British Independent Film Awards 2020: the winners in full
Sarah Gavron’s Rocks takes home 5 awards including best British independent film and 3 acting prizes.

The teen drama Rocks is the big winner at this year’s British Independent Film Awards, picking up 5 awards including best British independent film. Sarah Gavron’s film, which was backed by the BFI Film Fund, was also recognised for its young cast, with Kosar Ali winning both best supporting actress and most promising newcomer, D’Angelou Osei Kissiedu taking best supporting actor and the casting also winning an award.
Remi Weekes’ horror film His House won 4 awards from its 16 nominations, including best director for Weekes. Rose Glass won the Douglas Hickox award for best debut director for the psychological horror film Saint Maud, which also won best cinematography.
Best documentary went to Jerry Rothwell’s The Reason I Jump, an immersive study of autistic experience, which was also recognised for its sound.
Riz Ahmed collected 2 awards – best debut screenplay for Mogul Mowgli and the prize for best British short film for The Long Goodbye, which he wrote and starred in. Mogul Mowgli, which was distributed by the BFI, also picked up best music.
Winning films that were funded by the BFI Film Fund (with National Lottery money) this year include Rocks, Saint Maud, The Reason I Jump, Misbehaviour, Perfect 10 and Limbo.
Best British independent film
Winner: Rocks – Sarah Gavron, Theresa Ikoko, Claire Wilson, Faye Ward, Ameenah Ayub Allen
Calm with Horses – Nick Rowland, Joe Murtagh, Daniel Emmerson
The Father – Florian Zeller, Christopher Hampton, David Parfitt, Jean-Louis Livi, Philippe Carcassonne
His House – Remi Weekes, Martin Gentles, Edward King, Roy Lee, Aidan Elliott, Arnon Milchan
Saint Maud – Rose Glass, Oliver Kassman, Andrea Cornwell
Best director
Winner: Remi Weekes – His House
Sarah Gavron – Rocks
Rose Glass – Saint Maud
Nick Rowland – Calm with Horses
Florian Zeller – The Father
Best screenplay
Winner: Florian Zeller, Christopher Hampton – The Father
Rose Glass – Saint Maud
Theresa Ikoko, Claire Wilson – Rocks
Bassam Tariq, Riz Ahmed – Mogul Mowgli
Remi Weekes – His House
Best actress
Winner: Wunmi Mosaku – His House
Bukky Bakray – Rocks
Morfydd Clark – Saint Maud
Clare Dunne – Herself
Andrea Riseborough – Luxor
Best actor
Winner: Anthony Hopkins – The Father
Riz Ahmed – Mogul Mowgli
Sope Dirisu – His House
Amir El-Masry – Limbo
Cosmo Jarvis – Calm with Horses
Best supporting actress
Winner: Kosar Ali – Rocks
Niamh Algar – Calm with Horses
Jennifer Ehle – Saint Maud
Ashley Madekwe – County Lines
Fiona Shaw – Kindred
Best supporting actor
Winner: D’Angelou Osei Kissiedu – Rocks
Harris Dickinson – County Lines
Barry Keoghan – Calm with Horses
Alyy Khan – Mogul Mowgli
Merab Ninidze – The Courier
The Douglas Hickox Award (debut director)
Winner: Rose Glass – Saint Maud
Henry Blake – County Lines
Eva Riley – Perfect 10
Nick Rowland – Calm with Horses
Remi Weekes – His House
Breakthrough producer
Winner: Irune Gurtubai – Limbo (also produced by Angus Lamont)
Douglas Cox – Host (also produced by Emily Gotto and Samuel Zimmerman)
Daniel Emmerson – Calm with Horses
Oliver Kassman – Saint Maud (also produced by Andrea Cornwell)
Edward King, Martin Gentles – His House (also produced by Aidan Elliott, Roy Lee, Arnon Milchan)
Debut screenwriter
Winner: Riz Ahmed – Mogul Mowgli (also written by Bassam Tariq)
Rose Glass – Saint Maud
Theresa Ikoko, Claire Wilson – Rocks
Joe Murtagh – Calm with Horses
Remi Weekes – His House
Most promising newcomer
Winner: Kosar Ali – Rocks
Niamh Algar – Calm with Horses
Bukky Bakray – Rocks
Frankie Box – Perfect 10
Conrad Khan – County Lines
Best documentary
Winner: The Reason I Jump – Jerry Rothwell, Jeremy Dear, Stevie Lee, Al Morrow
The Australian Dream – Daniel Gordon, Stan Grant, Sarah Thomson, Nick Batzias, Virginia Whitwell, John Battsek
Being a Human Person – Fred Scott, Mike Brett, Steve Jamison, Jo-Jo Ellison
Rising Phoenix – Ian Bonhôte, Peter Ettedgui, Greg Nugent, John Battsek, Tatyana McFadden
White Riot – Rubika Shah, Ed Gibbs
The Raindance Discovery Award
Winner: Perfect 10 – Eva Riley, Jacob Thomas, Bertrand Faivre, Valentina Brazzini
Justine – Jamie Patterson, Jeff Murphy, Jason Rush, Sarah Drew, Julius Beltrame
Looted – Rene Van Pannevis, Kefi Chadwick, Jennifer Eriksson, Jessie Mangum
One Man and His Shoes – Yemi Bamiro, Will Thorne
Rose: a Love Story – Jennifer Sheridan, April Kelley, Sara Huxley, Matt Stokoe, Rob Taylor, Sophie Rundle
Best British short film (supported by BFI NETWORK)
Winner: The Long Goodbye – Aneil Karia, Riz Ahmed, Tom Gardner
Filipiñana – Rafael Manuel, Naomi Pacifique
The Forgotten C – Molly Manning Walker, Jessi Gutch
Mandem – John Ogunmuyiwa, Emily Eve Rdee
Sudden Light – Sophie Littman, Tom Wood
Best international independent film
Winner: Nomadland – Chloé Zhao, Frances Mcdormand, Peter Spears, Mollye Asher, Dan Janvey
Babyteeth – Shannon Murphy, Rita Kalnejais, Alex White
Les Misérables – Ladj Ly, Giordano Gederlini, Alexis Manenti, Toufik Ayadi, Christophe Barral
Never Rarely Sometimes Always – Eliza Hittman, Adele Romanski, Sara Murphy
Notturno – Gianfranco Rosi, Donatella Palermo, Paolo Del Brocco, Serge Lalou, Camille Laemlé, Orwa Nyrabia, Eva-Maria Weerts
Best casting
Winner: Lucy Pardee – Rocks
Shaheen Baig – Calm with Horses
Kharmel Cochrane – Saint Maud
Carmen Cuba – His House
Dan Jackson – Limbo
Best cinematography
Winner: Ben Fordesman – Saint Maud
Nick Cooke – Limbo
Hélène Louvart – Rocks
Annika Summerson – Mogul Mowgli
Jo Willems – His House
Best costume design
Winner: Charlotte Walter – Misbehaviour
Michele Clapton – The Secret Garden
Ruka Johnson – Rocks
Tina Kalivas – Saint Maud
Michael O’Connor – Ammonite
Best editing
Winner: Yorgos Lamprinos – The Father
Julia Bloch – His House
Maya Maffioli – Rocks
Brenna Rangott – Host
Mark Towns – Saint Maud
Best effects
Winner: Pedro Sabrosa, Stefano Pepin – His House
Agnes Asplund, Martin Malmqvist – Undergods
Scott Macintyre, Bariş Kareli, Kristyan Mallett – Saint Maud
Best make-up and hair design
Jill Sweeney – Misbehaviour
Jacquetta Levon – Saint Maud
Sharon a Martin – His House
Ivana Primorac – Ammonite
Nora Robertson – Rocks
Best music
Paul Corley – Mogul Mowgli
Roque Baños – His House
Nainita Desai – The Reason I Jump
Connie Farr, Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch – Rocks
Adam Janota Bzowski – Saint Maud
Best production design
Winner: Jacqueline Abrahams – His House
Cristina Casali – Misbehaviour
Peter Francis – The Father
Marketa Korinkova, Elo Soode – Undergods
Paulina Rzeszowska – Saint Maud
Best sound
Winner: Nick Ryan, Ben Baird, Sara De Oliveira Lima – The Reason I Jump
Adrian Bell, Glenn Freemantle, Frank Kruse, Brendan Nicholson, Richard Pryke – His House
Paul Davies – Saint Maud
Paul Davies, Robert Farr, Nigel Albermaniche, Ian Morgan – Mogul Mowgli
Calum Sample – Host