"Roma" named Best International Independent Film
The Favourite won a record high 10 awards at the British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) held at Old Billingsgate on Sunday (12/2).
The film won Best British Independent Film, Best Director for Yorgos Lanthimos and Best Screenplay for Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara. Olivia Colman maintained her perfect record of winning at BIFA every time she is nominated and took home her fourth BIFA trophy. Her performance as Queen Anne was awarded Best Actress. Her co-star Rachel Weisz was named Best Supporting Actress; Weisz last won at BIFA for The Constant Gardener in 2005.
The five awards on the night took the tally for The Favourite to 10, added to its five craft awards announced earlier this month for Best Casting (Dixie Chassay), Best Cinematography (Robbie Ryan), Best Costume Design (Sandy Powell), Best Make Up & Hair Design (Nadia Stacey) and Best Production Design (Fiona Crombie).
Joe Cole’s portrayal of an English boxer in a Thai prison in A Prayer Before Dawn won him the Best Actor award. Alessandro Nivola won Best Supporting Actor for his performance as Dovid, in Disobedience opposite Rachel Weisz and Rachel McAdams.
American Animals writer director Bart Layton won the Debut Screenwriter award for his first fiction feature. The film also won Best Editing for Nick Fenton, Julian Hart and Chris Gill.
Richard Billingham received The Douglas Hickox Award for Best Debut Director for Ray & Liz. The film’s producer Jacqui Davies won the award for Breakthrough Producer.
Beast star Jessie Buckley was named Most Promising Newcomer.
You Were Never Really Here won two BIFAs–for Best Music sponsored by Universal Music Publishing Group and Best Sound supported by Silk Factory.
Evelyn was named Best Documentary. The Discovery Award went to Voyageuse by May Miles Thomas.
The Best British Short Film award was presented to The Big Day.
The only category of the night open to non-UK films, Best International Independent Film, was won by Alfonso Cuaron’s Roma.
The Special Jury Prize was presented to Horace Ové CBE. The jury praised Ove’s pioneering creative talent, his boundary-breaking achievements and his commitment to paving the way for the next generation.
As previously announced, Judi Dench was presented with the 2018 Richard Harris Award for Outstanding Contribution by an Actor to British Film and Felicity Jones received this year’s Variety Award which recognizes a director, actor, writer or producer who has made a global impact and helped focus the international spotlight on the U.K. Also previously announced was the winner of Best Effects–Aardman Animation’s Early Man.
The 21st ceremony was hosted by Russell Tovey. Here’s a full list of winners:
BEST BRITISH INDEPENDENT FILM
THE FAVOURITE
YORGOS LANTHIMOS / DEBORAH DAVIS / TONY MCNAMARA / CECI DEMPSEY / ED GUINEY / LEE MAGIDAY
BEST SCREENPLAY
THE FAVOURITE
DEBORAH DAVIS / TONY MCNAMARA
BEST DIRECTOR
THE FAVOURITE
YORGOS LANTHIMOS
BEST BRITISH SHORT
THE BIG DAY
DAWN SHADFORTH / KELLIE SMITH / MICHELLE STEIN
BEST ACTOR
A PRAYER BEFORE DAWN
JOE COLE
BEST ACTRESS
THE FAVOURITE
OLIVIA COLMAN
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
DISOBEDIENCE
ALESSANDRO NIVOLA
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
THE FAVOURITE
RACHEL WEISZ
MOST PROMISING NEWCOMER
BEAST
JESSIE BUCKLEY
THE DISCOVERY AWARD
VOYAGEUSE
MAY MILES THOMAS
THE DOUGLAS HICKOX AWARD (DEBUT DIRECTOR)
RAY & LIZ
RICHARD BILLINGHAM
BEST DOCUMENTARY
EVELYN
ORLANDO VON EINSIEDEL / JOANNA NATASEGARA
BREAKTHROUGH PRODUCER
RAY & LIZ
JACQUI DAVIES
BEST INTERNATIONAL INDEPENDENT FILM
ROMA
ALFONSO CUARÓN / GABRIELA RODRIGUEZ / NICOLÁS CELIS
BEST CASTING
THE FAVOURITE
DIXIE CHASSAY
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
THE FAVOURITE
ROBBIE RYAN
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
THE FAVOURITE
SANDY POWELL
BEST EDITING
AMERICAN ANIMALS
NICK FENTON / JULIAN HART / CHRIS GILL
BEST MAKE-UP & HAIR DESIGN
THE FAVOURITE
NADIA STACEY
BEST MUSIC
YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE
JONNY GREENWOOD
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
THE FAVOURITE
FIONA CROMBIE
BEST SOUND
YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE
PAUL DAVIES
BEST EFFECTS
EARLY MAN
HOWARD JONES
THE RICHARD HARRIS AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION BY AN ACTOR TO BRITISH FILM
JUDI DENCH
THE VARIETY AWARD
FELICITY JONES
THE SPECIAL JURY PRIZE
HORACE OVE
Rom-Com Mainstay Hugh Grant Shifts To The Dark Side and He’s Never Been Happier
After some difficulties connecting to a Zoom, Hugh Grant eventually opts to just phone instead.
"Sorry about that," he apologizes. "Tech hell." Grant is no lover of technology. Smart phones, for example, he calls the "devil's tinderbox."
"I think they're killing us. I hate them," he says. "I go on long holidays from them, three or four days at at time. Marvelous."
Hell, and our proximity to it, is a not unrelated topic to Grant's new film, "Heretic." In it, two young Mormon missionaries (Chloe East, Sophie Thatcher) come knocking on a door they'll soon regret visiting. They're welcomed in by Mr. Reed (Grant), an initially charming man who tests their faith in theological debate, and then, in much worse things.
After decades in romantic comedies, Grant has spent the last few years playing narcissists, weirdos and murders, often to the greatest acclaim of his career. But in "Heretic," a horror thriller from A24, Grant's turn to the dark side reaches a new extreme. The actor who once charmingly stammered in "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and who danced to the Pointer Sisters in "Love Actually" is now doing heinous things to young people in a basement.
"It was a challenge," Grant says. "I think human beings need challenges. It makes your beer taste better in the evening if you've climbed a mountain. He was just so wonderfully (expletive)-up."
"Heretic," which opens in theaters Friday, is directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, co-writers of "A Quiet Place." In Grant's hands, Mr. Reed is a divinely good baddie — a scholarly creep whose wry monologues pull from a wide range of references, including, fittingly, Radiohead's "Creep."
In an interview, Grant spoke about these and other facets of his character, his journey... Read More