# British Independent Film Awards 2021

The British Independent Film Awards 2021 were held on 5 December 2021 to recognise the best in British independent cinema and filmmaking talent from United Kingdom. The nominations were announced on 3 November 2021, by actors Samuel Adewunmi and Mimi Keene via live-stream from the Curzon Soho in London.
The winners of the craft categories were announced on 19 November while the winners for the rest of the categories were presented at the ceremony on 5 December. The awards were hosted by Asim Chaudhry.

## Winners and nominees

| Best British Independent Film | Best Director |
| After Love – Aleem Khan, Matthieu de Braconier Ali & Ava – Clio Barnard, Tracy O'Riordan Boiling Point – Philip Barantini, James Cummings, Bart Ruspoli, Hester Ruoff The Nest – Sean Durkin, Ed Guiney, Derrin Schlesinger, Rose Garnett, Amy Jackson, Christina Piovesan The Souvenir Part II – Joanna Hogg, Ed Guiney, Emma Norton, Andrew Lowe, Luke Schiller | After Love – Aleem Khan Ali & Ava – Clio Barnard Boiling Point – Philip Barantini The Nest – Sean Durkin The Souvenir Part II – Joanna Hogg |
| Best Actor | Best Actress |
| Adeel Akhtar – Ali & Ava as Ali Riz Ahmed – Encounter as Malik Kahn Stephen Graham – Boiling Point as Andy Jones Jude Law – The Nest as Rory O'Hara James Norton – Nowhere Special as John | Joanna Scanlan – After Love as Mary Hussain Caitríona Balfe – Belfast as Buddy's mother Carrie Coon – The Nest as Allison O'Hara Claire Rushbrook – Ali & Ava as Ava Ruth Wilson – True Things as Kate |
| Best Supporting Actor | Best Supporting Actress |
| Talid Ariss – After Love as Solomon Richard Ayoade – The Souvenir Part II as Patrick Lucian River-Chauhan – Encounter as Jay Kahn Ciarán Hinds – Belfast as Buddy's grandfather Ray Panthaki – Boiling Point as Freeman | Vinette Robinson – Boiling Point as Carly Judi Dench – Belfast as Buddy's grandmother Jo Hartley – Sweetheart as Tina Nathalie Richard – After Love as Genevieve Longuet Tilda Swinton – The Souvenir Part II as Rosalind Harte |
| Breakthrough Performance | Best Screenplay |
| Nell Barlow – Sweetheart as AJ Lauryn Ajufo – Boiling Point as Andrea Max Harwood – Everybody's Talking About Jamie as Jamie New / Mimi Me Jude Hill – Belfast as Buddy Ellora Torchia – IN THE EⱯRTH as Alma | After Love – Aleem Khan Ali & Ava – Clio Barnard The Nest – Sean Durkin Benediction – Terence Davis The Souvenir Part II – Joanna Hogg |
| Best Documentary | Best Short Film |
| Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliché – Paul Sng, Celeste Bell, Zoë Howe, Rebecca Mark-Lawson, Matthew Silverman, Daria Mitsche Cow – Andrea Arnold, Kat Mansoor Dying to Divorce – Chloe Fairweather, Sinead Kirwan I Am Belmaya – Sue Carpenter, Christopher Hird Keyboard Fantasies – Posy Dixon, Liv Proctor | Femme – Sam H Freeman, MG Choon Ping, Sam Ritzenberg, Hayley Williams, Rienjke Attoh Egúngún (Masquerade) – Olive Nwosu, Alex Polunin Night of the Living Dead – Ida Melum, Laura Jayne Tunbridge, Hannah Kelso, Danielle Goff Play It Safe – Mitch Kalisa, Chris Toumazou Precious Hair & Beauty – John Ognmuyiwa, Sophia Gibber, Tony Longe, Lene Basager |
| Best International Independent Film | Best Casting |
| Flee – Jonas Poher Rasmussen, Amin Nawabi, Monica Hellstrøm, Signe Byrge Sørensen Compartment No. 6 – Juho Kuosmanen, Livia Ulvan, Andris Feldmanis, Jussi Rantamäki, Emilia Hakka First Cow – Kelly Reichardt, Jon Raymond, Neil Kopp, Vincent Savino, Anish Savjani Petite Maman – Céline Sciamma, Bénédicte Couvreur Pleasure – Ninja Thyberg, Peter Modestij, Eliza Jones, Markus Waltå, Erik Hemmendorff | Boiling Point – Carolyn McLeod After Love – Shaheen Baig Ali & Ava – Shaheen Baig Pirates – Shaheen Baig Belfast – Lucy Bevan, Emily Brockmann |
| Cinematography | Best Costume Design |
| Boiling Point – Matthew Lewis The Nest – Mátyás Erdély Cow – Magda Kowalczyk Censor – Annika Summerson Belfast – Haris Zambarloukos | The Souvenir Part II – Grace Snell The Electrical Life of Louis Wain – Michael O'Connor Everybody's Talking About Jamie – Guy Speranza Benediction – Annie Symons Belfast – Charlotte Walter |
| Best Editing | Best Effects |
| The Souvenir Part II – Helle le Fevre Cow – Rebecca Lloyd, Jacob Schulsinger, Nicolas Chaudeurge Belfast – Úna Ní Dhonghaíle Censor – Mark Towns IN THE EⱯRTH – Ben Wheatley | DASHCAM – Steven Bray, Mike Knights Censor – Gary Brown, István Molnár, Dan Martin The Electrical Life of Louis Wain – Rupert Davies |
| Best Make-Up & Hair Design | Best Music |
| The Electrical Life of Louis Wain – Vickie Lang, Kristyan Mallett, Donald McInnes The Souvenir Part II – Siobhan Harper-Ryan Censor – Ruth Pease Everybody's Talking About Jamie – Nadia Stacey Belfast – Wakana Yoshihara | Ali & Ava – Connie Farr, Harry Escott Pirates – Iain Cooke Encounter – Jed Kurzel IN THE EⱯRTH – Clint Mansell Belfast – Van Morrison |
| Best Production Design | Best Sound |
| The Souvenir Part II – Stéphane Collonge Boiling Point – Aimee Meek Belfast – Jim Clay The Electrical Life of Louis Wain – Suzie Davies Censor – Paulina Rzeszowska | Boiling Point – James Drake, Rob Entwistle and Kiff McManus Cow – Nicolas Becker, Cyril Holtz, Linda Forsen Censor – Tim Harrison, Jamie Roden, Adele Fletcher IN THE EⱯRTH – Martin Pavey Encounter – Andrew Stirk, Paul Davies, Morgan Muse, Bernard O'Reilley, Julian Howarth |
| Douglas Hickox Award (Best Debut Director) | Best Debut Screenwriter |
| After Love – Aleem Khan Censor – Prano Bailey-Bond Wildfire – Cathy Brady Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliché – Celeste Bell Sweetheart – Marley Morrison | Wildfire – Cathy Brady Censor – Prano Bailey-Bond After Love – Aleem Khan Sweetheart – Marley Morrison Pirates – Reggie Yates |
| Breakthrough Producer | The Raindance Discovery Award |
| Sweetheart – Michele Antoniades Censor – Helen Jones She Will – Jessica Malik Boiling Point – Hester Ruoff The Power – Rob Watson | Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliché – Paul Sng, Celeste Bell, Zoë Howe, Rebecca Mark-Lawson, Matthew Silverman, Daria Mitsche Bank Job – Daniel Edelsty, Hilary Powell, Christopher Hird The Bike Thief – Matt Chambers, PK Fellowes, Sophia Gibber, Lene Bausager I Am Belmaya – Sue Carpenter, Christopher Hird Rebel Dykes – Harri Shanahan, Sian A. Williams, Siobhan Fahey |

### Films with multiple nominations and awards

Films that received multiple nominations :
| Nominations | Film |
| 11 | Boiling Point |
| 11 | Belfast |
| 9 | The Souvenir Part II |
| 9 | Censor |
| 9 | After Love |
| 7 | Ali & Ava |
| 6 | The Nest |
| 5 | Sweetheart |
| 4 | Cow |
| 4 | Encounter |
| 4 | IN THE EⱯRTH |
| 4 | The Electrical Life of Louis Wain |
| 3 | Everybody's Talking About Jamie |
| 3 | Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliché |
| 3 | Pirates |
| 2 | Benediction |
| 2 | I Am Belmaya |
| 2 | Wildfire |
Films that received multiple awards :
| Awards | Film |
| 6 | After Love |
| 4 | Boiling Point |
| 3 | The Souvenir Part II |
| 2 | Ali & Ava |
| 2 | Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliché |
| 2 | Sweetheart |