American Honey Takes Top Prize At British Independent Film Awards

It’s full-steam ahead into Awards Season, and Andrea Arnold’s feverish coming-of-age drama American Honey has taken two of the top prizes, and four awards in total at this year’s British Independent Film Awards (BIFAs).

Celebrating the best in independent and homegrown cinema, American Honey received the Best Film honour on the night, whilst Arnold scooped the Best Director award. Debutant screen performer Sasha Lane was named Best Actress, whilst Robbie Ryan’s cinematography landed the Outstanding Achievement in Craft Award.

Other notable award winners included the Ken Loach-directed drama I, Daniel Blake, Iranian horror movie Under the Shadow, emotional documentary Notes on Blindness, and the highly Oscar-tipped Moonlight.

Director of American Honey, Andrea Arnold, is no stranger to awards, having previously won an Academy Award, two BAFTAs, and four Cannes Film Festival prizes, in her 18 year directing career. Commenting on the number of female directors she said, “the figures were so small, we actively have to employ more females, perhaps we need to at this point. There are a lot of capable women out there.”

Whether American Honey will be able to compete against some of the big hitters in the Academy Awards remains to be seen, but it’s a great start to awards seasons for this stunning independent film.

Source: BBC