On the first British independent film awards ceremony in 1998 was one of the nominees for the best British independent film Lock, stock and two smoking barrels, the directorial debut of a young(er) Guy Ritchie and a film that propelled him (plus Jason Statham and producer Matthew Vaughn) straight to the big league. It was Ritchie’s first touch with film awards. A few months later, Lock, stock would go on to garner three BAFTA nominations. Within two years he had married Madonna.
Nearly a quarter of a century later and – with the possible exception of the Madonna getting married part – this is still what the BIFAs do best: giving up and coming talent a very early (and often crucial) career boost and giving them a moment to start their careers. to celebrate. achievements in the often difficult world of independent film (Lock, stock took 15 months to obtain financial support).
On the way to 25e BIFAs on Sunday, the film with the most nominations After sun, Charlotte Wells’ Cannes-bending and critically-adored directorial debut starring Paul Mescal, which for many marked the immediate arrival of a hot new voice on the scene. Next on the list of nominees is another directorial debut, Blue pantsthis time by Georgia Oakley and a film that caused quite a stir after its premiere in Venice.
“When we announce the nominations and during the ceremony, you can see the impact on the filmmakers and what it means to them,” notes Deena Wallace, who directs the BIFAs with Amy Gustin. “Because generally these movies have had a tough time getting made, so it’s really valuable to recognize the work and the effort, and it sticks with people, and the impact it can have on their careers is very important.”
For Gustin and Wallace, the BIFAs have a dual impact on talent. On the softer side, it gives filmmakers and their teams, often together for the first time since wrapping, a (sometimes alcohol-fueled) night in early December before awards season really kicks into grueling gears to let their hair down, get loose on the dance floor and enjoy their newfound success among their (often equally refreshed) peers. On the slightly more important side, which actually makes a difference, is how having a BIFA win or even just a nomination can boost the next phase of their rise and greenlight that crucial next project.
First founded by Elliot Grove and Suzanne Ballantyne of London’s Raindance Film Festival (Gustin and Wallace took over the reins in 2015), the BIFA now has a list of winners and nominees that reads like a who’s who of great British talent. In addition to Richie, Paul Greengrass, Steve McQueen, Asif Kapadia, Gurinder Chadha, Lynne Ramsay, Shane Meadows, Kevin Macdonald, Edgar Wright, Andrea Arnold, and Martin McDonagh are just a few of the many directors getting early shout outs. For the cameras, the breakthrough performance category included – almost exclusively for their debut features – Letitia Wright, Jamie Bell, John Boyega, Ben Whishaw, Jessie Buckley, Jodie Whittaker, Rupert Friend, Dev Patel, George McKay and Gugu Mbatha-Raw. And many of them have regularly returned to where it all began for them.
“Because (a) BIFA is often the first recognition that talent receives, there is genuine warmth,” says Gustin. and act as an “encouraging voice” for the next generation.
This year, they hope to welcome Marvel’s very own Letitia Wright, a 2016 Breakthrough nominee for Urban hymns and now nominated for Best Joint Leading Performance alongside Tamara Lawrance for The silent twin. Another great hope of the attendees is Florence Pugwho broke through in 2017 by bypassing breakthrough performance altogether for her debut in Lady Macbeth and jumped straight to Best Performance by an Actress in a British Independent Film category, which she won. This time, arguably the most in-demand star out there since then, she’s been nominated for Best Leading Role for Sebastián Lelio’s Netflix drama. The miracle.
Both Best Lead Performance and Best Joint Lead Performance are new categories for the BIFAs, which revealed earlier this year that they would be going gender neutral when it came to acting.
“I think for us, we just felt like the current categories didn’t necessarily represent the kinds of movies and stories that we get through,” Gustin notes. “Historically you had a female lead and a male lead, plus supporting male and female roles, but movies aren’t built that way anymore. Now you often have three female protagonists in a film. So why do you pick one?
Taking a closer look at the more traditional and perhaps obsolete performance categories is something that has been much debated throughout the industry, but BIFA — thanks to its structure that is much more nimble than other awarding bodies — has been able to make changes. without much fuss.
“Because we are smaller and more flexible, we can make decisions and collect information much faster than other organizations,” says Gustin. “And because we’re considered the kids behind the bike sheds, it’s not the end of the world if we make a mistake.”
For larger organizations – particularly homegrown, BAFTA – the stakes are almost certainly higher and any wrong move is likely to result in, as we’ve seen over the years, outrage, angry headlines and hapless hashtags. Even as the British Academy attempted to address diversity issues in 2019 with a massive overhaul of its voting system (a review that adopted much of BIFA’s committee-led approach), it still faced backlash in some parts of the the right-wing press over perceived political correctness.
“People expect us to do things differently, they expect us to buck the trend, find a problem, face it and come up with a flexible solution,” says Gustin. “And we like that position because we can better respond to the needs of the industry we represent and work harder for them.”
The BIFAs have gone against the grain before, perhaps most notably in 2017 when they became the first film awards in the UK to introduce a Best Casting category, as was widely requested. BAFTA followed in 2020.
“For the other bodies, I think it’s helpful for us to have a test bed to sort out any issues – we’re the guinea pigs!” Wallace says. “I think we’ve always been that trendsetter.”
Trendsetters or not, at the Sunday night ceremony one of the most important things, besides of course giving a hugely important boost to the independent film industry during a difficult moment, is that the attendees – winning or losing – enjoy themselves, hang out with fellow filmmakers and maybe even a few moments with an idol, maybe even while throwing some shapes.
As Wallace notes, “People stick around, and some scenes… there’s some really extraordinary dancing.”