British Independent Film Awards 2015: the winners in full

Alex Garland’s sci-fi thriller Ex Machina wins four awards, including best director and best British independent film.

6 December 2015

Ex Machina (2014)

The science-fiction thriller Ex Machina, written and directed by Alex Garland, has triumphed at the 2015 British Independent Film Awards. It won in four of the five categories in which it was nominated, taking the awards for best British independent film, best screenplay and best director for Garland, while its visual effects won for Andrew Whitehurst the night’s award for outstanding achievement in craft.

Other awards were distributed evenly, with Saoirse Ronan crowned best actress for her role in 1950s-set New York drama Brooklyn and Tom Hardy named best actor for his dual role as the Kray twins in Legend.

Olivia Colman took best supporting actress for her turn in The Lobster (the film’s only win from its seven nominations), with Brendan Gleeson nabbing best supporting actor for Suffragette.

Lenny Abrahamson’s Room beat off competition from rivals including Carol and Girlhood to be named best international independent film, while racing documentary Dark Horse is best British documentary.

The late BFI production executive Chris Collins was honoured with the BIFAs’ Special Jury Prize, with an on-stage tribute from Ben Roberts, director of the BFI Film Fund. Winning films with backing from the Film Fund include The Lobster, Brooklyn, Suffragette, The Survivalist and Dark Horse: The Incredible True Story of Dream Alliance.

Best British independent film

Ex Machina – Andrew Macdonald, Allon Reich, Alex Garland

Best director

Ex Machina – Alex Garland

Best actress

Saoirse Ronan – Brooklyn

Best actor

Tom Hardy – Legend

Best supporting actress

Olivia Colman – The Lobster

Best supporting actor

Brendan Gleeson – Suffragette

Most promising newcomer

Abigail Hardingham – Nina Forever

Best screenplay

Ex Machina – Alex Garland

The Douglas Hickox Award (best debut director)

The Survivalist – Stephen Fingleton

The Discovery Award

Orion: The Man Who Would Be King – Jeanie Finlay

Best documentary

Dark Horse – Judith Dawson, Louise Osmond

Producer of the year

Paul Katis, Andrew de Lotbiniere – Kajaki: The True Story

Outstanding achievement in craft

Andrew Whitehurst – Visual Effects, Ex Machina

Best British short film

Edmond – Emilie Jouffroy, Nina Gantz

Best international independent film

Room – Ed Guiney, David Gross, Emma Donoghue, Lenny Abrahamson

Variety award

Kate Winslet

Richard Harris award for outstanding contribution by an actor

Chiwetel Ejiofor

The Special Jury Prize

Chris Collins

BFI Player logo

Stream landmark cinema

Free for 14 days, then £4.99/month or £49/year.

Try for free

Other things to explore

news

SPOTLIGHT programme announced by BFI Film Audience Network to invest in culturally underserved communities

SPOTLIGHT programme announced by BFI Film Audience Network to invest in culturally underserved communities
news

6 emerging LGBTQIA+ creatives selected for BFI Flare x BAFTA professional development programme 2024

6 emerging LGBTQIA+ creatives selected for BFI Flare x BAFTA professional development programme 2024
news

Oscars 2024: the winners in full

Oscars 2024: the winners in full