British Independent Film Award for Best Actress
Awarded forBest Performance by an Actress in a British Independent Film
CountryUnited Kingdom
Presented byBIFA
First awarded1998
Last awardedJoanna Scanlan – After Love (2021)
Websitewww.bifa.org.uk

The British Independent Film Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a British Independent Film is an annual award given by the British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) to recognize the best leading performance by an actress in a British independent film. The award was first presented in the 1998 ceremony with Kathy Burke being the first recipient of the award for her performance as Valerie in Nil by Mouth.

With two wins each, Carey Mulligan and Olivia Colman are the only nominees who have won more than once. Samantha Morton holds the record of most nominations with five, followed by Judi Dench with four.

In July 2022, it was announced that the performance categories would be replaced with gender-neutral categories, with both Best Actor and Best Actress merging into the Best Lead Performance category. Additionally, a category named Best Joint Lead Performance was created for "two (or exceptionally three) performances that are the joint focus of the film, especially where performances share a large number of scenes and screen time".[1]

Winners and nominees

1990s

Year Actress Film Character
1998
(1st)
[2]		 Kathy Burke Nil by Mouth Valerie
Louise Goodall My Name Is Joe Sarah Downie
Rachel Griffiths My Son the Fanatic Bettina/ Sandra
Samantha Morton Under the Skin Iris Kelly
Emma Thompson The Winter Guest Frances
1999
(2nd)
[3]		 Emily Watson Hilary and Jackie Jacqueline du Pré
Lara Belmont The War Zone Jessie
Rachel Griffiths Hilary and Jackie Hilary du Pré
Jane Horrocks Little Voice LV
Gina McKee Wonderland Nadia

2000s

Year Actress Film Character
2000
(3rd)
[4]		 Gillian Anderson The House of Mirth Lily Bart
Kate Ashfield The Low Down Ruby
Brenda Blethyn Saving Grace Grace Trevethyn
Emily Watson The Luzhin Defence Natalia Katkov
2001
(4th)
[5]		 Kate Ashfield Late Night Shopping Jody
Susan Lynch Beautiful Creatures Dorothy
Samantha Morton Pandaemonium Sara Coleridge
Kate Winslet Enigma Hester Wallace
2002
(5th)
[6][7]		 Samantha Morton Morvern Callar Movern Collar
Elaine Cassidy Disco Pigs Rent/Sinead
Shirley Henderson Villa des Roses Ella
Harriet Walter Olive Burrell
2003
(6th)
[8][9]		 Olivia Williams The Heart of Me Madeleine
Kate Ashfield This Little Life Sadie McGregor
Helena Bonham Carter The Heart of Me Dinah
Samantha Morton In America Sarah
Tilda Swinton Young Adam Ella Gault
2004
(7th)
[10]		 Imelda Staunton Vera Drake Vera Drake
Eva Birthistle Ae Fond Kiss... Roisin Hanlon
Scarlett Johansson Girl with a Pearl Earring Griet
Natalie Press My Summer of Love Mona
Anne Reid The Mother May
2005
(8th)
[11]		 Rachel Weisz The Constant Gardener Tessa Quayle
Joan Allen Yes She
Judi Dench Mrs Henderson Presents Mrs. Henderson
Natasha Richardson Asylum Stella Raphael
Emily Watson Wah-Wah Ruby Compton
2006
(9th)
[12][13]		 Kate Dickie Red Road Jackie Morrison
Juliette Binoche Breaking and Entering Amira Simić
Robin Wright Liv
Frances de la Tour The History Boys Mrs. Lintott
Helen Mirren The Queen Queen Elizabeth II
2007
(10th)
[14][15]		 Judi Dench Notes on a Scandal Barbara Covett
Tannishtha Chatterjee Brick Lane Nazneen Ahmed
Anne Hathaway Becoming Jane Jane Austen
Sophia Myles Hallam Foe Kate Breck
Kierston Wareing It's a Free World... Angela
2008
(11th)
[16][17]		 Vera Farmiga The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas Elsa (Mother)
Sally Hawkins Happy-Go-Lucky Pauline "Poppy" Cross
Keira Knightley The Duchess Duchess Georgiana
Samantha Morton The Daisy Chain Martha Conroy
Kelly Reilly Eden Lake Jenny
2009
(12th)
[18][19]		 Carey Mulligan An Education Jenny Mellor
Emily Blunt The Young Victoria Queen Victoria
Abbie Cornish Bright Star Fanny Brawne
Katie Jarvis Fish Tank Mia Williams
Sophie Okonedo Skin Sandra Laing

2010s

Year Actress Film Character
2010
(13th)
[20][21]		 Carey Mulligan Never Let Me Go Kathy H
Sally Hawkins Made in Dagenham Rita O'Grady
Andrea Riseborough Brighton Rock Rose
Ruth Sheen Another Year Gerri Hepple
Manjinder Virk The Arbor Lorraine Dunbar
2011
(14th)
[22][23]		 Olivia Colman Tyrannosaur Hannah
MyAnna Buring Kill List Shel
Rebecca Hall The Awakening Florence Cathcart
Tilda Swinton We Need to Talk About Kevin Eva Khatchadourian
Mia Wasikowska Jane Eyre Jane Eyre
2012
(15th)
[24][25]		 Andrea Riseborough Shadow Dancer Colette McVeigh
Judi Dench The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel Evelyn Greenslade
Elle Fanning Ginger & Rosa Ginger
Alice Lowe Sightseers Tina
Meryl Streep The Iron Lady Margaret Thatcher
2013
(16th)
[26][27]		 Lindsay Duncan Le Week-End Meg Burrows
Judi Dench Philomena Philomena Lee
Saoirse Ronan How I Live Now Daisy
Felicity Jones The Invisible Woman Nelly Ternan
Scarlett Johansson Under the Skin The Alien
2014
(17th)
[28][29]		 Gugu Mbatha-Raw Belle Dido Elizabeth Belle
Sameena Jabeen Ahmed Catch Me Daddy Laila
Cheng Pei-pei Lilting Junn
Keira Knightley The Imitation Game Joan Clarke
Alicia Vikander Testament of Youth Vera Brittain
2015
(18th)
[30][31]		 Saoirse Ronan Brooklyn Eilis Lacey
Marion Cotillard Macbeth Lady Macbeth
Carey Mulligan Suffragette Maud Watts
Charlotte Rampling 45 Years Kate Mercer
Alicia Vikander The Danish Girl Gerda Wegener
2016
(19th)
[32][33]		 Sasha Lane American Honey Star
Kate Dickie Couple in a Hole Karen
Narges Rashidi Under the Shadow Shideh
Hayley Squires I, Daniel Blake Katie Morgan
Jodie Whittaker Adult Life Skills Anna
2017
(20th)
[34][35]		 Florence Pugh Lady Macbeth Katherine Lester
Emily Beecham Daphne Daphne
Frances McDormand Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri Mildred Hayes
Maggie Mulubwa I Am Not a Witch Shula
Ruth Wilson Dark River Alice
2018
(21st)
[36][37]		 Olivia Colman The Favourite Queen Anne
Gemma Arterton The Escape Tara
Jessie Buckley Beast Moll
Maxine Peake Funny Cow Funny Cow
Rachel Weisz Disobedience Ronit Krushka
2019
(22nd)
[38][39]		 Renée Zellweger Judy Judy Garland
Jessie Buckley Wild Rose Rose-Lynn Harlan
Holliday Grainger Animals Laura
Sally Hawkins Eternal Beauty June
Vicky Knight Dirty God Jade

2020s

Year Actress Film Character
2020
(23rd)
[40][41]		 Wunmi Mosaku His House Rial
Claire Dunne Her Self Sandra
Andrea Riseborough Luxor Hana
Bukky Bakray Rocks Olushola "Rocks" Omotoso
Morfydd Clark Saint Maud Maud
2021
(24th)
[42]		 Joanna Scanlan After Love Mary
Caitríona Balfe Belfast Ma
Carrie Coon The Nest Allison O'Hara
Claire Rushbrook Ali & Ava Ava
Ruth Wilson True Things Kate

Multiple nominations

Multiple wins

See also

References

  1. ^ "BIFA ANNOUNCES NEW CATEGORIES FOR THE 2022 AWARDS". BIFA. July 5, 2022. Retrieved October 13, 2022.
  2. ^ "The Awards 1998". British Independent Film Awards. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  3. ^ "The Awards 1999". British Independent Film Awards. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  4. ^ "The Awards 2000". British Independent Film Awards. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  5. ^ Frater, Patrick (October 24, 2001). "Sexy Beast scores at British indie film awards". Screen Daily. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  6. ^ "Morvern Callar leads British Independent Film Awards nominations". Screen Daily. September 17, 2002. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  7. ^ Gibbons, Fiachra (October 31, 2002). "Sweet Sixteen named best of the independents". The Guardian. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  8. ^ Dams, Tim (September 22, 2003). "Dirty Pretty Things leads BIFA nominations". Screen Daily. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  9. ^ "Dirty Pretty Things sweeps Brit indie awards". The Guardian. November 3, 2003. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  10. ^ Dawtrey, Adam (November 30, 2004). "'Drake' takes the cake". Variety. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  11. ^ "Constant Gardener wins UK awards". BBC News. December 1, 2005. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  12. ^ "'Scotland' duo, 'Queen' pic among top BIFA nominees". The Hollywood Reporter. October 31, 2006. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  13. ^ ""This is England" Takes Top Prize at British Independent Film Awards". Indiewire. November 30, 2006. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  14. ^ "British Independent Film Awards nominations list". Variety. October 23, 2007. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  15. ^ "Control takes over at British Independent Film Awards". CBC News. November 29, 2007. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  16. ^ Ward, Audrey (October 28, 2008). "Nominations for British Independent Film Awards announced". Screen Daily. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  17. ^ Kemp, Stuart (December 1, 2008). "'Slumdog' wins big at British indie awards". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  18. ^ Knegt, Peter (October 26, 2009). ""Fish Tank," "Moon" Lead British Indie Award Nods". IndieWire. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  19. ^ Thompson, Anne (December 6, 2009). "British Independent Film Awards: Moon Wins Best Film". IndieWire. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  20. ^ Child, Ben (November 2, 2010). "The King's Speech rings out in Bifa awards nominations". The Guardian. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  21. ^ Masters, Tim (December 6, 2010). "King's Speech reigns at British Independent Film awards". BBC News. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  22. ^ Knegt, Peter (October 31, 2011). ""Shame," "Tyrannosaur" and "Tinker Tailor" Lead British Independent Film Award Nominations". IndieWire. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  23. ^ Masters, Tim (December 5, 2011). "Tyrannosaur in triple win at British Independent Film Awards". BBC News. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  24. ^ Child, Ben (November 6, 2012). "Broken fixed up with nine British independent film award nominations". The Guardian. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  25. ^ Mueller, Matt (December 9, 2012). "British Independent Film Awards: 'Broken' Takes Best Film, 'Berberian Sound Studio' and 'The Imposter' Big Winners". IndieWire. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  26. ^ "'Metro Manila' gets 5 nominations in British film awards". ABS-CBN News. November 13, 2013. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  27. ^ Kemp, Stuart (December 8, 2013). "'Metro Manila' Wins Big at British Independent Film Awards". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  28. ^ Rosser, Michael (November 3, 2014). "'71, Pride lead BIFA nominations". Screen Daily. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  29. ^ "Pride wins best film at British Independent Film Awards". BBC News. December 7, 2014. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  30. ^ Tartaglione, Nancy (November 3, 2015). "'The Lobster', '45 Years', 'Macbeth' Lead British Independent Film Award Nominations". Deadline. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  31. ^ Lee, Benjamin (December 7, 2015). "Ex Machina triumphs at British independent film awards". The Guardian. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  32. ^ Evans, Alan (November 1, 2016). "I, Daniel Blake leads British independent film award nominations". The Guardian. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  33. ^ Barranclough, Leo (December 4, 2016). "'American Honey' Triumphs at British Independent Film Awards". Variety. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  34. ^ Clarke, Stewart (November 1, 2017). "'Lady Macbeth' Tops Nominations for British Independent Film Awards". Variety. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  35. ^ Nordine, Michael (December 10, 2017). "British Independent Film Awards: 'God's Own Country' and 'Lady Macbeth' Win Top Prizes". IndieWire. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  36. ^ Brown, Mark (October 31, 2018). "The Favourite dominates British independent film award nominations". The Guardian. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  37. ^ Nordine, Michael (December 2, 2018). "'The Favourite' Wins 10 British Independent Film Awards, Living Up to Its Title". IndieWire. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  38. ^ Sharf, Zack (October 30, 2019). "2019 British Indie Film Awards Nominations: 'David Copperfield,' Zellweger, and More". IndieWire. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  39. ^ Ritman, Alex (December 1, 2019). "British Independent Film Awards: 'For Sama' Wins Top Prize". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  40. ^ Ramachandran, Naman (December 9, 2020). "'Saint Maud,' 'His House,' 'Rocks' Lead British Independent Film Awards Nominations". Variety. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  41. ^ Grater, Tom (February 18, 2021). "'Rocks' & 'His House' Win Big At British Independent Film Awards". Deadline. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  42. ^ Ramachandran, Naman (November 3, 2021). "'Belfast,' 'Boiling Point' Lead BIFA Nominations". Variety. Retrieved November 3, 2021.

External links

British Independent Film Awards
British Independent Film Award for Best Actress
Categories