Italian
“Kneecap,” the hit Irish comedy biopic about the Belfast rap group of the same name, has landed the top honor at the British Independent Film Awards and a total of seven BIFA awards overall.
Writer/director Rich Peppiatt’s debut feature — which went into Sunday’s ceremony already having won four BIFA craft awards — was named best British independent film, with Peppiatt winning best debut screenwriter and Kneecap bandmates Liam Óg Ó Hannaidh, Naoise Ó Cairealláin and JJ Ó Dochartaigh (who all play themselves) winning best joint lead.
Elsewhere on the night, which was hosted by Peter Serafinowicz, Rungano Nyoni won best director for her sophomore feature “On Becoming A Guinea Fowl,” exploring buried secrets in a middle class Zambian family. The film’s lead star Susan Chardy won breakthrough performance.
Meanwhile, Sandhya Suri, writer/director of Hindi-language crime thriller “Santosh,” won best screenplay. “Santosh,” which is the U.K. submission for the Oscars international film category, also won breakthrough producer for Balthazar de Ganay and James Bowsher.
Popular on Variety Best lead performance went to Marianne Jean-Baptiste for Mike Leigh’s “Hard Truths” and best supporting performance went to Franz Rogowski for his role in Andrea Arnold’s “Bird.”
See the full list of BIFA winners below.
Best British Independent Film
“Kneecap” — Rich Peppiatt, Trevor Birney, Jack Tarling — WINNER
“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 sponsored by Champagne Taittinger
“All We Imagine as Light” — Payal Kapadia, Thomas Hakim, Julien Graff
“Anora” — Sean Baker, Alex Coco, Samantha Quan — WINNER
“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 sponsored by Sky Cinema
Andrea Arnold, “Bird”
Nora Fingscheidt, “The Outrun”
Rose Glass, “Love Lies Bleeding”
Rungano Nyoni, “On Becoming a Guinea Fowl” — WINNER
Rich Peppiatt, “Kneecap”
Best Screenplay sponsored by Apple Original Films
Nora Fingscheidt, Amy Liptrot — “The Outrun”
Rose Glass, Weronika Tofilska, “Love Lies Bleeding”
Rungano Nyoni, “On Becoming a Guinea Fowl”
Rich Peppiatt, “Kneecap”
Sandhya Suri, “Santosh” — WINNER
Best Lead Performance
Radhika Apte, “Sister Midnight”
Susan Chardy, “On Becoming a Guinea Fowl”
Marianne Jean-Baptiste, “Hard Truths” — WINNER
Elliot Page, “Close to You”
Saoirse Ronan, “The Outrun”
Alicia Vikander, “The Assessment”
Best Supporting Performance
Michele Austin, “Hard Truths”
Elizabeth Chisela, “On Becoming a Guinea Fowl”
Barry Keoghan, “Bird”
Jack O’Connell, “Back to Black”
Franz Rogowski, “Bird” — WINNER
Hayley Squires, “Hoard”
Best Joint Lead Performance
Joseph Quinn, Saura Lightfoot Leon — “Hoard”
Katy O’Brian, Kristen Stewart — “Love Lies Bleeding”
Liam Óg Ó Hannaidh, Naoise Ó Cairealláin, JJ Ó Dochartaigh — “Kneecap” — WINNER
Jason Patel, Ben Hardy — “Unicorns”
The Douglas Hickox Award (Best Debut Director) sponsored by BBC Film
Christopher Andrews, “Bring Them Down” — WINNER
Luna Carmoon, “Hoard”
James Krishna Floyd, “Unicorns” (also directed by Sally El Hosaini)
Karan Kandhari, “Sister Midnight”
Rich Peppiatt, “Kneecap”
Breakthrough Producer sponsored by Pinewood and Shepperton Studios
Hollie Bryan, Lucy Meer — “The Ceremony”
Balthazar de Ganay, James Bowsher — “Santosh” (also produced by Mike Goodridge, Alan McAlex) — WINNER
JACOB SWAN HYAM 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 sponsored by Netflix
Nykiya Adams, “Bird”
Susan Chardy, “On Becoming a Guinea Fowl” — WINNER
Saura Lightfoot-Leon, “Hoard”
Ruaridh Mollica, “Sebastian”
Jason Patel, “Unicorns”
Best Debut Screenwriter sponsored by Film4
James Krishna Floyd, “Unicorns”
Karan Kandhari, “Sister Midnight”
Rich Peppiatt, “Kneecap” — WINNER
Sandhya Suri, “Santosh”
Mrs. & Mr. Thomas, “The Assessment” (also written by John Donnelly)
Best Debut Director – Feature Documentary
Pinny Grylls, Sam Crane — “Grand Theft Hamlet” — WINNER
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
“Grand Theft Hamlet” — Pinny Grylls, Sam Crane, Julia Ton, Rebecca Wolff — WINNER
“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 sponsored by Intermission Film
“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
“Witches” — Elizabeth Sankey, Jeremy Warmsley, Chiara Ventura, Manon Ardisson — WINNER
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
“Wander to Wonder” — Nina Gantz, Stienette Bosklopper, Simon Cartwright, Daan Bakker, Maarten Swart — WINNER
Best Casting sponsored by Casting Society & Spotlight
Heather Basten — “Hoard”
Isabella Odoffin — “On Becoming a Guinea Fowl”
Lucy Pardee — “Bird”
Carla Stronge — “Kneecap” — WINNER
Mary Vernieu, Lindsay Graham Ahanonu — “Love Lies Bleeding”
Best Cinematography sponsored by Kodak & Molinare
Pawel Edelman, “Lee”
Ben Fordesman, “Love Lies Bleeding” — WINNER
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”
Michael O’Connor, “Firebrand” — WINNER
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”
Julian Ulrichs, Chris Gill — “Kneecap” — WINNER
Best Effects
James Allen — “Love Lies Bleeding”
Glen McGuigan, Ingo Putze — “Lee”
David Simpson — “Civil War” — WINNER
Best Music Supervision
Iain Cooke, Giles Martin — “Back to Black”
Kle Savidge — “Sister Midnight”
Gary Welch, Jeanette Rehnstrom — “Kneecap” — WINNER
Best Make-Up & Hair Design
Megan Daum, Frieda Valenzuela — “Love Lies Bleeding”
Peta Dunstall — “Back to Black”
Kat Morgan — “The Outrun”
Lisa Mustafa — “Unicorns” — WINNER
JENNY SHIRCORE Jenny Shircore — “Firebrand”
Best Original Music sponsored by Universal Music Publishing Group
Michael “Mikey J” Asante — “Kneecap” — WINNER
Burial, “Bird”
Stuart Earl, “Unicorns”
John Gürtler, Jan Miserre — “The Outrun”
Clint Mansell — “Love Lies Bleeding”
Best Production Design sponsored by ATC & Broadsword
Bobbie Cousins, “Hoard”
Jan Houllevigue, “The Assessment” — WINNER
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”
Glen Freemantle — “Civil War” — WINNER
Dominik Leube, Oscar Stiebitz, Jonathan Schorr, Gregor Bonse — “The Outrun”
Mike Prestwood Smith, Csaba Major, Jimmy Boyle — “Lee”
