The British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) announced the first of this year’s award winners for its nine film craft categories. Director Rose Glass’s Saint Maud, which topped the BIFA nominations with 17, won Best Cinematography (sponsored by Dirty Looks) for the stunning work of cinematographer Ben Fordesman.
Commenting on the win, Fordesman said: “We just set out to make a film hoping some people would go to the cinema to watch. I am delighted to have won an award, but I genuinely think it’s one for the whole team, especially production design by Paulina Rzeszowska and director Rose Glass. Without good sets and a vision, we would be lost.”
Remi Weekes’ chilling debut His House, which received 16 BIFA nominations in total, won two awards: Best Effects (for Pedro Sabrosa and Stefano Pepin) and Best Production Design sponsored by Studio Juice, for Jacqueline Abrahams who was previously nominated for the award in 2017 for Lady Macbeth.
Philippa Lowthorpe’s Misbehaviour, a colourful portrait of the Woman’s Liberation Movement, won awards for its Costume Design and Make Up & Hair, for Charlotte Walter and Jill Sweeney respectively.
Lucy Pardee was awarded Best Casting sponsored by Casting Society of America and Spotlight for Rocks, which was cast through a collaborative process that involved workshopping with young untrained actors to explore their characters.
Yorgos Lamprinos was awarded Best Editing sponsored by Intermission for his work on The Father, a devastating portrayal of dementia, led by Sir Anthony Hopkins and Olivia Colman.
Mogul Mowgli, the high energy screenwriting debut from Riz Ahmed, won Best Music sponsored by Universal Music Publishing Group for composer Paul Corley.
Best Sound supported by Halo Post went to Nick Ryan, Ben Baird and Sara De OIiveira Lima for their work on The Reason I Jump, an immersive exploration of nonspeaking autism.
BIFA introduced these nine award categories in 2017 to better recognise the wealth of exceptional talent working on British independent films. The nominations and winners have been chosen by BIFA voters over the course of three rounds of viewing, discussion and voting.
BIFA 2020 CRAFT WINNERS & NOMINEES
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY SPONSORED BY DIRTY LOOKS
WINNER: BEN FORDESMAN – Saint Maud
NICK COOKE – Limbo
HÉLÈNE LOUVART – Rocks
ANNIKA SUMMERSON – Mogul Mowgli
JO WILLEMS – His House
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
WINNER: CHARLOTTE WALTER – Misbehaviour
MICHELE CLAPTON – The Secret Garden
RUKA JOHNSON – Rocks
TINA KALIVAS – Saint Maud
MICHAEL O’CONNOR – Ammonite
BEST EDITING SPONSORED BY INTERMISSION
WINNER: YORGOS LAMPRINOS – The Father
JULIA BLOCH – His House
MAYA MAFFIOLI – Rocks
BRENNA RANGOTT – Host
MARK TOWNS – Saint Maud
BEST EFFECTS
WINNER: PEDRO SABROSA, STEFANO PEPIN – His House
AGNES ASPLUND, MARTIN MALMQVIST – Undergods
SCOTT MACINTYRE, BARIŞ KARELI, KRISTYAN MALLETT – Saint Maud
BEST MAKE UP & HAIR DESIGN
WINNER: JILL SWEENEY – Misbehaviour
JACQUETTA LEVON – Saint Maud
SHARON A MARTIN – His House
IVANA PRIMORAC – Ammonite
NORA ROBERTSON – Rocks
BEST CASTING (SPONSORED BY CASTING SOCIETY OF AMERICA & SPOTLIGHT)
WINNER: LUCY PARDEE – Rocks
SHAHEEN BAIG – Calm With Horses
KHARMEL COCHRANE – Saint Maud
CARMEN CUBA – His House
DAN JACKSON – Limbo
BEST MUSIC SPONSORED BY UNIVERSAL MUSIC PUBLISHING GROUP
WINNER: PAUL CORLEY – Mogul Mowgli
ROQUE BAÑOS – His House
NAINITA DESAI – The Reason I Jump
CONNIE FARR, EMILIE LEVIENAISE-FARROUCH – Rocks
ADAM JANOTA BZOWSKI – Saint Maud
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN (SPONSORED BY STUDIO JUICE)
WINNER: JACQUELINE ABRAHAMS – His House
NOMINEES:
CRISTINA CASALI – Misbehaviour
PETER FRANCIS – The Father
MARKETA KORINKOVA, ELO SOODE – Undergods
PAULINA RZESZOWSKA – Saint Maud
BEST SOUND (SUPPORTED BY HALO POST)
WINNER: NICK RYAN, BEN BAIRD, SARA DE OLIVEIRA LIMA – The Reason I Jump
NOMINEES:
ADRIAN BELL, GLENN FREEMANTLE, FRANK KRUSE, BRENDAN NICHOLSON, RICHARD PRYKE – His House
PAUL DAVIES – Saint Maud
PAUL DAVIES, ROBERT FARR, NIGEL ALBERMANICHE, IAN MORGAN – Mogul Mowgli
CALUM SAMPLE – Host
