BIFA/British Independent Film Awards

October 25



In just three short years, the British
Independnet Film Awards (BIFA) has become one of the local film
industry's must-attend events. The brainchild of Elliot Grove, the
Canadian-turned-Londoner who also helms the annual Raindance Film
Festival here, the Awards now have received the official sanction
of the industry elite as a valuable showcase for the best in UK
talent. And true to its independent origins, it is a far hipper
and cooler alternative to the stuffy BAFTA Awards.



In its two previous years, the Awards have recognised such
ground breaking UK films as Nil by Mouth, Elizabeth,
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Ratcatcher, East
is East, Hilary and Jackie and The War Zone. These
films are part of an independent movement that has revitalized (yet
again) an industry prone to periods of success that are immediately
followed by barren stretches and on-going financial crises. "We
are here to recognise the independence of spirit, of vision, and
above all of persistence - the sheer guts it takes to get a movie
made!", according to founder Elliot Grove.



The event on Wednesday evening, 25 October, returned for
a second year to the tony Cafe Royal in London's West End, a favorite
spot for the elite to meet. But the BIFAs take the rather stodgy
environs and turn them into one of London's grooviest nightspots.
Perfectly capturing the tone of pep-rally for British talent and
wild irreverence was comedian Richard Blackwood, a self-described
"black agitator from Brixton" who kept the evening going at a fast
clip, always ready to deflate the sometimes self-congratulatory
atmosphere of local indie heavyweights.



The popular winner of the Best Film Award, sponsored by internet
service Coppernob, was Billy
Elliot, theatrical director Stephen Daldry's film directorial
debut, a crowd pleaser about a miner's son who finds creative expression
and an escape from his working class background through his love
of ballet. The film, which is turning into this year's The Full
Monty, is Britain's number one native box office sensation in
the year so far.



The Best Actress award went to American Gillian Anderson,
best known for her role in the cult tv series "The X Files",
who won for her startling role in the costume drama adaptation of
Edith Wharton's The
House of Mirth, directed by Terence Davies (The Long
Day Closes).



Billy Elliot also won awards for Best Director for
Stephen Daldry, a live
theater wunderkind whose first film this is, and for Best Screenplay
for Lee Hall, for his semi-autobiographical account from his prize-winning
novel.



Winning the Best Foreign Independent Film (Foreign Language)
was Kadosh,
by Israeli filmmaker Amos Kitai, a penetrating story of love and
sex among Orthodox Jews in the 19th century. The
Straight Story, David Lynch's prize-winning story of an
older man's journey of discovery as he drives a farm tractor to
see his dying brother, won the award for Best Foreign Independent
Film (English Language). Director Lynch was not present but in a
telegram read for the crowd, he dedicated the Award to the late
Richard Farnsworth, whose brilliant portrayal of the lead role was
recognized last year with an Academy Award nomination. Farnsworth
died a few months ago. The Film Four Special Jury Prize was awarded
to director Mike
Figgis (Leaving Las Vegas), whose prolific output in
the past year has included an adaptation of the Strindberg theater
classic Miss
Julie and the multi-screen digital "film" Timecode.
Figgis, who divides his time between the UK and Hollywood, gave
an impassioned speech about the need for new technologies to provide
opportunities for films to be seen. Obviously smarting from the
lacklustre box office of both of his films, Figgis bemoaned "the
tremendous pressure that even well reviewed films are under to perform
spectacularly their first weekend at the box office". He said that
quality films "are not given a chance to find their audience through
word of mouth and critical praise". Figgis promised to devote more
time to exploring the possibilities of internet distribution, which
he feels to be a more democratic process that can bring quality
films directly to the audience.



The Awards highlighted clips for each nominee, which added
considerably to the length of the ceremony, but gave a fascinating
look at the diversity and prolific nature of the current scene.
With Billy Elliot scheduled to be a box office winner around
the world, and new films expected this year from the prolific Mr.
Figgis, Michael Winterbottom, Mike Leigh and Ken Loach, English
cinema is experiencing one of its cyclical upsides. And lest we
forget, this year's Oscar winner for Best Director is a London boy,
Sam Mendes (American Beauty). So, the BIFAs have much to
celebrate, as it reflects an industry that continues to produce
some of the world's most formidable talents.

Sandy
Mandelberger