The British Independent Film Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a British Independent Film is an annual award given by the British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) to recognize the best leading performance by an actress in a British independent film. The award was first presented in the 1998 ceremony with Kathy Burke being the first recipient of the award for her performance as Valerie in Nil by Mouth.
British Independent Film Award for Best Actress | |
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Awarded for | Best Performance by an Actress in a British Independent Film |
Country | United Kingdom |
Presented by | BIFA |
First awarded | 1998 |
Last awarded | Joanna Scanlan – After Love (2021) |
Website | www |
With two wins each, Carey Mulligan and Olivia Colman are the only nominees who have won more than once. Samantha Morton holds the record of most nominations with five, followed by Judi Dench with four.
In July 2022, it was announced that the performance categories would be replaced with gender-neutral categories, with both Best Actor and Best Actress merging into the Best Lead Performance category. Additionally, a category named Best Joint Lead Performance was created for "two (or exceptionally three) performances that are the joint focus of the film, especially where performances share a large number of scenes and screen time".[1]
Year | Actress | Film | Character |
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1998 (1st) [2] |
Kathy Burke | Nil by Mouth | Valerie |
Louise Goodall | My Name Is Joe | Sarah Downie | |
Rachel Griffiths | My Son the Fanatic | Bettina/ Sandra | |
Samantha Morton | Under the Skin | Iris Kelly | |
Emma Thompson | The Winter Guest | Frances | |
1999 (2nd) [3] |
Emily Watson | Hilary and Jackie | Jacqueline du Pré |
Lara Belmont | The War Zone | Jessie | |
Rachel Griffiths | Hilary and Jackie | Hilary du Pré | |
Jane Horrocks | Little Voice | LV | |
Gina McKee | Wonderland | Nadia |
Year | Actress | Film | Character |
---|---|---|---|
2020 (23rd) [40][41] |
Wunmi Mosaku | His House | Rial |
Claire Dunne | Her Self | Sandra | |
Andrea Riseborough | Luxor | Hana | |
Bukky Bakray | Rocks | Olushola "Rocks" Omotoso | |
Morfydd Clark | Saint Maud | Maud | |
2021 (24th) [42] |
Joanna Scanlan | After Love | Mary |
Caitríona Balfe | Belfast | Ma | |
Carrie Coon | The Nest | Allison O'Hara | |
Claire Rushbrook | Ali & Ava | Ava | |
Ruth Wilson | True Things | Kate |
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