British Independent Film Awards Announce National Public Screening Programme ‘BIFA Independents’ Supported By The BFI

BIFA 2016 Best British Independent Film winner to be the first film showcased

The British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) today announces BIFA Independents, a new year-round screening programme which will give audiences across the country an opportunity to enjoy the best of British independent filmmaking on the big screen. Supported by the British Film Institute (BFI) with National Lottery funding, each month a BIFA-nominated or award-winning film will be screened at Vue, Odeon and Everyman cinemas nationwide.

The first film, to be shown on Sunday 11th December, will be the winner of the 2016 BIFA Best British Independent Film Award, to be announced at the BIFA ceremony on Sunday 4 December at Old Billingsgate.

BIFA Director Amy Gustin said, “We are delighted to be working with the BFI to share British independent filmmaking with audiences across the country. Celebrating and promoting British film is central to everything we do. Through BIFA Independents the public will have the opportunity to discover new talent and re-visit films by established filmmakers they may have missed when first released in cinemas.”

Ben Luxford, the BFI’s Head of UK Audiences said, “BIFA generates great profile for independent British films and filmmaking talent, especially with younger audiences, so the opportunity to profile these films more widely should absolutely be celebrated. Supporting opportunities for everyone to discover and see British independent films lies at the heart of the BFI’s activities to benefit both filmmakers and audiences.”

Now in its 19th year, BIFA highlights and rewards the best, most innovative and creative independent filmmaking and filmmakers in the UK. Past Best British Independent Film winners include This Is England, Sweet Sixteen, Vera Drake, The King’s Speech, Slumdog Millionaire, Moon, Pride and Ex Machina.

The full nominations list can be viewed at here and BIFA. 

Winners will be announced at the ceremony on Sunday 4 December at Old Billingsgate.

About BIFA
The British Independent Film Awards highlight and celebrate the best independent British film and filmmakers and the best future prospects. We shine a light on and provide access to the best British independent film audiences have and haven’t heard of.

Nominees and winners are selected by the industry – every eligible film is watched and discussed, making BIFA the only truly credible source for the best in British independent film.

Proud patrons of the British Independent Film Awards are Mike Figgis, Tom Hollander, Adrian Lester, Ken Loach, Ewan McGregor, Helen Mirren, Samantha Morton, James Nesbitt, Michael Sheen, Trudie Styler, Tilda Swinton, Meera Syal, David Thewlis, Ray Winstone and Michael Winterbottom.

Partners of the Awards and of BIFA Independents

All City, Bureau, BBC Films, DCM, Intermission, The London EDITION, MAC Cosmetics, Motion Picture Solutions, NOWNESS, Pearl & Dean, Powster, RSM, Soho House, Swarovski, Wiggin

Created by Raindance

About the BFI
With over £50 million of Lottery funding to invest each year, the BFI is the UK's largest public investor in film, and the BFI Film Fund supports first-class British filmmaking from talent and project development, through production, to audience development across exhibition, distribution and international sales.

Films supported by the BFI include this year’s Cannes Film Festival Palme d’or winner I, Daniel Blake directed by Ken Loach and the Jury Prize award winning American Honey by filmmaker Andrea Arnold, Amma Asante’s A United Kingdom and Ben Wheatley’s Free Fire which were the opening and closing galas respectively at this year’s BFI London Film Festival, Roger Mainwood’s Ethel & Ernest, Colm McCarthy’s The Girl With All The Gifts, Jim Hoskin’s The Greasy Strangler, John Michael McDonagh’s War on Everyone, Ben Wheatley’s High-Rise starring Tom Hiddleston; Sarah Gavron’s Suffragette, John Crowley’s BAFTA-winning and Oscar® nominated Brooklyn; James Spinney and Peter Middleton’s Notes on Blindness, Sean McAllister's A Syrian Love Story, BAFTA-nominated and Grand Jury prize winner at Sheffield Doc/Fest, Yorgos Lanthimos’ BAFTA-nominated and 2015 Cannes Competition selection The Lobster, Andrew Haigh’s Berlin award winning and BAFTA and Oscar® nominated 45 Years.

Highly anticipated films backed by the BFI include William Oldroyd’s Lady Macbeth, Andrew Haigh’s Lean on Pete, Rungano Nyoni’s I Am Not A Witch, Clio Barnard’s Dark River, Lynne Ramsay’s You Were Never Really Here, Andy Serkis’ Breathe, Sophie Fiennes’ Grace Jones - The Musical of My Life, Gurinder Chadha’s Viceroy’s House, Nick Park’s Early Man, Paddy Considine’s Journeyman, Lucy Cohen’s Fly Away, Michael Pearce’s Beast, Peter Mackie Burns’ Daphne, Alex Taylor Spaceship, Francis Lee’s God’s Own Country, Hope Dickson Leach’s The Levelling, Thomas Clay’s Fanny Lye Delivr’d, Haifaa Al Mansour’s A Story in the Stars, Mercedes Grower’s Brakes, and Pete Travis’ City of Tiny Lights.

The BFI is the lead organisation for film in the UK with the ambition to create a flourishing film environment in which innovation, opportunity and creativity can thrive by:

· Connecting audiences to the widest choice of British and World cinema

· Preserving and restoring the most significant film collection in the world for today and future generations

· Championing emerging and world class film makers in the UK - investing in creative, distinctive and entertaining work

· Promoting British film and talent to the world

· Growing the next generation of film makers and audiences

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