Ben Kingsley is nothing if not versatile, portraying roles as diverse as arch pacifist Ghandi and evil psychopath Don Logan in his latest venture, Sexy Beast.
The latter, a gangster movie with a twist, has just earned the English star a British Independent Film Award for Best Actor. Now in their fourth year, the BIFAS were created to heighten industry awareness of the achievements of independent filmmakers in the UK. The shortlist of entrants is compiled by a jury made up of ten key players in the industry. In order to participate, films must be produced, or mainly produced, by a British company or be at least 51 percent funded by a British source.
Sexy Beast, which was nominated for a total of five awards, also picked up the Best British Independent Film gong and a Best Director trophy for Jonathan Glazer. Hollywood heavyweight Kate Winslet, of Titanic fame, and one-time Oscar nominee Samantha Morton, lost out to Kate Ashfield, who scooped up the Best Actress award for Late Night Shopping.
Home-grown British writer Richard Curtis, best known for his work on hit English TV series Blackadder and Mr. Bean, was presented with a special award recognising him as the Variety UK Personality Of The Year. Christopher Nolan’s Memento was named Best Foreign Film in the English language, while Wong Kar-Wai’s In The Mood For Love won the Foreign Language pic award. The ceremony took place at the Park Lane Hotel in London.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
