04/12/2018 - Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos’ period escapade scooped a record-breaking number of gongs at the ceremony

The Favourite [+see also:
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trailer
film profile] by Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos has added five more gongs - Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress and Best Screenplay – to the five craft awards announced last month (Best Casting, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Make-up and Hair Design, and Best Production Design) to give it a record haul of ten awards at the British Independent Film Awards in London.

This year, Olivia Colman scooped her fourth Best Actress Award out of four nominations at the BIFAs for her turn as Queen Anne in Lanthimos’ hilarious costume drama, which debuted at the Venice Film Festival. Rachel Weisz won Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Sarah Churchill, who is one of the queen’s most trusted advisors until the moment when a former chambermaid, played by Emma Stone, is appointed Keeper of the Privy Purse. What follows is a hilarious battle of wits for Her Majesty’s attention.

The only other double winner of the night was Richard Billingham’s Ray & Liz [+see also:
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interview: Richard Billingham
film profile], which won the Douglas Hickox Award, given to the best debut director, and it also garnered the Breakthrough Producer Award for Jacqui Davies. The one big surprise of the night came in the Best Actor category, where Joe Cole was handed the top prize for his turn in the Thai prison drama A Prayer Before Dawn [+see also:
trailer
interview: Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire
film profile], based on the true story of Billy Moore.

Here is the full list of winners:

Best British Independent Film 
The Favourite [+see also:
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trailer
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Best Director 
Yorgos Lanthimos - The Favourite

Best Actress
Olivia Colman - The Favourite

Best Actor 
Joe Cole - A Prayer Before Dawn [+see also:
trailer
interview: Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire
film profile] (France/UK/China)

Best Screenplay 
Deborah Davis, Tony McNamara - The Favourite

Best Supporting Actress 
Rachel Weisz - The Favourite

Best Supporting Actor
Alessandro Nivola - Disobedience [+see also:
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film profile] (UK/Ireland/USA)

Best Documentary
Evelyn - Orlando von Einsiedel

Most Promising Newcomer 
Jessie Buckley - Beast [+see also:
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interview: Michael Pearce
film profile]

The Douglas Hickox Award (Best Debut Director) 
Richard Billingham - Ray & Liz [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Richard Billingham
film profile]

Best Debut Screenwriter
Bart Layton - American Animals (UK/USA)

Breakthrough Producer 
Jacqui Davies - Ray & Liz

The Discovery Award
Voyageuse - May Miles Thomas

Best British Short Film
The Big Day - Dawn Shadforth

Best International Independent Film
Roma - Alfonso Cuarón (Mexico/USA)

Best Casting
Dixie Chassay - The Favourite

Best Cinematography
Robbie Ryan - The Favourite

Best Costume Design
Sandy Powell - The Favourite

Best Editing
Nick Fenton, Julian Hart, Chris Gill - American Animals

Best Effects
Howard Jones - Early Man [+see also:
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trailer
film profile]

Best Make-up and Hair Design
Nadia Stacey - The Favourite

Best Music
Jonny Greenwood - You Were Never Really Here [+see also:
film review
trailer
Q&A: Lynne Ramsay
film profile] (France/UK/USA)

Best Production Design
Fiona Crombie - The Favourite

Best Sound
Paul Davies - You Were Never Really Here