everybody’s Talking About Jamie

JUDE HILL Belfast

ELLORA TORCHIA In the Earth

Best Documentary sponsored by Intermission

COW Andrea Arnold, Kat Mansoor

DYING TO DIVORCE Chloë Fairweather, Sinead Kirwan

I AM BELMAYA Sue Carpenter, Christopher Hird

KEYBOARD FANTASIES Posy Dixon, Liv Proctor

★ POLY STYRENE: I AM A CLICHÉ Paul Sng, Celeste Bell, Zoë Howe, Rebecca Mark-Lawson, Matthew Silverman, Daria Nitsche

Best Screenplay sponsored by BBC Film

CLIO BARNARD Ali & Ava

TERENCE DAVIES Benediction

SEAN DURKIN The Nest

JOANNA HOGG The Souvenir Part II

★ ALEEM KHAN After Love

Best Actor

RIZ AHMED Encounter

★ ADEEL AKHTAR Ali & Ava

STEPHEN GRAHAM Boiling Point

JUDE LAW The Nest

JAMES NORTON Nowhere Special

Best Supporting Actor

★ TALID ARISS After Love

RICHARD AYOADE The Souvenir Part II

LUCIAN-RIVER CHAUHAN Encounter

CIARÁN HINDS Belfast

RAY PANTHAKI Boiling Point

Breakthrough Producer sponsored by Pinewood Studio Group

★ MICHELLE ANTONIADES Sweetheart

HELEN JONES Censor

JESSICA MALIK She Will [also produced by Bob Last]

HESTER RUOFF Boiling Point [also produced by Bart Ruspoli]

ROB WATSON The Power [also produced by Matthew James Wilkinson]

Best Debut Screenwriter sponsored by Film4

PRANO BAILEY-BOND Censor [also written by Anthony Fletcher]

★ CATHY BRADY Wildfire

ALEEM KHAN After Love

MARLEY MORRISON Sweetheart

REGGIE YATES Pirates

The Raindance Discovery Award

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

★ POLY STYRENE: I AM A CLICHÉ Paul Sng, Celeste Bell, Zoë Howe, Rebecca Mark-Lawson, Matthew Silverman, Daria Nitsche

REBEL DYKES Harri Shanahan, Siân A. Williams, Siobhan Fahey

Best British Short Film supported by BFI Network

EGÚNGÚN (MASQUERADE) Olive Nwosu, Alex Polunin

★ FEMME Sam H. Freeman, Ng Choon Ping, Sam Ritzenberg, Hayley Williams, Rienkje Attoh

NIGHT OF THE LIVING DREAD Ida Melum, Laura Jayne Tunbridge, Hannah Kelso, Danielle Goff

PLAY IT SAFE Mitch Kalisa, Chris Toumazou

PRECIOUS HAIR & BEAUTY John Ogunmuyiwa, Sophia Gibber, Tony Longe, Lene Bausager

Best International Independent Film sponsored by Champagne Taittinger

COMPARTMENT NO. 6 Juho Kuosmanen, Livia Ulman, Andris Feldmanis, Jussi Rantamäki, Emilia Haukka

FIRST COW Kelly Reichardt, Jon Raymond, Neil Kopp, Vincent Savino, Anish Savjani

★ FLEE Jonas Poher Rasmussen, Amin Nawabi, Monica Hellstrøm, Signe Byrge Sørensen

PETITE MAMAN Céline Sciamma, Bénédicte Couvreur

PLEASURE Ninja Thyberg, Peter Modestij, Erik Hemmendorff, Eliza Jones, Markus Waltå

Best Casting sponsored by Casting Society & Spotlight

SHAHEEN BAIG After Love

SHAHEEN BAIG Ali & Ava

SHAHEEN BAIG Pirates

LUCY BEVAN, EMILY BROCKMANN Belfast

★ CAROLYN MCLEOD Boiling Point

Best Cinematography sponsored by Dirty Looks & Kodak

MÁTYÁS ERDÉLY The Nest

MAGDALENA KOWALCZYK Cow

★ MATTHEW LEWIS Boiling Point

ANNIKA SUMMERSON Censor

HARIS ZAMBARLOUKOS Belfast

Best Costume Design

MICHAEL O’CONNOR The Electrical Life of Louis Wain

★ GRACE SNELL The Souvenir Part II

GUY SPERANZA Everybody's Talking About Jamie

ANNIE SYMONS Benediction

CHARLOTTE WALTER Belfast

Best Music sponsored by Universal Music Publishing

IAIN COOKE Pirates

★ CONNIE FARR, HARRY ESCOTT Ali & Ava

JED KURZEL Encounter

CLINT MANSELL In the Earth

VAN MORRISON Belfast

Best Effects

★ MIKE KNIGHTS, STEVEN BRAY, DAN MARTIN, LEIGH CRANSTON Dashcam

GARY BROWN, ISTVÁN MOLNÁR, DAN MARTIN Censor

RUPERT DAVIES, NICK RIDEOUT 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 Design

SIOBHAN HARPER-RYAN The Souvenir Part II

★ VICKIE LANG, KRISTYAN MALLETT, DONALD MCINNES The Electrical Life of Louis Wain

RUTH PEASE Censor

NADIA STACEY Everybody's Talking About Jamie

WAKANA YOSHIHARA Belfast

Best Production Design

JIM CLAY Belfast

★ STÉPHANE COLLONGE The Souvenir Part II

SUZIE DAVIES The Electrical Life of Louis Wain

AIMEE MEEK Boiling Point

PAULINA RZESZOWSKA Censor

Best Sound supported by Halo

NICOLAS BECKER, CYRIL HOLTZ, LINDA FORSEN, NIKKY FRENCH Cow

★ JAMES DRAKE, ROB ENTWISTLE, KIFF MCMANUS Boiling Point

TIM HARRISON, JAMIE RODEN, ADELE FLETCHER, DAVID MITCHELL Censor

MARTIN PAVEY In the Earth

ANDREW STIRK, PAUL DAVIES, MORGAN MUSE, BERNARD O’REILLY, JULIAN HOWARTH Encounter