The 2025 British Independent Film Awards winners are revealed on Sunday, 30 November 2025 ‘Pillion’, ‘Warfare’ and ‘Sentimental Value’ as major winners at London’s Roundhouse. Here’s the full BIFA winners list, including top honours, acting awards, directing, craft and documentary categories.
The 2025 BIFA Awards delivered a landmark moment for British cinema as Pillion was awarded the top honour at the British Independent Film Awards, capturing major honours including Best Film, Best Debut Screenwriter for director-writer Harry Lighton.
The debut feature of writer/director Harry Lighton, “Pillion,” which bowed in Cannes earlier this year and is due for release in the U.S.
A24 also won best debut screenwriter. These join the film’s previously announced craft wins for best costume design and best makeup and hair design.
Pillion stands out as one of the year’s most celebrated Indie films.
The night also spotlighted other powerful contenders, with Akinola Davies Jr. earning Best Director for My Father’s Shadow and The Ballad of Wallis Island taking home multiple trophies.
As the BIFA Awards 2025 were revealed, all the fans are seeking to know the complete winners of the British Independent Film Awards 2025.
See the full list of winners below.
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British Independent Film Awards 2025 Winners List
Here is the complete list of the 2025 British Independent Film Awards winners. See below and know who wins what at the 28th BIFA Awards.
Best British Independent Film
- “The Ballad of Wallis Island”
- “I Swear”
- “My Father’s Shadow”
- “Pillion” (WINNER)
- “Urchin”
Best Lead Performance
- Robert Aramayo,” I Swear” (WINNER)
- Frank Dillane, “Urchin”
- David Jonsson, “Wasteman”
- Jennifer Lawrence, “Die My Love”
- Harry Melling, “Pillion”
- Cillian Murphy, “Steve”
Best Supporting Performance
- Tom Blyth, “Wasteman”
- Scott Ellis Watson, “I Swear”
- Jay Lycurgo, “Steve” (WINNER)
- Peter Mullan, “I Swear”
- Maxine Peake, “I Swear”
- Alexander Skarsgård, “Pillion”
Best Joint Lead Performance
- Ebada Hassan, Saffiya Ingar, “Brides”
- Tim Key, Tom Basden, “The Ballad of Wallis Island” (WINNER)
- Andrea Riseborough, Brenda Blethyn, “Dragonfly”
Best Director
- Laura Carreira, “On Falling”
- Akinola Davies Jr, “My Father’s Shadow” (WINNER)
- Kirk Jones, “I Swear”
- Harry Lighton, “Pillion”
- Lynne Ramsay, “Die My Love”
Best Screenplay
- Tom Basden, Tim Key, “The Ballad of Wallis Island” (WINNER)
- Laura Carreira, “On Falling”
- Wale Davies, “My Father’s Shadow”
- Kirk Jones, “I Swear”
- Harry Lighton, “Pillion”
The Douglas Hickox Award for best debut director
- Laura Carreira, “On Falling”
- Akinola Davies Jr, “My Father’s Shadow”
- Harris Dickinson, “Urchin”
- Harry Lighton, “Pillion”
- Cal Mcmau, “Wasteman” (WINNER)
Breakthrough Producer
- Wyn Baptiste, “Shoot the People”
- Charlotte Knowles, “Palestine Comedy Club”
- Joann Kushner, “Lifehack” [also produced by Timur Bekmambetov, Aleksandr Kletzov]
- Dhiraj Mahey, “Ish” [also produced By Bennett Mcghee] (WINNER)
- Archie Pearch, “Urchin” [also produced By Scott O’Donnell]
Breakthrough Performance
- Scott Ellis Watson, “I Swear”
- Ebada Hassan, “Brides”
- Safiyya Ingar, “Brides”
- Posy Sterling, “Lollipop” (WINNER)
- Connor Tompkins, “The Son and the Sea”
Best 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” (WINNER)
Best Feature Documentary
- “Antidote” — James Jones, David Moulton
- “Mother Vera” — Cécile Embleton, Alys Tomlinson, Laura Shacham
- “Motherboard” — Victoria Mapplebeck
- “The Shepherd and the Bear” — Max Keegan, Elizabeth Woodward, Amanda Mcbaine, Jesse Moss
- “A Want in Her” — Myrid Carten, Tadhg O’Sullivan, Roisín Geraghty, Kat Mansoor (WINNER)
Best Debut Director – Feature Documentary
- Myrid Carten, “A Want in Her” (WINNER)
- Cécile Embleton, Alys Tomlinson, “Mother Vera”
- Victoria Mapplebeck, “Motherboard”
The Raindance Maverick Award
- “Foul Evil Deeds,” Richard Hunter
- “Holloway,” Sophie Compton, Daisy-May Hudson, Stella Heath Keir, Alice Hughes, Polly Creed
- “Mother Vera,” Cécile Embleton, Alys Tomlinson, Laura Shacham
- “Motherboard,” Victoria Mapplebeck
- “A Want in Her,” Myrid Carten (WINNER)
Best International Independent Film
- “It Was Just an Accident”
- “Sentimental Value” (WINNER)
- “Sirāt”
- “Sorry, Baby”
- “Sound of Falling”
Best Casting
- Shaheen Baig, “Brides”
- Shaheen Baig, “Urchin”
- Kharmel Cochrane, “Warfare”
- Lauren Evans, “I Swear” (WINNER)
- Robert Sterne, “Steve”
Best Cinematography
- Charlotte Bruus Christensen, “H Is for Hawk”
- Jermaine Edwards, “My Father’s Shadow”
- Cécile Embleton, “Mother Vera”
- Seamus Mcgarvey, “Die My Love” (WINNER)
- Piotr Niemyjski, “A Pale View of Hills”
Best Costume Design
- Susie Coulthard, “100 Nights of Hero”
- Kirsty Halliday, “Tornado”
- Grace Snell, “Pillion” (WINNER)
- Sayaka Takahashi, Matthew Price, “A Pale View of Hills”
- PC Williams, “My Father’s Shadow”
Best Editing
- Ronan Corrigan, Aleksandr Kletsov, “Lifehack”
- Omar Guzmán Castro, “My Father’s Shadow”
- Fin Oates, “Warfare” (WINNER)
- Sam Rice-Edwards, “One to One: John & Yoko”
- Gareth C. Scales, “Pillion”
Best Effects
- Simon Stanley-Clamp, Ryan Conder, “Warfare” (WINNER)
- Victor Tomi, “Die My Love”
- Hayley Williams, Conor O’Sullivan, Martin Malmqvist, “The Thing With Feathers”
Best Music Supervision
- Phil Canning, “Wasteman”
- Ian Neil, Raife Burchell, “Die My Love” (WINNER)
- Bridget Samuels, “Urchin”
Best Make-Up & Hair Design
- Kehinde Are, Feyzo Oyebisi, “My Father’s Shadow”
- Diandra Ferreira, “Pillion” (WINNER)
- Paul Gooch, Tristan Versluis, “Warfare”
- Colleen Labaff, Miho Suzuki, “Die My Love”
- Natasha Lawes, “100 Nights of Hero”
Best Original Music
- Tom Basden, Adem Ilhan, “The Ballad of Wallis Island” (WINNER)
- Bobby Krlic, “Anemone”
- Jed Kurzel, “Tornado”
- CJ Mirra, Duval Timothy “My Father’s Shadow”
- Steven Price, “Ocean With David Attenborough”
Best Production Design
- Jennifer Anti, Pablo Anti, “My Father’s Shadow”
- Mark Digby, “Warfare”
- Tim Grimes, “Die My Love”
- Nathan Parker, “Harvest” (WINNER)
- Sofia Sacomani, “100 Nights of Hero”
Best Sound
- Steve Fanagan, Stevie Haywood, “Anemone”
- Tim Burns, Paul Davies, Linda Forsén, Andrew Stirk, Ron Osiowy, “Die My Love”
- Nina Hartstone, Jake Whitelee, Jens Petersen, Mike Tehrani, Rob Davidson, “Ish”
- CJ Mirra, James Ridgway, Joe Jackson, Adele Fletcher, Pius Fatoke, “My Father’s Shadow”
- Glenn Freemantle, Mitch Low, Howard Bargroff, Ben Barker and Richard Spooner, “Warfare” (WINNER)
Best British Short Film
- “Flock” — Mac Nixon, Matt Ashwell, Daley Nixon
- “Magid/ Zafar” — Luís Hindman, Sufiyaan Salam, Aidan Robert Brooks (WINNER)
- “A Sisyphean Task” — Gus Flind-Henry, George Malcher, George Telfer
- “Stomach Bug” — Matty Crawford, Karima Sammout Kanellopoulou
- “Two Black Boys in Paradise” — Ben Jackson, Baz Sells, Dean Atta
Cinema of the Year
- Depot Cinema
- The Magic Lantern Cinema (WINNER)
- Montrose Playhouse
- Queen’s Film Theatre
- Watershed
Conclusion
The 2025 British Independent Film Awards winners showcase bold voices and diverse British Independent talent. Pillion and Warfare led major categories, while the Ballad of Wallis Island earned key performance and craft awards.
With rising creators joining established filmmakers, this year’s honour highlights the evolving strength of the UK’s independent film landscape.
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