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The Awards About BIFA News & Events Watch Films
The Awards About BIFA News & Events Watch Films
Members

Winners & Nominations

The Awards 2021

2021

Winners

Galleries

Sponsors

Jury

The Host

The Trophy

2021

Galleries
2021
Winners & Nominations

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  /  Christina Piovesan
The Souvenir Part II
Joanna Hogg  /  Ed Guiney  /  Emma Norton  /  Andrew Lowe  /  Luke Schiller

Best Screenplay

Sponsored by BBC Film

Ali & Ava
Clio Barnard
Benediction
Terence Davies
The Nest
Sean Durkin
The Souvenir Part II
Joanna Hogg
After Love
Aleem Khan

Best Director

Boiling Point
Philip Barantini
Ali & Ava
Clio Barnard
The Nest
Sean Durkin
The Souvenir Part II
Joanna Hogg
After Love
Aleem Khan

Best Actor

Encounter
Riz Ahmed
Ali & Ava
Adeel Akhtar
Boiling Point
Stephen Graham
The Nest
Jude Law
Nowhere Special
James Norton

Best Actress

Belfast
Caitríona Balfe
The Nest
Carrie Coon
Ali & Ava
Claire Rushbrook
After Love
Joanna Scanlan
True Things
Ruth Wilson

Best Supporting Actor

After Love
Talid Ariss
The Souvenir Part II
Richard Ayoade
Encounter
Lucian-River Chauhan
Belfast
Ciarán Hinds
Boiling Point
Ray Panthaki

Best Supporting Actress

Belfast
Judi Dench
Sweetheart
Jo Hartley
After Love
Nathalie Richard
Boiling Point
Vinette Robinson
The Souvenir Part II
Tilda Swinton

Breakthrough Performance

Boiling Point
Lauryn Ajufo
Sweetheart
Nell Barlow
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie
Max Harwood
Belfast
Jude Hill
In the Earth
Ellora Torchia

The Douglas Hickox Award (Debut Director)

Censor
Prano Bailey-Bond
Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliché
Celeste Bell
also directed by Paul Sng
Wildfire
Cathy Brady
After Love
Aleem Khan
Sweetheart
Marley Morrison

Debut Screenwriter

Sponsored by Film4

Censor
Prano Bailey-Bond
also written by Anthony Fletcher
Wildfire
Cathy Brady
After Love
Aleem Khan
Sweetheart
Marley Morrison
Pirates
Reggie Yates

Breakthrough Producer

Sponsored by Pinewood Studios Group

Sweetheart
Michelle Antoniades
Censor
Helen Jones
She Will
Jessica Malik
also produced by Bob Last
Boiling Point
Hester Ruoff
also produced by Bart Ruspoli
The Power
Rob Watson
also produced by Matthew James Wilkinson

Best Documentary

Sponsored by Intermission Film

Cow
Andrea Arnold  /  Kat Mansoor
Dying to Divorce
Chloe 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  /  Zoe Howe  /  Rebecca Mark-Lawson  /  Matthew Silverman  /  Daria Nitsche

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  /  Zoe Howe  /  Rebecca Mark-Lawson  /  Matthew Silverman  /  Daria Nitsche
Rebel Dykes
Harri Shanahan  /  Siân A. Williams  /  Siobhan Fahey

Best British Short

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 and Spotlight

After Love
Shaheen Baig
Ali & Ava
Shaheen Baig
Pirates
Shaheen Baig
Belfast
Lucy Bevan  /  Emily Brockmann
Boiling Point
Carolyn McLeod

Best Cinematography

Sponsored by Dirty Looks and Kodak

The Nest
Mátyás Erdély
Cow
Magdalena Kowalczyk
Boiling Point
Matthew Lewis
Censor
Annika Summerson
Belfast
Haris Zambarloukos

Best Costume Design

The Electrical Life of Louis Wain
Michael O’Connor
The Souvenir Part II
Grace Snell
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie
Guy Speranza
Benediction
Annie Symons
Belfast
Charlotte Walter

Best Editing

The Souvenir Part II
Helle Le Fevre
Cow
Rebecca Lloyd  /  Jacob Schulsinger  /  Nicolas Chaudeurge
Belfast
Úna Ní Dhonghaíle
Censor
Mark Towns
In the Earth
Ben Wheatley

Best Make-Up & Hair Design

The Souvenir Part II
Siobhan Harper-Ryan
The Electrical Life of Louis Wain
Vickie Lang  /  Kristyan Mallett  /  Donald McInnes
Censor
Ruth Pease
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie
Nadia Stacey
Belfast
Wakana Yoshihara

Best Music

Sponsored by Universal Music Publishing Group

Pirates
Iain Cooke
Ali & Ava
Connie Farr  /  Harry Escott
Encounter
Jed Kurzel
In the Earth
Clint Mansell
Belfast
Van Morrison

Best Production Design

Belfast
Jim Clay
The Souvenir Part II
Stéphane Collonge
The Electrical Life of Louis Wain
Suzie Davies
Boiling Point
Aimee Meek
Censor
Paulina Rzeszowska

Best Sound

Supported by Halo Post

Cow
Nicolas Becker  /  Cyril Holtz  /  Linda Forsen  /  Nikky French
Boiling Point
James Drake  /  Rob Entwistle  /  Kiff McManus
Censor
Tim Harrison  /  Jamie Roden  /  Adele Fletcher  /  David Mitchell
In the Earth
Martin Pavey
Encounter
Andrew Stirk  /  Paul Davies  /  Morgan Muse  /  Bernard O’Reilly  /  Julian Howarth

Best Effects

Censor
Gary Brown  /  István Molnár  /  Dan Martin
The Electrical Life of Louis Wain
Rupert Davies  /  Nick Rideout
Dashcam
Mike Knights  /  Steven Bray  /  Dan Martin  /  Leigh Cranston