British Independent Film Awards 2024: the winners in full
BFI-backed Irish language comedy Kneecap wins seven awards, including best British independent film.
Kneecap, the BFI-supported comedy about the Irish hip-hop trio, has won seven awards at this year’s British Independent Film Awards (BIFAs), including best British independent film. The trio themselves, Liam Óg Ó Hannaidh, Naoise Ó Cairealláin and JJ Ó Dochartaigh, won best joint lead performance, while writer-director Rich Peppiatt took best debut screenwriter.
Best director went to Rungano Nyoni for her second feature, On Becoming a Guinea Fowl, with best screenplay handed to Sandhya Suri for her thriller Santosh. Santosh, which was also backed by the BFI Filmmaking Fund awarding National Lottery funding, also got best breakthrough producer for Balthazar De Ganay and James Bowsher.
Other acting prizes went to Marianne Jean-Baptiste as best lead performance in Mike Leigh’s Hard Truths and Franz Rogowski as best supporting performance in Andrea Arnold’s Bird, another BFI supported film. Wicked Little Letters was recognised for the ensemble performances of Olivia Colman, Jessie Buckley, Anjana Vasan, Joanna Scanlan, Gemma Jones, Malachi Kirby, Lolly Adefope, Eillen Atkins, Timothy Spall and Hugh Skinner.
Grand Theft Hamlet, which was funded via the BFI Doc Society Fund, won two awards: best debut director (feature documentary) for Pinny Grylls and Sam Crane, and the Raindance Maverick Award for Pinny Grylls, Sam Crane, Julia Ton and Rebecca Wolff. Bring Them Down, which was funded by the DCMS and BFI’s UK Global Screen Fund, won best debut director for Christopher Andrews.
Adding to its Palme d’Or back in May, Sean Baker’s Anora was named best international independent film.
The winners were announced at a ceremony hosted by Peter Serafinowicz at The Roundhouse, with Alicia Vikander, Martin Freeman, Indira Varma and James Norton among those presenting awards.
Best British Independent Film
Winner: Kneecap – Rich Peppiatt, Trevor Birney, Jack Tarling
Love Lies Bleeding – Rose Glass, Weronika Tofilska, Andrea Cornwell, Oliver Kassman
On Becoming a Guinea Fowl – Rungano Nyoni, Tim Cole, Ed Guiney, Andrew Lowe
The Outrun – Nora Fingscheidt, Amy Liptrot, Sarah Brocklehurst, Dominic Norris, Jack Lowden, Saoirse Ronan
Santosh – Sandhya Suri, Mike Goodridge, James Bowsher, Balthazar De Ganay, Alan McAlex
Best International Independent Film
All We Imagine as Light – Payal Kapadia, Thomas Hakim, Julien Graff
Winner: Anora – Sean Baker, Alex Coco, Samantha Quan
La chimera – Alice Rohrwacher, Carlo Cresto-Dina, Paolo Del Brocco
No Other Land – Basel Adra, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham, Fabrien Greenberg, Bård Kjøge Rønning
The Seed of the Sacred Fig – Mohammad Rasoulof, Rozita Hendijanian, Amin Sadraei, Jean-Christophe Simon, Mani Tilgner
Best Director
Andrea Arnold – Bird
Nora Fingscheidt – The Outrun
Rose Glass – Love Lies Bleeding
Winner: Rungano Nyoni – On Becoming a Guinea Fowl
Rich Peppiatt – Kneecap
Best Lead Performance
Radhika Apte – Sister Midnight
Susan Chardy – On Becoming a Guinea Fowl
Winner: Marianne Jean-Baptiste – Hard Truths
Elliot Page – Close to You
Saoirse Ronan – The Outrun
Alicia Vikander – The Assessment
Best Screenplay
Nora Fingscheidt, Amy Liptrot – The Outrun
Rose Glass, Weronika Tofilska – Love Lies Bleeding
Rungano Nyoni – On Becoming a Guinea Fowl
Rich Peppiatt – Kneecap
Winner: Sandhya Suri – Santosh
Best Supporting Performance
Michele Austin – Hard Truths
Elizabeth Chisela – On Becoming a Guinea Fowl
Barry Keoghan – Bird
Jack O’Connell – Back to Black
Winner: Franz Rogowski – Bird
Hayley Squires – Hoard
Best Joint Lead Performance
Joseph Quinn, Saura Lightfoot Leon – Hoard
Katy O’Brian, Kristen Stewart – Love Lies Bleeding
Winner: Liam Óg Ó Hannaidh, Naoise Ó Cairealláin, JJ Ó Dochartaigh – Kneecap
Jason Patel, Ben Hardy – Unicorns
The Douglas Hickox Award (Best Debut Director)
Winner: Christopher Andrews – Bring Them Down
Luna Carmoon – Hoard
James Krishna Floyd – Unicorns [also directed by Sally El Hosaini]
Karan Kandhari – Sister Midnight
Rich Peppiatt – Kneecap
Breakthrough Producer
Hollie Bryan, Lucy Meer – The Ceremony
Winner: Balthazar De Ganay, James Bowsher – Santosh [also produced by Mike Goodridge, Alan McAlex]
Jacob Swan Hyam – Bring Them Down [also produced by Julianne Ford, Ivana Mackinnon, Jean-Yves Roubin, Ruth Treacey, Cassandre Warnauts]
Ben Toye – Treading Water
Rebecca Wolff – Grand Theft Hamlet [also produced by Julia Ton]
Breakthrough Performance
Nykiya Adams – Bird
Winner: Susan Chardy – On Becoming a Guinea Fowl
Saura Lightfoot-Leon – Hoard
Ruaridh Mollica – Sebastian
Jason Patel – Unicorns
Best Debut Screenwriter
James Krishna Floyd – Unicorns
Karan Kandhari – Sister Midnight
Winner: Rich Peppiatt – Kneecap
Sandhya Suri – Santosh
Mrs & Mr Thomas – The Assessment [also written by John Donnelly]
Best Debut Director – Feature Documentary
Winner: Pinny Grylls, Sam Crane – Grand Theft Hamlet
Manon Ouimet, Jacob Perlmutter – Two Strangers Trying Not to Kill Each Other
Rachel Ramsay – Copa 71 [also directed by James Erskine]
Clair Titley – The Contestant
The Raindance Maverick Award
The Ceremony – Jack King, Hollie Bryan, Lucy Meer
Winner: Grand Theft Hamlet – Pinny Grylls, Sam Crane, Julia Ton, Rebecca Wolff
Restless – Jed Hart, Benedict Turnbull
Satu – The Year of the Rabbit – Joshua Trigg
Witches – Elizabeth Sankey, Jeremy Warmsley, Chiara Ventura, Manon Ardisson
Best Feature Documentary
The Contestant – Clair Titley, Megumi Inman, Andee Ryder, Amit Dey, Ian Bonhôte
Grand Theft Hamlet – Pinny Grylls, Sam Crane, Julia Ton, Rebecca Wolff
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story – Ian Bonhôte, Peter Ettedgui, Lizzie Gillett, Robert Ford
Two Strangers Trying Not to Kill Each Other – Jacob Perlmutter, Manon Ouimet, Signe Byrge Sørensen
Winner: Witches – Elizabeth Sankey, Jeremy Warmsley, Chiara Ventura, Manon Ardisson
Best British Short Film
Delivery – Ben Lankester, Bophanie Lun, Joe Binks
Housewarming – Liam White, Guy Lindley
Meat Puppet – Eros V, Masha Thorpe, Leah Draws
A Move – Elahe Esmaili, Hossein Behboudi Rad
Winner: Wander to Wonder – Nina Gantz, Stienette Bosklopper, Simon Cartwright, Daan Bakker, Maarten Swart
Best Casting
Heather – Basten Hoard
Isabella Odoffin – On Becoming a Guinea Fowl
Lucy Pardee – Bird
Winner: Carla Stronge – Kneecap
Mary Vernieu, Lindsay Graham Ahanonu – Love Lies Bleeding
Best Cinematography
Pawel Edelman – Lee
Winner: Ben Fordesman – Love Lies Bleeding
Rob Hardy – Civil War
Yunus Roy Imer – The Outrun
Ryan Kernaghan – Kneecap
Best Costume Design
Zjena Glamocanin – Kneecap
Meghan Kasperlik – Civil War
Olga Mill – Love Lies Bleeding
Nirage Mirage – Unicorns
Winner: Michael O’Connor – Firebrand
Best Editing
Stephen Bechinger – The Outrun
Joe Bini – Bird
Margarida Cartaxo, Stuart Davidson – Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger
Jake Roberts – Civil War
Winner: Ulian Ulrichs, Chris Gill – Kneecap
Best Effects
James Allen – Love Lies Bleeding
Glen McGuigan, Ingo Putze – Lee
Winner: David Simpson – Civil War
Best Music Supervision
Iain Cooke, Giles Martin – Back to Black
Kle Savidge – Sister Midnight
Winner: Gary Welch, Jeanette Rehnstrom – Kneecap
Best Make-Up and Hair Design
Megan Daum, Frieda Valenzuela – Love Lies Bleeding
Peta Dunstall – Back to Black
Kat Morgan – The Outrun
Winner: Lisa Mustafa – Unicorns
Jenny Shircore – Firebrand
Best Original Music
Winner: Michael ‘Mikey J’ Asante – Kneecap
Burial – Bird
Stuart Earl – Unicorns
John Gürtler, Jan Miserre – The Outrun
Clint Mansell – Love Lies Bleeding
Best Production Design
Bobbie Cousins – Hoard
Winner: Jan Houllevigue – The Assessment
Katie Hickman – Love Lies Bleeding
Caty Maxey – Civil War
Nicola Moroney – Kneecap
Best Sound
Louise Burton, Brendan Rehill, Aza Hand, Simon Kerr – Kneecap
Paul Davies, Andrew Stirk, Linda Forsén, Rose Bladh, Tim Burns – Love Lies Bleeding
Winner: Glen Freemantle, Mary H. Ellis, Howard Bargroff – Civil War
Dominik Leube, Oscar Stiebitz, Jonathan Schorr, Gregor Bonse – The Outrun
Mike Prestwood Smith, Csaba Major, Jimmy Boyle – Lee