Harry Lighton’s Pillion was the largest winner on the 2025 British Impartial Movie Awards (Bifas) with 4 prizes, together with finest British impartial movie.
Comedians Lou Sanders and Harriet Kemsley hosted the ceremony, which befell tonight (November 30) at London’s Roundhouse.
Pillion follows the unconventional relationship between a BDSM biker, performed by Alexander Skarsgard and a timid visitors warden, performed by Harry Melling. Lighton additionally walked away with finest debut screenwriter award, with 4 wins in complete together with two beforehand introduced craft prizes, for costume design and make-up and hair design.
Throughout his debut screenwriter prize speech, Lighton mirrored on his expertise capturing his debut function: “I used to be warned on the finish of my first function I might hate my producer, however that didn’t occur.”
He additionally thanked the movie’s stars Skarsgard and Melling, noting: “I despatched you a script about buttplugs and also you stated sure… now that I do know you, it doesn’t shock me that you just stated sure”
Producer Emma Norton, when selecting up the perfect British impartial movie prize, informed the viewers: “Pillion couldn’t have been made with out plenty of inventive help… We have been by no means censored, we have been by no means informed there’s an excessive amount of cock.”
The Ballad Of Wallis Island took two prizes tonight – co-writers and stars Tom Basden and Tim Key have been awarded finest screenplay, in addition to finest lead efficiency. The comedy drama gained a complete of three awards, together with the beforehand introduced authentic music prize.
”It’s simply so beautiful to have our working relationship recognised,” stated Basden whereas accepting finest screenplay. ”It’s one thing that’s been such an enormous a part of our lives. I’ve benefited a lot from working with Tim.”
Myrid Carten’s exploration of psychological well being and dependancy inside her household, A Need In Her, additionally bought three awards – finest function documentary, The Raindance Maverick Award and finest debut director function documentary. The movie’s producer, Kat Mansoor, spoke candidly throughout the perfect function doc acceptance speech: “Can we please make it a bit simpler to make impartial movie?… Can we combat the algorithm with extra humanity?… and Mubi, are you able to please purchase this fucking movie?”
Greatest director went to Akinola Davies Jr for his debut function My Father’s Shadow, a narrative of two brothers who first come to know their father at a pivotal second in each his life and Nigerian historical past. Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Worth gained the perfect worldwide impartial movie prize.
Lead efficiency went to Robert Aramayo for I Swear, who gave a heartfelt speech to thank manufacturing firm Tempo, gross sales agent Bankside and distributor Studiocanal, in addition to John Davidson, the person upon whom the Tourette’s biopic relies. “John Davidson is without doubt one of the most wonderful folks I’ve ever met in my life… I completely adore that man. I’d wish to dedicate this to [him].”
The Magic Lantern Cinema in Tywyn, Wales, obtained the inaugural cinema of the 12 months award.
Warp Movies obtained the honorary particular jury prize, with CEO Mark Herbert utilizing his acceptance speech to thank UK crew, saying: ”What I noticed on Adolescence was chemistry past perception… we’ve made it on this business due to them.”
Emily Watson was introduced the Richard Harris award by Paul Mescal, who has performed her son twice, in God’s Creatures and Hamnet.
”To be Oscar-nominated is at all times an achievement, however to be Oscar-nominated on your first movie is sort of an achievement,” Mescal stated of 1996’s Breaking The Waves. “[Watson] is without doubt one of the best actors of all time.”
Whereas accepting the award, Watson praised the impartial filmmakers within the room. ”You might be truly going to save lots of us… The tales that you just inform are our life help,” she stated. ”We’ve to maintain holding the algorithms to the hearth.”
Whereas not acquainted movie business figures, hosts Sanders and Kemsley (finest recognized for showing on Prime Video’s Final One Laughing) have been warmly obtained within the room. Sanders stayed true to her trademark blue humour, notably when introducing award presenter Stephen Service provider to the stage as a “good huge lengthy one”.
Bifa winners 2025
Greatest British Impartial Movie
- The Ballad Of Wallis Island – James Griffiths, Tom Basden, Tim Key, Rupert Majendie
- I Swear – Kirk Jones, Georgia Bayliff, Piers Tempest
- My Father’s Shadow – Akinola Davies Jr, Wale Davies, Rachel Dargavel, Funmbi Ogunbanwo
- Pillion – Harry Lighton, Lee Groombridge, Ed Guiney, Andrew Lowe, Emma Norton
- Urchin – Harris Dickinson, Archie Pearch, Scott O’donnell
Greatest Director
- Laura Carreira – On Falling
- Akinola Davies Jr – My Father’s Shadow
- Kirk Jones – I Swear
- Harry Lighton – Pillion
- Lynne Ramsay – Die My Love
Greatest Joint Lead Efficiency
- Ebada Hassan, Saffiya Ingar – Brides
- Tim Key, Tom Basden – The Ballad Of Wallis Island
- Andrea Riseborough, Brenda Blethyn – Dragonfly
Greatest Ensemble Efficiency (beforehand introduced)
- Warfare – D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Will Poulter, Cosmo Jarvis, Equipment Connor, Finn Bennett, Joseph Quinn, Charles Melton
Greatest Lead Efficiency
- Robert Aramayo – I Swear
- Frank Dillane – Urchin
- David Jonsson – Wasteman
- Jennifer Lawrence – Die My Love
- Harry Melling – Pillion
- Cillian Murphy – Steve
Greatest Screenplay
- Tom Basden, Tim Key – The Ballad Of Wallis Island
- Laura Carreira – On Falling
- Wale Davies – My Father’s Shadow
- Kirk Jones – I Swear
- Harry Lighton – Pillion
Greatest Supporting Efficiency
- Tom Blyth – Wasteman
- Scott Ellis Watson – I Swear
- Jay Lycurgo – Steve
- Peter Mullan – I Swear
- Maxine Peake – I Swear
- Alexander Skarsgard – Pillion
- Antidote – James Jones, David Moulton
- Mom Vera – Cecile Embleton, Alys Tomlinson, Laura Shacham
- Motherboard – Victoria Mapplebeck
- The Shepherd And The Bear – Max Keegan, Elizabeth Woodward, Amanda McBaine, Jesse Moss
- A Need In Her – Myrid Carten, Tadhg O’Sullivan, Roisin Geraghty, Kat Mansoor
The Douglas Hickox Award (Greatest Debut Director)
- Laura Carreira – On Falling
- Akinola Davies Jr – My Father’s Shadow
- Harris Dickinson – Urchin
- Harry Lighton – Pillion
- Cal McMau – Wasteman
Greatest Debut Screenwriter
- Hunter Andrews, Eoin Doran – Wasteman
- Tom Basden, Tim Key – The Ballad Of Wallis Island
- Laura Carreira – On Falling
- Wale Davies – My Father’s Shadow
- Harry Lighton – Pillion
Breakthrough Producer
- Wyn Baptiste – Shoot The Individuals
- Charlotte Knowles – Palestine Comedy Membership
- Joann Kushner – LifeHack [also produced by Timur Bekmambetov, Aleksandr Kletzov]
- Dhiraj Mahey – Ish [also produced by Bennett McGhee]
- Archie Pearch – Urchin [also produced by Scott O’Donnell]
Greatest Debut Director – Characteristic Documentary
- Myrid Carten – A Need In Her
- Cecile Embleton, Alys Tomlinson – Mom Vera
- Victoria Mapplebeck – Motherboard
Cinema Of The 12 months
- Depot Cinema
- The Magic Lantern Cinema
- Montrose Playhouse
- Queen’s Movie Theatre
- Watershed
Greatest British Quick Movie
- Flock – Mac Nixon, Matt Ashwell, Daley Nixon
- Magid / Zafar – Luis Hindman, Sufiyaan Salam, Aidan Robert Brooks
- A Sisyphean Activity – Gus Flind-Henry, George Malcher, George Telfer
- Abdomen Bug – Matty Crawford, Karima Sammout Kanellopoulou
- Two Black Boys In Paradise – Ben Jackson, Baz Sells, Dean Atta
Breakthrough Efficiency
- Scott Ellis Watson – I Swear
- Ebada Hassan – Brides
- Safiyya Ingar – Brides
- Posy Sterling – Lollipop
- Connor Tompkins – The Son And The Sea
The Raindance Maverick Award
- Foul Evil Deeds – Richard Hunter
- Holloway – Sophie Compton, Daisy-Might Hudson, Stella Heath Keir, Alice Hughes, Polly Creed
- Mom Vera – Cecile Embleton, Alys Tomlinson, Laura Shacham
- Motherboard – Victoria Mapplebeck
- A Need In Her – Myrid Carten
Greatest Worldwide Impartial Movie
- It Was Simply An Accident – Jafar Panahi, Phillippe Martin
- Sentimental Worth – Joachim Trier, Eskil Vogt, Maria Ekerhovd, Andrea Berentsen Ottmar
- Sirāt – Oliver Laxe, Santiago Fillol, Domingo Corral, Oriol Maymo, Andrea Queralt, Mani Mortazavi, Xavi Font, Pedro Almodovar, Agustin Almodovar, Esther García
- Sorry, Child – Eva Victor, Adele Romanski, Mark Ceryak, Barry Jenkins
- Sound Of Falling – Mascha Schilinski, Louise Peter, Maren Schmitt, Lucas Schmidt
Bifa Craft Winners (beforehand introduced)
- Casting – Lauren Evans, I Swear
- Cinematography – Seamus McGarvey, Die My Love
- Costume design – Grace Snell, Pillion
- Enhancing – Fin Oates, Warfare
- Results – Simon Stanley-Clamp and Ryan Conder, Warfare
- Music supervision – Raife Burchell and Ian Neil, Die My Love
- Make-up and hair design – Diandra Ferreira, Pillion
- Unique music – Tom Basden and Adem Ilhan, Ballad Of Wallis Island
- Manufacturing design – Nathan Parker, Harvest
- Sound – Glenn Freemantle, Mitch Low, Howard Bargroff, Ben Barker and Richard Spooner, Warfare
