'King's Speech' Rules British Indie Fim Awards

DEC 11, 2010 - The King's Speech is the big winner at the British Independent Film Awards, grabbing the Best Film title as well as Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor and Actress, and Best Screenplay.

The movie is about the relationship between King George VI, or “Bertie” (Colin Firth, pictured here with Helena Bonham Carter), who was afflicted with a life-long stammer, and Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush), the Australian speech therapist who attempted to help the king speak well enough to inspire his nation during the Second World War. Mixing farce and inspiration, the film, which won the Audience Award at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, is a crowd-pleaser that has been widely touted as an Oscar favourite.

Below is a list of winners in the major categories of the British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) announced recently. The BIFAs are usually overlooked by the mainstream media but I am posting them here for those interested in the Oscar Race.

THE Main BIFA Winners:

Best British Independent Film - The King's Speech

Best Director - Gareth Edwards for Monsters

Best Performance by an Actress - Carey Mulligan for Never Let Me Go

Best Performance by an Actor - Colin Firth for The King's Speech

Best Supporting Actress - Helena Bonham Carter for The King's Speech

Best Supporting Actor - Geoffrey Rush for The King's Speech

Most Promising Newcomer - Joanne Froggatt for In Our Name

Best Screenplay - David Seidler for The King's Speech

The Richard Harris Award - Helena Bonham Carter

The Variety Award - Liam Neeson