The Film Experience

by Nathaniel R

Aftersun

The British Independent Film Awards were not in much of a sharing mood this season, showering most of their awards upon Charlotte Wells critically-acclaimed memoir Aftersun. The beautiful mood piece took seven of their prizes in total. Its fans are truly passionate. Do you count yourself among them? And if you haven't seen it yet, make sure to do so if it's playing in a theater near you. Despite its dominance, three other films managed multiple wins with the lesbian school drama Blue Jean picking up both main acting prizes and casting, the documentary about Sinéad O'Connor, Nothing Compares, receiving two awards, and the UK's current Oscar submission Winners also nabbing prizes. (Nothing Compares is streaming on Showtime and Blue Jean will be released next year in the US by Magnolia. There's no word yet on a US release for Winners)

Though Aftersun also took prizes for its cinematography and editing, it didn't win all the craft prizes making room for a few other films to emerge as winners, too. Complete winners list after the jump. Links to go our coverage of the films...

Best British Independent Film

★ AFTERSUN -Charlotte Wells, Barry Jenkins, Mark Ceryak, Adele Romanski, Amy Jackson
BLUE JEAN -Georgia Oakley, Hélène Sifre
GOOD LUCK TO YOU, LEO GRANDE -Sophie Hyde, Katy Brand, Debbie Gray, Adrian Politowski
LIVING -Oliver Hermanus, Kazuo Ishiguro, Stephen Woolley, Elizabeth Karlsen
THE WONDER -Sebastián Lelio, Emma Donoghue, Alice Birch, Juliette Howell, Andrew Lowe, Tessa Ross, Ed Guiney

Best Director sponsored by Sky Cinema

OLIVER HERMANUS Living
SOPHIE HYDE Good Luck to you Leo Grande
SEBASTIÁN LELIO The Wonder
GEORGIA OAKLEY Blue Jean
★ CHARLOTTE WELLS Aftersun

Wells was a double winner, taking Debut Director as well.

Best Screenplay

KATY BRAND - Good Luck to you Leo Grande
KAZUO ISHIGURO- Living
SEBASTIÁN LELIO, ALICE BIRCH, EMMA DONOGHUE- The Wonder
GEORGIA OAKLEY- Blue Jean
★ CHARLOTTE WELLS- Aftersun

We also love Aftersun but the screenplay prize feels especially generous since it gains most of its power from its direction, performances, and overall vibe.

Best Lead Performance

Rosy McEwen in "Blue Jean"

SALLY HAWKINS The Lost King
COSMO JARVIS It Is in Us All
EMMA MACKEY Emily
★ ROSY McEWEN Blue Jean
BILL NIGHY Living
FLORENCE PUGH The Wonder
EMILY WATSON God's Creatures
HALA ZEIN Nezouh

Best Supporting Performance

ZOEY DEUTCH The Outfit
AISLING FRANCIOSI God's Creatures
LUCY HALLIDAY Blue Jean
★ KERRIE HAYES Blue Jean
ZAINAB JODA Our River… Our Sky
FATMA MOHAMED Flux Gourmet
PAUL MESCAL God's Creatures
FIONN WHITEHEAD Emily
AIMEE LOU WOOD Living

Best Joint Lead Performance

FRANKIE CORIO, PAUL MESCAL- Aftersun
DARYL McCORMACK, EMMA THOMPSON- Good Luck to you Leo Grande
JESSIE BUCKLEY, RORY KINNEAR- Men
★ TAMARA LAWRANCE, LETITIA WRIGHT- The Silent Twins

A surprise win here given that The Silent Twins has an extremely low profile compared to its competition. Perhaps it made bigger waves in the UK? It played in the US for just two weeks earning $200k at the box office.

Best Ensemble Performance

BLUE JEAN -Ensemble including Rosy McEwen, Kerrie Hayes, Lucy Halliday, Lydia Page, Stacy Abalogun, Farrah Cave, Amy Booth-Steel
EMILY -Ensemble including Amelia Gething, Emma Mackey, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Fionn Whitehead, Alexandra Dowling, Gemma Jones, Adrian Dunbar
FLUX GOURMET -Ensemble including Makis Papadimitriou, Gwendoline Christie, Asa Butterfield, Fatma Mohamed, Ariane Labed, Richard Bremmer
★ OUR RIVER… OUR SKY -Ensemble including Zainab Joda, Darina Al Joundi, Amed Hashimi, Mahmoud Abo Al Abbas, Basim Hajar, Labwa Arab, Meriam Abbas, Siham Mustafa
THE WONDER -Ensemble including Kíla Lord Cassidy, Florence Pugh, Tom Burke, Toby Jones, Niamh Algar, Elaine Cassidy, Ciarán Hinds, Brían F. O’Byrne, Josie Walker

The Douglas Hickox Award (Best Debut Director) sponsored by BBC Film

ANDREW CUMMING The Origin
THOMAS HARDIMAN Medusa Deluxe
FRANCES O’CONNOR Emily
GEORGIA OAKLEY Blue Jean
★ CHARLOTTE WELLS Aftersun

Charlotte Wells has had a very good week picking up prizes from two NYC groups Gotham and NYFCC and two more directing prizes at home.

Breakthrough Producer sponsored by Pinewood and Shepperton Studios

ALEKSANDRA BILIĆ, JENNIFER CORCORAN - Nascondino [Hide & Seek]
PAUL KENNEDY - Nightride [also produced by Jon Silk]
RUPERT MAJENDIE- Brian and Charles
★ NADIRA MURRAY- Winners [also produced by Paul Welsh]
HÉLÈNE SIFRE- Blue Jean

Breakthrough Performance sponsored by Netflix

FRANKIE CORIO -Aftersun
LEO LONG -I Used to Be Famous
KÍLA LORD CASSIDY -The Wonder
ROSY McEWEN -Blue Jean
★ SAFIA OAKLEY-GREEN -The Origin

Best Debut Screenwriter sponsored by Film4

SHANE CROWLEY -God's Creatures
DAVID EARL, CHRIS HAYWARD -Brian and Charles
RUTH GREENBERG -The Origin
★ GEORGIA OAKLEY Blue Jean
CHARLOTTE WELLS Aftersun

Best Debut Director – Feature Documentary

★ KATHRYN FERGUSON Nothing Compares
VICTORIA FIORE -Nascondino [Hide & Seek]
LEAH GORDON, EDDIE HUTTON MILLS -Kanaval
JONO McLEOD -My Old School
BECKY HUTNER -Fashion Reimagined

The Raindance Discovery Award

ELECTRIC MALADY -Marie Lidén, Aimara Reques
FADIA’S TREE -Sarah Beddington, Susan Simnett
OFF THE RAILS -Peter Day, Grant Keir, Rob Alexander
REBELLION -Elena Sánchez Bellot, Maia Kenworthy, Kat Mansoor
★ WINNERS -Hassan Nazer, Nadira Murray, Paul Welsh

Winners is the UK's Oscar submission this year. It takes place in Iran and involves children finding a "precious statue" with the poster likening that statue to an Oscar.

Best Feature Documentary sponsored by Intermission

MY CHILDHOOD, MY COUNTRY – 20 YEARS IN AFGHANISTAN -Phil Grabsky, Shoaib Sharifi, Amanda Wilkie
MY OLD SCHOOL -Jono McLeod, John Archer, Olivia Lichtenstein
NASCONDINO [HIDE & SEEK] -Victoria Fiore, Jennifer Corcoran, Aleksandra Bilić
★ NOTHING COMPARES -Kathryn Ferguson, Eleanor Emptage, Michael Mallie
YOUNG PLATO -Neasa Ní Chianáin, Declan McGrath, David Rane

Best British Short Film supported by BFI Network

A FOX IN THE NIGHT -Keeran Anwar Blessie, Benjamin Jacob Smith
HONESTY -Roxy Rezvany, Emily Renée, Elly Camisa
SANDSTORM -Seemab Gul, Abid Aziz Merchant
SCALE -Joseph Pierce, Hélène Mitjavile
★ TOO ROUGH -Sean Lìonadh, Ross McKenzie, Alfredo Covelli

Too Rough is a gay short about a guy who wakes up hungover and has to hide his boyfriend from his parents.

Best International Independent Film sponsored by Champagne Taittinger

ALL THE BEAUTY AND THE BLOODSHED -Laura Poitras, Howard Gertler, John Lyons, Nan Goldin, Yoni Golijov,
CLOSE -Lukas Dhont, Angelo Tijssens, Michiel Dhont, Dirk Impens
DECISION TO LEAVE -Park Chan-Wook, Chung Seo-Kyung
EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE -Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert, Jonathan Wang, Joe Russo, Anthony Russo, Mike Larocca
★ THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD -Joachim Trier, Eskil Vogt, Andrea Berentsen Ottmar, Thomas Robsahm

A full year later and people are still revelling in the genius of The Worst Person in the World. We approve.

Best Casting sponsored by Casting Society & Spotlight