Leigh's 'Vera Drake' dominates awards for independent films

Mike Leigh's contentious and heart-rending film about back-street abortions in the 1950s swept the board at last night's British Independent Film Awards.

Mike Leigh's contentious and heart-rending film about back-street abortions in the 1950s swept the board at last night's British Independent Film Awards.

Vera Drake repeated its triumph of the Venice Film Festival by being named best film and taking the best actress prize for Imelda Staunton.

She beat a shortlist including the rising star Scarlett Johansson with a performance touted as an Oscar contender.

But there were honours, too for Staunton's on-screen husband, Phil Davis, who beat nominees including Daniel Craig and Geoffrey Rush to the best actor prize, and Eddie Marsan, whose touching performance as a tongue-tied bachelor took the best supporting actor/actress prize from a shortlist that included Samantha Morton.

Mike Leigh, a director who has often struggled to win praise and financial backing in Britain, was named best director from a list which included Kevin Macdonald for Touching the Void , Roger Michell, whose previous hits include Notting Hill , for Enduring Love, and Shane Meadows for Dead Man's Shoes .

Elliot Grove, founder of the British Independent Film Awards (Bifas), Britain's only ceremony dedicated to British independent films, said: "I hope the awards will alert the powerful people in Hollywood that there are films made on these shores." The prizes were awarded at a ceremony in the Hammersmith Palais, London.

Guests included Christian Slater, the Hollywood star now on the West End stage and on this year's jury; Billy Zane, Kelly Brook; Gillian Anderson; James Nesbitt and Martine McCutcheon. Bob Hoskins, the star of films including The Long Good Friday and Mona Lisa , won the 2004 Richard Harris award for outstanding contribution by an actor to British film.

And Ashley Walters, the rapper with So Solid Crew, was named most promising newcomer for his performance in Bullet Boy . He also won a newcomer of the year nomination in the whatsonstage.com theatre awards for his National Theatre appearance in Sing Yer Heart Out for the Lads .

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The theatre director John Crowley's move into films was rewarded with the prize for debut director, making his debut with Layer Cake after producing hits such as Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels .

And Kevin Macdonald's feat in recreating the climb attempted by Joe Murphy and Simon Yates in Peru was named best documentary. Mike Eley took the best achievement in production award for his cinematography.

BRITISH INDEPENDENT FILM AWARDS

Best British Independent Film, Vera Drake

Best Foreign Independent Film, Oldboy

Best Performance by an Actor, Phil Davis, Vera Drake

Best Performance by an Actress, Imelda Staunton, Vera Drake

Best Performance by a supporting Actor/Actress, Eddie Marsan, Vera Drake

Best Director, Mike Leigh, Vera Drake

The Douglas Hickox Award for Best Directorial Debut, John Crowley, Intermission

Best Screenplay, Shaun of the Dead

Most Promising Newcomer, So Solid Crew's Ashley Walters, for Bullet Boy

Best British Feature Documentary, Touching the Void

Best Achievement in Production, Vera Drake

Best Technical Achievement, Cinematographer Mike Eley, Touching the Void

Best British Short, School of Life

The Richard Harris Award for Outstanding Contribution by an Actor to British Film, Bob Hoskins

The Special Jury Prize, Film producer Norma Heyman

The Variety UK Entertainment Personality Award, J K Rowling

Raindance Award, The Barn