The Irish comedy biopic Kneecap dominated the 2024 British Independent Film Awards (BIFA), securing seven wins, including the prestigious title of Best British Independent Film.
Written and directed by Rich Peppiatt, the film — which tells the story of the Belfast rap group of the same name — had already earned four BIFA craft awards going into Sunday’s ceremony. It added to its success with Peppiatt taking home the Best Debut Screenwriter award. The band members of Kneecap, Liam Óg Ó Hannaidh, Naoise Ó Cairealláin, and JJ Ó Dochartaigh, who play fictionalized versions of themselves in the film, won the award for Best Joint Lead Performance.
The evening, hosted by Peter Serafinowicz, also saw Rungano Nyoni win Best Director for her second feature On Becoming A Guinea Fowl. The film, which explores hidden secrets within a middle-class Zambian family, earned further recognition with its lead actress Susan Chardy winning the Best Breakthrough Performance award.
In other categories, Sandhya Suri’s Hindi-language crime thriller Santosh won Best Screenplay. The film, which is the U.K.’s official submission for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film, also earned Balthazar de Ganay and James Bowsher the Breakthrough Producer award.
Hard Truths, directed by Mike Leigh, saw Marianne Jean-Baptiste take home Best Lead Performance, while Franz Rogowski won Best Supporting Performance for his role in Andrea Arnold’s Bird.
The 2024 BIFA ceremony highlighted a diverse range of talent, with both emerging voices and seasoned filmmakers being celebrated for their contributions to independent cinema.
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