BBC Film celebrates 13 British Independent Film Award winners

BBC Film-backed titles AFTER LOVE, ALI & AVA and SWEETHEART gained top honours in nine categories at awards ceremony on Sunday 5 December

What a wonderful celebration of British independent filmmaking talent! We’re so proud to have supported so many of this year’s BIFA winners and helped bring their work to the screen. These accolades are richly deserved.

— Rose Garnett, Director of BBC Film

BBC Film, the feature filmmaking arm of the BBC, has backed four films that have

won a total of 13 awards at this year’s British Independent Film Awards (BIFAs). The latest nine winners were announced at an awards ceremony on Sunday 5 December, adding to four wins in craft categories announced on Friday 19 November.

At the awards ceremony AFTER LOVE, the debut feature of Aleem Khan gained six awards (Best British Independent Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Debut Director, Best Actress for Joanna Scanlan and Best Supporting Actor for Talid Ariss).

SWEETHEART, the debut feature of Marley Morrison, won Breakthrough Producer for Michelle Antoniades and Breakthrough Performance for Nell Barlow.

ALI & AVA, directed by Clio Barnard added a Best Actor win for Adeel Akhtar to the Best Music craft category award announced in November. Also announced in November were three awards in craft categories for THE SOUVENIR PART II, directed by Joanna Hogg (Best Costume Design, Best Editing and Best Production Design). 

Rose Garnett, Director of BBC Film, says: “What a wonderful celebration of British independent filmmaking talent! We’re so proud to have supported so many of this year’s BIFA winners and helped bring their work to the screen. These accolades are richly deserved.”

BBC Film is behind 10 films that collectively gained 47 nominations in 2021, reflecting the broad slate the BBC division supports at every level of British independent filmmaking.

Full list of BIFA wins for BBC Film:

Best British Independent Film

AFTER LOVE - Aleem Khan, Matthieu de Braconier 

Best Director

Aleem Khan - AFTER LOVE

Best Screenplay

Aleem Khan - AFTER LOVE

Best Actress

Joanna Scanlan - AFTER LOVE

Best Actor

Adeel Akhtar - ALI & AVA

Best Supporting Actor

Talid Ariss - AFTER LOVE

Best Debut Director

Aleem Khan - AFTER LOVE

Breakthrough Producer

Michelle Antoniades - SWEETHEART 

Breakthrough Performance

Nell Barlow - SWEETHEART

Best Costume Design*

Grace Snell - THE SOUVENIR PART II

Best Editing*

Helle Le Fevre - THE SOUVENIR PART II 

Best Music*

Connie Farr, Harry Escott - ALI & AVA 

Best Production Design*

Stéphane Collonge - THE SOUVENIR PART II

*Craft category winners announced on Friday 19 November.

Details of all 47 BBC Film nominations for the 2021 BIFAs are available here.