It's Just Movies

— by CAM SMITH —

With the Oscar race already kicking into gear, we’re going to be seeing a lot of uninspired lists of award winners over the next two sleepy months. Many of these ceremonies will result in forehead-slapping victories — *cough* Golden Globes *cough* — while only a slight few will actually bother to reward those truly deserving of acclaim and recognition.

On Dec. 6, the lucky recipients of the 12th annual British Independent Film Awards were announced over in swingin’ London, and I gotta say that, looking over the list, we North Americans could probably stand to learn a thing or two from our sophisticated Brit cousins.

Duncan Jones’ “Moon” winning anything — even a MTV Award for Best Wacky Robot — is a triumph, but Best Picture?!? And Jones being named Best Debut Director? All in all, an early Christmas-time miracle, I say.

And holy heck, the organization even succeeded where the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences miserably, miserably failed in 2008, by tossing a Best Foreign Film award to the gorgeous and chilling Swedish coming-of-age vampire tale “Let the Right One In.”

Although there are a plethora of more obscure titles listed which haven’t yet made their plucky way to my shore yet, I have to admit that it’s really refreshing to peruse a film awards organization’s year-end best-of list that doesn’t make me want to burn things.

The entire list of BIFA Winners can be seen below (and click here for the list of nominees):

BEST BRITISH INDEPENDENT FILM
“Moon”

BEST DIRECTOR

Andrea Arnold – “Fish Tank”

THE DOUGLAS HICKOX AWARD (BEST DEBUT DIRECTOR)

Duncan Jones – “Moon”

BEST SCREENPLAY

“In The Loop” – Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci and Tony Roche

BEST ACTRESS

Carey Mulligan – “An Education”

BEST ACTOR

Tom Hardy – “Bronson”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Anne-Marie Duff – “Nowhere Boy”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

John Henshaw – “Looking for Eric”

MOST PROMISING NEWCOMER

Katie Jarvis – “Fish Tank”

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN PRODUCTION

“Bunny And The Bull”

RAIN DANCE AWARD

“Down Terrace”

TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT

“Bright Star” – Cinematography – Greig Fraser

BEST DOCUMENTARY

“Mugabe and the White African”

BEST BRITISH SHORT

“Love You More”

BEST FOREIGN FILM

“Let The Right One In”

THE RICHARD HARRIS AWARD (for outstanding contribution to British film)

“Daniel Day-Lewis”

THE VARIETY AWARD

“Sir Michael Caine”

THE SPECIAL JURY PRIZE

“Baz Bamigboye”

Follow Cam Smith on Twitter at http://twitter.com/camspcepisodes.