American Honey (2016)

Andrea Arnold’s middle America roadtrip odyssey American Honey is the big winner at the 2016 British Independent Film Awards (BIFAs), nabbing the awards for best British independent film, best director, best actress for Sasha Lane and the prize for outstanding craft for cinematographer Robbie Ryan.

It was also a good night for the Tehran-set horror film Under the Shadow, which picked up awards for best supporting actress for Anvin Manshadi and two awards for writer-director Babak Anvari: best screenplay and the Douglas Hickox award for debut director.

• Watch Under the Shadow online on BFI Player
• Under the Shadow: the films that influenced this creepy Iranian horror

The acting pair at the heart of Ken Loach’s celebrated welfare state drama I, Daniel Blake were also recognised, with Dave Johns winning best actor and most promising newcomer going to Hayley Squires.

The prize for best international indie film went to Barry Jenkins’ poetic coming-of-age drama Moonlight.

American Honey and I, Daniel Blake were backed with lottery funding from the BFI Film Fund. Other BFI backed winners include Notes on Blindness (best documentary), The Greasy Strangler (winner of the Discovery Award) and The Girl with All the Gifts, which won the new breakthrough producer prize for Camille Gatin.

Best British Independent Film

AMERICAN HONEY Andrea Arnold, Lars Knudsen, Jay Van Hoy, Pouya Shahbazian, Alice Weinberg, Thomas Benski, Lucas Ochoa

Best International Independent Film

MOONLIGHT Barry Jenkins, Adele Romanski, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner

Best Director

ANDREA ARNOLD American Honey

Best Screenplay

BABAK ANVARI Under the Shadow

Best Actress

SASHA LANE American Honey

Best Actor

DAVE JOHNS I, Daniel Blake

Best Supporting Actress

AVIN MANSHADI Under the Shadow

Best Supporting Actor

BRETT GOLDSTEIN Adult Life Skills

Best Documentary

NOTES ON BLINDNESS Peter Middleton, James Spinney, Mike Brett, Jo-Jo Ellison, Steve Jamison, Alex Usborne

Outstanding Achievement in Craft

ROBBIE RYAN Cinematography – American Honey

The Douglas Hickox Award (Debut Director)

BABAK ANVARI Under the Shadow

Debut Screenwriter

RACHEL TUNNARD Adult Life Skills

Breakthrough Producer – new for 2016

CAMILLE GATIN The Girl with All the Gifts

Most Promising Newcomer

HAYLEY SQUIRES I, Daniel Blake

The Discovery Award

THE GREASY STRANGLER Jim Hosking, Toby Harvard, Daniel Noah, Andrew Starke, Ant Timpson, Josh C Waller, Elijah Wood

Best British Short

JACKED Rene Pannevis, Ashish Ghadiali, Jennifer Eriksson

The Variety Awards

Naomie Harris

The Richard Harris Award

Alison Steadman

The Special Jury Prize

Claire Binns