“Pillion,” the kinky BDSM rom-com in which Alexander Skarsgard’s strapping biker takes Harry Melling’s timid wallflower as his new submissive, has won the top honor at the British Independent Film Awards.
The debut feature of writer/director Harry Lighton, “Pillion” — which bowed in Cannes earlier this year and is due for release in the U.S. with A24 — also won best debut screenwriter. These join the film’s previously announced craft wins for best costume design and best make up and hair design.
Held on Sunday at London’s Roundhouse, the awards ceremony brought together the the film world in the U.K. and abroad. Among the guests presenters were Carey Mulligan, Stephen Merchant, Ruth Wilson, Celia Imrie and Billy Crudup.
Having led the pack of nominations with nods in 11 categories, Akinola Davies Jr’s Nigeria-set “My Father’s Shadow” — another Cannes-bowing directorial debut and, like “Pillion,” produced by Irish powerhouse Element Picture — may have only emerged with one award. But that win was for best director.
Elsewhere on the night, in the gender-neutral performance categories Robert Aramayo won best lead for his acclaimed turn as a Tourette’s campaigner in indie hit “I Swear” (beating, among others, Jennifer Lawrence). Meanwhile, fast-rising British star Jay Lycurgo — recently listed on Variety‘s Actors to Watch — won best supporting for playing a troubled youngster in pressure-cooking school drama “Steve.”
With the BIFAs often serving as a bellwether of future talent in front of and behind the camera, the ceremony also saw Cal McMau win best debut director for “Wasteman,” Dhiraj Mahey named breakthrough producer for “Ish” and Posy Sterling claim the breakthrough performance award for “Lollipop.”
See the full list of winners below.
Best British Independent Film
“The Ballad of Wallis Island”
“I Swear”
“My Father’s Shadow”
“Pillion” (WINNER)
“Urchin”
Best Lead Performance
Robert Aramayo,” I Swear” (WINNER)
Frank Dillane, “Urchin”
David Jonsson, “Wasteman”
Jennifer Lawrence, “Die My Love”
Harry Melling, “Pillion”
Cillian Murphy, “Steve”
Best Supporting Performance
Tom Blyth, “Wasteman”
Scott Ellis Watson, “I Swear”
Jay Lycurgo, “Steve” (WINNER)
Peter Mullan, “I Swear”
Maxine Peake, “I Swear”
Alexander Skarsgård, “Pillion”
Best Joint Lead Performance
Ebada Hassan, Saffiya Ingar, “Brides”
Tim Key, Tom Basden, “The Ballad of Wallis Island” (WINNER)
Andrea Riseborough, Brenda Blethyn, “Dragonfly”
Best Director
Laura Carreira, “On Falling”
Akinola Davies Jr, “My Father’s Shadow” (WINNER)
Kirk Jones, “I Swear”
Harry Lighton, “Pillion”
Lynne Ramsay, “Die My Love”
Best Screenplay
Tom Basden, Tim Key, “The Ballad of Wallis Island” (WINNER)
Laura Carreira, “On Falling”
Wale Davies, “My Father’s Shadow”
Kirk Jones, “I Swear”
Harry Lighton, “Pillion”
The Douglas Hickox Award for best debut director
Laura Carreira, “On Falling”
Akinola Davies Jr, “My Father’s Shadow”
Harris Dickinson, “Urchin”
Harry Lighton, “Pillion”
Cal Mcmau, “Wasteman” (WINNER)
Breakthrough Producer
Wyn Baptiste, “Shoot the People”
Charlotte Knowles, “Palestine Comedy Club”
Joann Kushner, “Lifehack” [also produced by Timur Bekmambetov, Aleksandr Kletzov]
Dhiraj Mahey, “Ish” [also produced By Bennett Mcghee] (WINNER)
Archie Pearch, “Urchin” [also produced By Scott O’Donnell]
Breakthrough Performance
Scott Ellis Watson, “I Swear”
Ebada Hassan, “Brides”
Safiyya Ingar, “Brides”
Posy Sterling, “Lollipop” (WINNER)
Connor Tompkins, “The Son and the Sea”
Best Debut Screenwriter
Hunter Andrews, Eoin Doran, “Wasteman”
Tom Basden, Tim Key, “The Ballad of Wallis Island”
Laura Carreira, “On Falling”
Wale Davies, “My Father’s Shadow”
Harry Lighton, “Pillion” (WINNER)
Best Feature Documentary
“Antidote” — James Jones, David Moulton
“Mother Vera” — Cécile Embleton, Alys Tomlinson, Laura Shacham
“Motherboard” — Victoria Mapplebeck
“The Shepherd and the Bear” — Max Keegan, Elizabeth Woodward, Amanda Mcbaine, Jesse Moss
“A Want in Her” — Myrid Carten, Tadhg O’Sullivan, Roisín Geraghty, Kat Mansoor (WINNER)
Best Debut Director – Feature Documentary
Myrid Carten, “A Want in Her” (WINNER)
Cécile Embleton, Alys Tomlinson, “Mother Vera”
Victoria Mapplebeck, “Motherboard”
The Raindance Maverick Award
“Foul Evil Deeds,” Richard Hunter
“Holloway,” Sophie Compton, Daisy-May Hudson, Stella Heath Keir, Alice Hughes, Polly Creed
“Mother Vera,” Cécile Embleton, Alys Tomlinson, Laura Shacham
“Motherboard,” Victoria Mapplebeck
“A Want in Her,” Myrid Carten (WINNER)
Best International Independent Film
“It Was Just an Accident”
“Sentimental Value” (WINNER)
“Sirāt”
“Sorry, Baby”
“Sound of Falling”
Best Casting
Shaheen Baig, “Brides”
Shaheen Baig, “Urchin”
Kharmel Cochrane, “Warfare”
Lauren Evans, “I Swear” (WINNER)
Robert Sterne, “Steve”
Best Cinematography
Charlotte Bruus Christensen, “H Is for Hawk”
Jermaine Edwards, “My Father’s Shadow”
Cécile Embleton, “Mother Vera”
Seamus Mcgarvey, “Die My Love” (WINNER)
Piotr Niemyjski, “A Pale View of Hills”
Best Costume Design
Susie Coulthard, “100 Nights of Hero”
Kirsty Halliday, “Tornado”
Grace Snell, “Pillion” (WINNER)
Sayaka Takahashi, Matthew Price, “A Pale View of Hills”
PC Williams, “My Father’s Shadow”
Best Editing
Ronan Corrigan, Aleksandr Kletsov, “Lifehack”
Omar Guzmán Castro, “My Father’s Shadow”
Fin Oates, “Warfare” (WINNER)
Sam Rice-Edwards, “One to One: John & Yoko”
Gareth C. Scales, “Pillion”
Best Effects
Simon Stanley-Clamp, Ryan Conder, “Warfare” (WINNER)
Victor Tomi, “Die My Love”
Hayley Williams, Conor O’Sullivan, Martin Malmqvist, “The Thing With Feathers”
Best Music Supervision
Phil Canning, “Wasteman”
Ian Neil, Raife Burchell, “Die My Love” (WINNER)
Bridget Samuels, “Urchin”
Best Make-Up & Hair Design
Kehinde Are, Feyzo Oyebisi, “My Father’s Shadow”
Diandra Ferreira, “Pillion” (WINNER)
Paul Gooch, Tristan Versluis, “Warfare”
Colleen Labaff, Miho Suzuki, “Die My Love”
Natasha Lawes, “100 Nights of Hero”
Best Original Music
Tom Basden, Adem Ilhan, “The Ballad of Wallis Island” (WINNER)
Bobby Krlic, “Anemone”
Jed Kurzel, “Tornado”
CJ Mirra, Duval Timothy “My Father’s Shadow”
Steven Price, “Ocean With David Attenborough”
Best Production Design
Jennifer Anti, Pablo Anti, “My Father’s Shadow”
Mark Digby, “Warfare”
Tim Grimes, “Die My Love”
Nathan Parker, “Harvest” (WINNER)
Sofia Sacomani, “100 Nights of Hero”
Best Sound
Steve Fanagan, Stevie Haywood, “Anemone”
Tim Burns, Paul Davies, Linda Forsén, Andrew Stirk, Ron Osiowy, “Die My Love”
Nina Hartstone, Jake Whitelee, Jens Petersen, Mike Tehrani, Rob Davidson, “Ish”
CJ Mirra, James Ridgway, Joe Jackson, Adele Fletcher, Pius Fatoke, “My Father’s Shadow”
Glenn Freemantle, Mitch Low, Howard Bargroff, Ben Barker and Richard Spooner, “Warfare” (WINNER)
Best British Short Film
“Flock” — Mac Nixon, Matt Ashwell, Daley Nixon
“Magid/ Zafar” — Luís Hindman, Sufiyaan Salam, Aidan Robert Brooks (WINNER)
“A Sisyphean Task” — Gus Flind-Henry, George Malcher, George Telfer
“Stomach Bug” — Matty Crawford, Karima Sammout Kanellopoulou
“Two Black Boys in Paradise” — Ben Jackson, Baz Sells, Dean Atta
Cinema of the Year
Depot Cinema
The Magic Lantern Cinema (WINNER)
Montrose Playhouse
Queen’s Film Theatre
Watershed
