Aftersun, Charlotte Wells’ directorial debut centered on a daughter’s memorable childhood holiday with her father won the award for Best British Independent Film at the 25th British Independent Film Awards (BIFA). Charlotte Wells also won for Best Director, The Douglas Hickox Award for Best Debut Director and Best Screenplay.
Best Lead Performance went to Rosy McEwen and Best Supporting Performance to Kerrie Hayes for their roles in Georgia Oakley’s 1980s Section 28 era set Blue Jean, which also saw Georgia awarded the Best Debut Screenwriter.
Breakthrough Performance went to Safia Oakley-Green in The Origin, Andrew Cumming’s multi-nominated debut feature in which a nomadic tribe faces a terrifying ancient threat that comes when night falls.
Best Joint Lead Performance went to Tamara Lawrance and Letitia Wright for their roles as real-life siblings who communicated only with each other in The Silent Twins, and Our River…Our Sky took home the Best Ensemble award for cast members including Zainab Joda, Darina Al Joundi, Amed Hashimi, Mahmoud Abo Al Abbas, Basim Hajar, Labwa Arab, Meriam Abbas and Siham Mustafa, who portray neighbors caught in Baghdad during the civil war of 2006.
Nothing Compares, a reflection on the life of Sinead O’Connor won both the Best Feature Documentary and Best Debut Director – Feature Documentary BIFAs for director Kathryn Ferguson.
Hassan Nazer’s Iran-set Winners, in which three film lovers seek the owner of a very recognizable golden statuette, won this year’s Raindance Discovery Award, also scoring the Breakthrough Producer award win for Nadira Murray.
Winning Best International Independent Film, Joachim Trier’s The Worst Person in the World follows one woman’s less than straightforward quest for love and meaning in the modern world.
Best British Short Film went to Too Rough, in which a young gay couple must avoid the threat of a homophobic and dysfunctional family.
The 2022 Richard Harris Award for Outstanding Contribution by an Actor to British Film was presented to Samantha Morton.
The Special Jury Prize, awarded by the BIFA Main Jury and presented by 2022 jury member Jenna Coleman, was given to Open Door for their work helping talented young people without financial support or resources gain places at leading UK drama schools.