News & Events
Monday, December 2, 2019
Winners 2019
For Sama wins 4 awards including Best British Independent Film 5 BIFAs for The Personal History of David Copperfield 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 … Continued
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Friday, November 29, 2019
State of the Nation
By Damon Wise The great French New Wave director François Truffaut once dismissed British cinema with an airy wave of the hand, opining snootily that the idea was “a contradiction in terms”. Truffaut passed away 35 years ago, in 1984, presumably with Vangelis’s synth score to Hugh Hudson’s 1981 tasteful heritage-cinema Oscar-winner Chariots Of … Continued
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Thursday, November 28, 2019
LUCKY NUMBERS
This year’s Best British Independent film BIFA nominees include a surprise breakout hit and two directors achieving career bests for cinema admissions. Charles Gant reports on the year in British indie film at the UK box office In 2018, the total UK and Ireland box office was pretty much level with the … Continued
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Tuesday, November 26, 2019
OK with boomer: how the BIFAs are winning the generation game
by Ben Dalton We live in divided times. Politically, regionally, socially – and across generations. There is no phrase that better expresses the current generational divide than ‘OK boomer’. For millennials and Gen Z-ers, it is a wryly expressed frustration at an age group aided by free education, home ownership, and increasing wealth, while … Continued
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Tuesday, November 26, 2019
THE BEST NEW BRITISH DIRECTORS OF 2019
BIFA’s Debut Director award, named in honour of legendary British director Douglas Hickox, has existed at BIFA since the awards’ creation in 1998 and is central to our core mission: to discover and champion the best new filmmaking talent that the UK has to offer. This year’s nominees are as exciting and as diverse … Continued
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Tuesday, November 26, 2019
THE BEST NEW BRITISH SCREENWRITERS OF 2019
It’s hard to imagine that the Debut Screenwriter award, sponsored by Film4, has only been awarded three times at BIFA. The award was introduced in 2016, when it was given to Rachel Tunnard for her debut feature Adult Life Skills. Since then, it’s been awarded to Francis Lee (2017, God’s Own Country) and Bart Layton … Continued
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Monday, November 25, 2019
Kristin Scott Thomas: Peerless
Every year, the Richard Harris award at the BIFAs is one of the most special moments of the night, recognising the work of a distinguished and talented actor or actress. By James Mottram In 2019, it’s the turn of the peerless Kristin Scott Thomas, a three-time BIFA nominee who has been working on stage … Continued
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Monday, November 25, 2019
The Raindance Discovery Award 2019
Since 1992, the Raindance Film Festival tagline has been “Discover. Be discovered.” This Raindance mantra inspired Elliot Grove and Suzanne Ballantyne of Raindance to launch BIFA in 1998 to celebrate emerging British talent. The Raindance Discovery Award embodies the core component of independent film and all that Raindance and BIFA stand for. We look … Continued
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Wednesday, November 20, 2019
BIFA to join Film and TV Charity industry hub in the heart of Soho
NFTS and BIFA will join the charity at refurbished headquarters The Film and TV Charity is today announcing that the redevelopment of its headquarters in Golden Square, Soho, will create an open and accessible hub for the film, television and cinema industry, where everyone will be welcome. The plans will create a transformed space … Continued
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Friday, November 15, 2019
Craft winners announced for BIFA 2019
Three wins for The Personal History of David Copperfield Two awards for Beats One award each for Wild Rose, Judy, For Sama and A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon All other winners to be announced Sunday 1 December The British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) today announced the first of this year’s award winners for … Continued
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Thursday, November 14, 2019
THE FIVE BEST DIRECTORS OF BRITISH FILMS OF 2019
In 2017 and 2018, the same five films were nominated across BIFA’s Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best British Independent Film awards. This year there are nine films nominated across those three categories, and only one common nominee between Best Screenplay and Best Director; make of that what you will, but we like to think … Continued
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Tuesday, November 12, 2019
THE FIVE BEST BRITISH SCREENWRITERS OF 2019
The films nominated for the BIFA Best Screenplay award this year are testaments to their writers’ skills and creativity, and to the British film industry’s local roots and international outlook and success. Nominees include the transatlantic tale of a Glaswegian woman who dreams of being a country singer (Wild Rose by Nicole Taylor); a tense … Continued
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