The King’s Speech Tops BIFA

At the 13th Annual Moet British Independent Film Awards, The King’s Speech received five awards: best film, best screenplay, best actor (Colin Firth), best supporting actress (Helena Bonham Carter) and best supporting actor (Geoffrey Rush). Surprisingly, director Tom Hooper did not win the directing prize. Instead, Gareth Brooks, the director of Monster, did. Monster received three awards in total.

For her performance in Never Let Me Go, Carey Mulligan was named best actress. Bonham Carter’s win comes as a surprise to some after Lesley Manville was named the best actress for her role in Mike Leigh’s Another Year by the NBR.

The King’s Speech, which opened this weekend in the U.S., is an early front-runner in the Oscars race.

The complete list of BIFA winners is below:

Best British Independent Film
The King’s Speech

Best Director
Gareth Edwards – Monsters

The Douglas Hickok Award [Best Debut Director]
Clio Barnard – The Arbor

Best Screenplay
David Seidler – The King’s Speech

Best Actress
Carey Mulligan – Never Let Me Go

Best Actor
Colin Firth – The King’s Speech

Best Supporting Actress
Helena Bonham Carter – The King’s Speech

Best Supporting Actor
Geoffrey Rush – The King’s Speech

Most Promising Newcomer
Joanne Froggatt – In Our Name

Best Achievement in Production
Monsters

Raindance Award
Son of Babylon

Best Technical Achievement
Monsters – Visual Effects – Gareth Edwards

Best Documentary
Enemies of the People

Best British Short
Baby

Best Foreign Film
A Prophet