Andrea Arnold’s first American film has won four awards at the British Independent Film Awards.
As well as Best Director for Arnold and Best Actress for Texan Sasha Lane, American Honey – which was part funded by the BFI and Film 4 – was named the Best British Independent Film and also won the best technical achievement, for Robbie Ryan’s cinematography.
Ryan also shot fellow Cannes-prize-winner Ken Loach’s I, Daniel Blake, which won two honours: Dave Johns was named the Best Actor, while Hayley Squires won the prize for the most promising newcomer.
A film that’s being seen as a front-runner for the Oscars, Moonlight, took the prize for the Best International Independent Film. Its star, Naomie Harris, had previously been named as the winner of BIFA’s Variety Award, for film-makers who keep the international spotlight on the UK. Alison Steadman won the Richard Harris Award, for her contribution to British film.
An Iranian-set horror, Under the Shadow, took three awards; Best Screenplay, Best Debut Director for Babak Anvari and nine year old Avin Manshadi won the Best Supporting Actress prize. The Best Supporting Actor was Brett Goldstein, for Adult Life Skills, whose writer Rachel Tunnard won the Best Debut Screenwriter Award.
Notes on Blindness was named best documentary while a breakthrough producer prize went to Camille Gatin, for The Girl With All the Gifts. The cult comedy The Greasy Strangler won The Discovery Award, the Best British Short Film award was presented to Jacked and the Special Jury Prize went to Clare Binns, from Picturehouse cinemas, for her efforts to help independent films reach wider audiences.