Armando Iannucci’s The Personal History of David Copperfield Wins Big As Winners Annouced For The British Independent Film Awards

5 BIFAs for The Personal History of David Copperfield

For Sama wins 4 awards including Best British Independent Film

Renée Zellweger wins Best Actress

Ruthxjiah Bellenea wins Best Supporting Actress

Josh O’Connor and Hugh Laurie named Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor

Two awards each for Judy, The Last Tree and Only You

Documentary For Sama was named Best British Independent Film 2019 at the 22^nd BIFA ceremony. The film, an intimate and scarring portrait of a young mother’s experience of the Syrian civil war, won Best British Independent Film, Best Director sponsored by Broadsword Event House and Best Documentary. The three awards announced this evening were added to the previously announced win for Best Editing sponsored by Intermission Film.

The Personal History of David Copperfield won two awards on the night: Best Supporting Actor for Hugh Laurie, who plays Mr Dick in Armando Iannucci’s adaptation of the Dickens classic, and Best Screenplay sponsored by BBC Films for writers Armando Iannucci and Simon Blackwell. Previously announced had been the film’s awards for Best Casting sponsored by Casting Society of America and Spotlight, Best Costume Design, and Best Production Design sponsored by Studio Juice.

Josh O’Connor’s portrayal of lovesick romantic Jake in Harry Wootliff’s debut feature Only You won him the Best Actor award – his second after 2017’s win for his role in Francis Lee’s Yorkshire-set love story God’s Own Country. The film’s director Harry Wootliff was named Best Debut Director sponsored by Kodak & Pinewood.

Renée Zellweger won Best Actress for her performance as Judy Garland in Rupert Goold’s critically-acclaimed biopic, Judy. The film had also previously won Best Make Up & Hair Design sponsored by MAC.

Sam Adewunmi was named Most Promising Newcomer for his first significant performance in a British feature film, Shola Amoo’s The Last Tree. In the film he plays Femi, a British boy of Nigerian heritage struggling to adjust to a new life in London. His co-star Ruthxjiah Bellenea received the award for Best Supporting Actress.

Writer Emma Jane Unsworth won the award for Debut Screenwriter sponsored by Film4 for her big-screen adaptation of her second novel, Animals, which stars Holliday Grainger and Alia Shawkat as a pair of hedonistic, hard-partying best friends whose lives begin to change as they enter their 30s.

Producers Kate Byers and Linn Waite won the Breakthrough Producer award for their film Bait. Written and directed by Cornish filmmaker Mark Jenkin, Bait follows Martin, a fisherman without a boat struggling to survive in a changing economy. The film is set in the modern-day but was shot on hand-processed, black and white film stock on a hand-cranked ’80s Bolex camera, with all sound added in post-production.

The Raindance Discovery Award went to Children of the Snow Land. This remarkable documentary tells the stories of children born in the high Himalayas of Nepal who spend over 10 years in schools away from their parents before making the long and dangerous trek back home.

The award for Best British Short Film supported by BFI NETWORK, was presented to Dekel Berenson’s Anna.

The only category of the night open to non-UK films, Best International Independent Film sponsored by Champagne Taittinger, was won by Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite. The legendary South Korean filmmaker’s latest film is a dark comedy about an unemployed, unmotivated patriarch and his equally unambitious family who catch a lucky break when they become entangled with a wealthy household.

The Special Jury Prize was presented to Amanda Nevill CBE. Nevill is the outgoing CEO of the British Film Institute (BFI) and has been praised for transforming the organisation and the wider film industry with initiatives designed to support a vibrant national film culture across all sectors, from production to distribution. The jury praised her openness, deep personal involvement in her work and determination to involve filmmakers in all aspects of the BFI’s strategies and activities during her tenure.

As previously announced, Kristin Scott Thomas was presented with the 2019 Richard Harris Award for Outstanding Contribution by an Actor to British Film.

Other previously announced Craft awards were Best Effects for A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon, Best Music sponsored by Universal Music Publishing Group for Wild Rose and Best Cinematography and Best Sound supported by Halo Post for Beats.

The 22nd ceremony was hosted by Aisling Bea at Old Billingsgate. Highlights of the ceremony can be viewed on Facebook.

A full list of winners is below and at BIFA and follow BIFA on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

#BIFA2019

BIFA NOMINATIONS & WINNERS 2019

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

KRISTIN SCOTT THOMAS

Special Jury Prize

AMANDA NEVILL

Best British Independent Film

BAIT Mark Jenkin, Kate Byers, Linn Waite

« FOR SAMA Waad al-Kateab, Edward Watts

THE PERSONAL HISTORY OF DAVID COPPERFIELD Armando Iannucci, Simon Blackwell, Kevin Loader

THE SOUVENIR Joanna Hogg, Luke Schiller

WILD ROSE Tom Harper, Nicole Taylor, Faye Ward

Best Director sponsored by Broadsword Event House

« WAAD AL-KATEAB, EDWARD WATTS For Sama

OLIVER HERMANUS Moffie

JOANNA HOGG The Souvenir

MARK JENKIN Bait

ASIF KAPADIA Diego Maradona

Best Screenplay sponsored by BBC Films

JOANNA HOGG The Souvenir

« ARMANDO IANNUCCI, SIMON BLACKWELL The Personal History of David Copperfield

PAUL LAVERTY Sorry We Missed You

PETER STRICKLAND In Fabric

NICOLE TAYLOR Wild Rose

Best Documentary

COUP 53 Taghi Amirani, Walter Murch, Paul Zaentz

DIEGO MARADONA Asif Kapadia, James Gay-Rees, Paul Martin

« FOR SAMA Waad al-Kateab, Edward Watts

SEAHORSE Jeanie Finlay, Andrea Cornwell

TELL ME WHO I AM Ed Perkins, Simon Chinn

Best Actress

JESSIE BUCKLEY Wild Rose

HOLLIDAY GRAINGER Animals

SALLY HAWKINS Eternal Beauty

VICKY KNIGHT Dirty God

« RENÉE ZELLWEGER Judy

Best Actor

SAM ADEWUNMI The Last Tree

TOM BURKE The Souvenir

KRIS HITCHEN Sorry We Missed You

« JOSH O’CONNOR Only You

DEV PATEL The Personal History of David Copperfield

Best Supporting Actress

JESSICA BARDEN Scarborough

« RUTHXJIAH BELLENEA The Last Tree

ELIZABETH DEBICKI Vita & Virginia

TILDA SWINTON The Personal History of David Copperfield

JULIE WALTERS Wild Rose

Best Supporting Actor

CHIWETEL EJIOFOR The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind

« HUGH LAURIE The Personal History of David Copperfield

EDILSON MANUEL OLBERA NUÑEZ Yuli – The Carlos Acosta Story

PETER MULLAN The Vanishing

BLUEY ROBINSON Dirty God

Most Promising Newcomer

« SAM ADEWUNMI The Last Tree

VICKY KNIGHT Dirty God

LORN MACDONALD Beats

ROXANNE SCRIMSHAW Lynn + Lucy

HONOR SWINTON BYRNE The Souvenir

The Douglas Hickox Award (Debut Director) sponsored by Kodak & Pinewood

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

« HARRY WOOTLIFF Only You

Debut Screenwriter sponsored by Film4

KIERAN HURLEY Beats

LISA OWENS Days of the Bagnold Summer

NICOLE TAYLOR Wild Rose

« EMMA JANE UNSWORTH Animals

HARRY WOOTLIFF Only You

Breakthrough Producer

FINN BRUCE Tucked

« KATE BYERS, LINN WAITE Bait

JOY GHARORO-AKPOJOTOR Blue Story [also produced by Damian Jones]

BECKY READ Three Identical Strangers [also produced by Grace Hughes-Hallett]

JACK SIDEY Moffie [also produced by Eric Abraham]

The Raindance Discovery Award

A BUMP ALONG THE WAY Shelly Love, Tess McGowan, Louise Gallagher

« CHILDREN OF THE SNOW LAND Zara Balfour, Marcus Stephenson, Mark Hakansson

HERE FOR LIFE Andrea Luka Zimmerman, Adrian Jackson, James Lingwood, Michael Morris, Cressida Day

MUSCLE Gerard Johnson, Matthew James Wilkinson, Richard Wylie, Ed Barratt

THE STREET Zed Nelson

Best Casting sponsored by Casting Society of America & Spotlight

SHAHEEN BAIG In Fabric

SHAHEEN BAIG, AISHA BYWATERS The Last Tree

KAHLEEN CRAWFORD, CAROLINE STEWART Only You

KAHLEEN CRAWFORD Wild Rose

« SARAH CROWE The Personal History of David Copperfield

Best Cinematography

OLE BRATT BIRKELAND Judy

« BENJAMIN KRACUN Beats

ZAC NICHOLSON The Personal History of David Copperfield

JAMIE D RAMSAY Moffie

ARI WEGNER In Fabric

Best Costume Design

« 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 Editing sponsored by Intermission Film

MICK AUDSLEY, PETER LAMBERT The Personal History of David Copperfield

MARK JENKIN Bait

CHRIS KING Diego Maradona

« CHLOE LAMBOURNE, SIMON McMAHON For Sama

HELLE LE FEVRE The Souvenir

Best Effects

« HOWARD JONES A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon

PAUL MANN In Fabric

ANDY QUINN The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind

Best Make-Up & Hair Design sponsored by MAC Cosmetics

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

« JEREMY WOODHEAD Judy

Best Music sponsored by Universal Music Publishing Group

« 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 sponsored by Studio Juice

« CRISTINA CASALI The Personal History of David Copperfield

STÉPHANE COLLONGE The Souvenir

KAVE QUINN Judy

ANNE SEIBEL The White Crow

PAKI SMITH In Fabric

Best Sound supported by Halo Post

ANNA MY BERTMARK, JONATHAN SEALE, JULES WOODS Gwen

« DAVID BOWTLE-McMILLAN, JOAKIM SUNDSTRÖM, ROBERT FARR Beats

STEPHEN GRIFFITHS, TIM CAVAGIN, MAX WALSH, ANDY SHELLEY Diego Maradona

LEE WALPOLE, COLIN NICHOLSON, STUART HILLIKER Wild Rose

MARTIN PAVEY, ROB ENTWISTLE In Fabric

Best British Short Film supported by BFI NETWORK

« ANNA Dekel Berenson, Merlin Merton, Olga Beskhmelnitsyna

BOILING POINT Philip Barantini, Bart Ruspoli, James Cummings, Gabriella Callea, Grace Nelder

THE DEVIL’S HARMONY Dylan Holmes Williams, Jess O’Kane, Nathan Craig

GOLDFISH Hector Dockrill, Laura Dockrill, Benedict Turnbull, Harri Kamalanathan

SERIOUS TINGZ Abdou Cissé, Kieran Kenlock, Matt Ellingha

Best International Independent Film sponsored by Champagne Taittinger

ASH IS PUREST WHITE Jia Zhang-Ke, Shôzô Ichiyama

MARRIAGE STORY Noah Baumbach, David Heyman

MONOS Alejandro Landes, Alexis Dos Santos, Fernando Epstein, Cristina Landes, Santiago A Zapata

« PARASITE Bong Joon-ho, Jan Young-Hwan, Moon Yang-kwon, Sin-ae Kwak, Han Jin Won

PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE Céline Sciamma, Véronique Cayla, Bénédicte Couvreur

About BIFA

The British Independent Film Awards is a not for profit organisation which highlights and celebrates the best independent British film and filmmakers and the best future prospects. BIFA shines a light on the best British independent film audiences have and haven’t heard of and supports new talent as it emerges into the UK industry.

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.

For further information, visit www.bifa.film

Our Partners

BBC Films / BFI NETWORK / Broadsword Event House / Casting Society of America
Champagne Taittinger / Film4 / Halo Post / Intermission / Kodak / MAC Cosmetics / Pinewood Group
Spotlight / Studio Juice / Swarovski / Universal Music Publishing Group

Audi / DCM / GSP Events / Hypergram / Netflix / RSM / Soho House / Wiggin

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