The Irish comedy biopic Kneecap emerged as the big winner at the British Independent Film Awards (BIFA), taking home seven awards, including the top honor for Best British Independent Film. The film, which chronicles the story of Belfast rap group Kneecap, marks the directorial debut of Rich Peppiatt.

Peppiatt also won Best Debut Screenwriter, while Kneecap band members Liam Óg Ó Hannaidh, Naoise Ó Cairealláin, and JJ Ó Dochartaigh, who play themselves in the film, shared the award for Best Joint Lead Performance.

The star-studded event, hosted by Peter Serafinowicz, celebrated a diverse range of talent. Rungano Nyoni won Best Director for her Zambian family drama On Becoming A Guinea Fowl, with its lead, Susan Chardy, earning the Breakthrough Performance award.

Sandhya Suri’s Hindi-language thriller Santosh made waves as well, winning Best Screenplay. The film, which is the UK’s official submission for the Oscars in the International Film category, also secured the Breakthrough Producer award for Balthazar de Ganay and James Bowsher.

Other major acting honors went to Marianne Jean-Baptiste, who won Best Lead Performance for Mike Leigh’s Hard Truths, and Franz Rogowski, named Best Supporting Performance for Andrea Arnold’s Bird.

This year’s BIFA winners spotlight the vibrancy and diversity of independent filmmaking, showcasing stories that push boundaries and captivate audiences across genres and geographies.

Check out the full list of BIFA winners here:

Best British Independent Film

“Kneecap” — Rich Peppiatt, Trevor Birney, Jack Tarling — WINNER

“Love Lies Bleeding” — Rose Glass, Weronika Tofilska, Andrea Cornwell, Oliver Kassman

“On Becoming a Guinea Fowl” — Rungano Nyoni, Tim Cole, Ed Guiney, Andrew Lowe

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“The Outrun” — Nora Fingscheidt, Amy Liptrot, Sarah Brocklehurst, Dominic Norris, Jack Lowden, Saoirse Ronan

“Santosh” — Sandhya Suri, Mike Goodridge, James Bowsher, Balthazar de Ganay, Alan McAlex

Best International Independent Film sponsored by Champagne Taittinger

“All We Imagine as Light” — Payal Kapadia, Thomas Hakim, Julien Graff

“Anora” — Sean Baker, Alex Coco, Samantha Quan — WINNER

“La Chimera” — Alice Rohrwacher, Carlo Cresto-Dina, Paolo Del Brocco

“No Other Land” — Basel Adra, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham, Fabrien Greenberg, Bård Kjøge Rønning

“The Seed of the Sacred Fig” — Mohammad Rasoulof, Rozita Hendijanian, Amin Sadraei, Jean-Christophe Simon, Mani Tilgner

Best Director sponsored by Sky Cinema

Andrea Arnold, “Bird”

Nora Fingscheidt, “The Outrun”

Rose Glass, “Love Lies Bleeding”

Rungano Nyoni, “On Becoming a Guinea Fowl” — WINNER

Rich Peppiatt, “Kneecap”

Best Screenplay sponsored by Apple Original Films

Nora Fingscheidt, Amy Liptrot — “The Outrun”

Rose Glass, Weronika Tofilska, “Love Lies Bleeding”

Rungano Nyoni, “On Becoming a Guinea Fowl”

Rich Peppiatt, “Kneecap”

Sandhya Suri, “Santosh” — WINNER

Best Lead Performance

Radhika Apte, “Sister Midnight”

Susan Chardy, “On Becoming a Guinea Fowl”

Marianne Jean-Baptiste, “Hard Truths” — WINNER

Elliot Page, “Close to You”

Saoirse Ronan, “The Outrun”

Alicia Vikander, “The Assessment”

Best Supporting Performance

Michele Austin, “Hard Truths”

Elizabeth Chisela, “On Becoming a Guinea Fowl”

Barry Keoghan, “Bird”

Jack O’Connell, “Back to Black”

Franz Rogowski, “Bird” — WINNER

Hayley Squires, “Hoard”

Best Joint Lead Performance

Joseph Quinn, Saura Lightfoot Leon — “Hoard”

Katy O’Brian, Kristen Stewart — “Love Lies Bleeding”

Liam Óg Ó Hannaidh, Naoise Ó Cairealláin, JJ Ó Dochartaigh — “Kneecap” — WINNER

Jason Patel, Ben Hardy — “Unicorns”

The Douglas Hickox Award (Best Debut Director) sponsored by BBC Film

Christopher Andrews, “Bring Them Down” — WINNER

Luna Carmoon, “Hoard”

James Krishna Floyd, “Unicorns” (also directed by Sally El Hosaini)

Karan Kandhari, “Sister Midnight”

Rich Peppiatt, “Kneecap”

Breakthrough Producer sponsored by Pinewood and Shepperton Studios

Hollie Bryan, Lucy Meer — “The Ceremony”

Balthazar de Ganay, James Bowsher — “Santosh” (also produced by Mike Goodridge, Alan McAlex) — WINNER

JACOB SWAN HYAM Jacob Swan Hyam — “Bring Them Down” (also produced by Julianne Ford, Ivana MacKinnon, Jean-Yves Roubin, Ruth Treacey, Cassandre Warnauts)

Ben Toye — “Treading Water”

Rebecca Wolff — “Grand Theft Hamlet” (also produced by Julia Ton)

Breakthrough Performance sponsored by Netflix

Nykiya Adams, “Bird”

Susan Chardy, “On Becoming a Guinea Fowl” — WINNER

Saura Lightfoot-Leon, “Hoard”

Ruaridh Mollica, “Sebastian”

Jason Patel, “Unicorns”

Best Debut Screenwriter sponsored by Film4

James Krishna Floyd, “Unicorns”

Karan Kandhari, “Sister Midnight”

Rich Peppiatt, “Kneecap” — WINNER

Sandhya Suri, “Santosh”

Mrs. & Mr. Thomas, “The Assessment” (also written by John Donnelly)

Best Debut Director – Feature Documentary

Pinny Grylls, Sam Crane — “Grand Theft Hamlet” — WINNER

Manon Ouimet, Jacob Perlmutter — “Two Strangers Trying Not to Kill Each Other”

Rachel Ramsay, “Copa 71” (also directed by James Erskine)

Clair Titley, “The Contestant”

The Raindance Maverick Award

“The Ceremony” — Jack King, Hollie Bryan, Lucy Meer

“Grand Theft Hamlet” — Pinny Grylls, Sam Crane, Julia Ton, Rebecca Wolff — WINNER

“Restless” — Jed Hart, Benedict Turnbull

“Satu — The Year of the Rabbit” — Joshua Trigg

“Witches” — Elizabeth Sankey, Jeremy Warmsley, Chiara Ventura, Manon Ardisson

Best Feature Documentary sponsored by Intermission Film

“The Contestant” — Clair Titley, Megumi Inman, Andee Ryder, Amit Dey, Ian Bonhôte

“Grand Theft Hamlet” — Pinny Grylls, Sam Crane, Julia Ton, Rebecca Wolff

“Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story” — Ian Bonhôte, Peter Ettedgui, Lizzie Gillett, Robert Ford

“Two Strangers Trying Not to Kill Each Other” — Jacob Perlmutter, Manon Ouimet, Signe Byrge Sørensen

“Witches” — Elizabeth Sankey, Jeremy Warmsley, Chiara Ventura, Manon Ardisson — WINNER

Best British Short Film

“Delivery” — Ben Lankester, Bophanie Lun, Joe Binks

“Housewarming” — Liam White, Guy Lindley

“Meat Puppet” — Eros V, Masha Thorpe, Leah Draws

“A Move” — Elahe Esmaili, Hossein Behboudi Rad

“Wander to Wonder” — Nina Gantz, Stienette Bosklopper, Simon Cartwright, Daan Bakker, Maarten Swart — WINNER

Best Casting sponsored by Casting Society & Spotlight

Heather Basten — “Hoard”

Isabella Odoffin — “On Becoming a Guinea Fowl”

Lucy Pardee — “Bird”

Carla Stronge — “Kneecap” — WINNER

Mary Vernieu, Lindsay Graham Ahanonu — “Love Lies Bleeding”

Best Cinematography sponsored by Kodak & Molinare

Pawel Edelman, “Lee”

Ben Fordesman, “Love Lies Bleeding” — WINNER

Rob Hardy, “Civil War”

Yunus Roy Imer, “The Outrun”

Ryan Kernaghan, “Kneecap”

Best Costume Design

Zjena Glamocanin, “Kneecap”

Meghan Kasperlik, “Civil War”

Olga Mill, “Love Lies Bleeding”

Nirage Mirage, “Unicorns”

Michael O’Connor, “Firebrand” — WINNER

Best Editing

Stephen Bechinger — “The Outrun”

Joe Bini — “Bird”

Margarida Cartaxo, Stuart Davidson — “Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger”

Jake Roberts — “Civil War”

Julian Ulrichs, Chris Gill — “Kneecap” — WINNER

Best Effects

James Allen — “Love Lies Bleeding”

Glen McGuigan, Ingo Putze — “Lee”

David Simpson — “Civil War” — WINNER

Best Music Supervision

Iain Cooke, Giles Martin — “Back to Black”

Kle Savidge — “Sister Midnight”

Gary Welch, Jeanette Rehnstrom — “Kneecap” — WINNER

Best Make-Up & Hair Design

Megan Daum, Frieda Valenzuela — “Love Lies Bleeding”

Peta Dunstall — “Back to Black”

Kat Morgan — “The Outrun”

Lisa Mustafa — “Unicorns” — WINNER

JENNY SHIRCORE Jenny Shircore — “Firebrand”

Best Original Music sponsored by Universal Music Publishing Group

Michael “Mikey J” Asante — “Kneecap” — WINNER

Burial, “Bird”

Stuart Earl, “Unicorns”

John Gürtler, Jan Miserre — “The Outrun”

Clint Mansell — “Love Lies Bleeding”

Best Production Design sponsored by ATC & Broadsword

Bobbie Cousins, “Hoard”

Jan Houllevigue, “The Assessment” — WINNER

Katie Hickman, “Love Lies Bleeding”

Caty Maxey, “Civil War”

Nicola Moroney, “Kneecap”

Best Sound

Louise Burton, Brendan Rehill, Aza Hand, Simon Kerr — “Kneecap”

Paul Davies, Andrew Stirk, Linda Forsén, Rose Bladh, Tim Burns — “Love Lies Bleeding”

Glen Freemantle — “Civil War” — WINNER

Dominik Leube, Oscar Stiebitz, Jonathan Schorr, Gregor Bonse — “The Outrun”

Mike Prestwood Smith, Csaba Major, Jimmy Boyle — “Lee”

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