The British Independent Film Awards took place over the weekend, and Yorgos Lanthimos’s pitch black comedy/drama The Favourite absolutely dominated the ceremony. It wasn’t even close, as The Favourite took home a record 10 awards in total including Best Picture, Director, Screenplay, Actress for Olivia Colman, and Supporting Actress for Rachel Weisz The other major winner of the night was the unique heist flick American Animals, for which Bart Layton won Debut Screenwriter and the film itself won Best Editing.
But yeah, The Favourite was, well, they heavy favorite from the organization, which celebrates British independent filmmaking. And this is unlikely to be the end of the road as far as the awards go for Lanthimos’ film, as it’s already a heavy Oscar contender in Best Picture, Actress, and Supporting Actress, and I could certainly see Lanthimos getting a Best Director nomination in addition to Oscar nods for Original Screenplay, Costume Design, Cinematography, Makeup & Hairstyling, and Production Design.
The big question with regards to The Favourite this Oscar season is concerning its two “supporting” performances from Weisz and Emma Stone. In truth, the film is a three-hander, but Fox Searchlight decided to push Colman in Best Actress while Weisz and Stone are competing in Supporting Actress. Colman is a genuine contender to win the lead trophy, and while both Weisz and Stone give tremendous performances, I may give Weisz the edge at this point—as evidenced by her BIFA win.
Check out the full list of 2018 British Independent Film Awards winners below.
The Special Jury Prize
Horace Ové, CBE
Best British Independent Film
The Favourite, Yorgos Lanthimos
Best Director
Yorgos Lanthimos, The Favourite
Best Screenplay
Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara, The Favourite
Best Actress
Olivia Colman, The Favourite
Best Supporting Actress
Rachel Weisz, The Favourite
Best Actor
Joe Cole, A Prayer Before Dawn
Best Supporting Actor
Alessandro Nivola, Disobedience
Most Promising Newcomer
Jessie Buckley, Beast
The Douglas Hickox Award (Best Debut Director)
Richard Billingham, Ray & Liz
Debut Screenwriter
Bart Layton, American Animals
Breakthrough Producer
Jacqui Davies, Ray & Liz
The Discovery Award
Voyageuse, May Miles Thomas
Best Documentary
Evelyn, Orlando von Einsiedel and Joanna Natasegara
Best British Short Film
The Big Day, Dawn Shadforth, Kellie Smith and Michelle Stein
Best International Independent Film
Roma, Alfonso Cuarón, Nicolás Celis and Gabriela Rodriguez
Best Casting
Dixie Chassay, The Favourite
Best Cinematography
Robbie Ryan, The Favourite
Best Costume Design
Sandy Powell, The Favourite
Best Editing
Nick Fenton, Julian Hart and Chris Gill, American Animals
Best Effects
Howard Jones, Early Man
Best Make Up & Hair Design
Nadia Stacey, The Favourite
Best Music
Jonny Greenwood, You Were Never Really Here
Best Production Design
Fiona Crombie, The Favourite
Best Sound
Paul Davies, You Were Never Really Here