INTERVIEW: The Imposter Director Bart Layton at the British Independent Film Awards 2012

Director Bart Layton's film The Imposter picked up two awards, plus received nominations for Best British Independent Film, Best Director, Best Achievement In Production and Best Technical Achievement.

The Imposter centres on a Texas family whose teenage son who has been missing for three years, turns up, in Spain and can now only speak with a Spanish accent. This true story gives accounts from the family, the authorities and the young Frenchman Frederic Bourdin who was found to be an imposter during investigations, exploring just how and why the family opened him into their family, despite worryingly massive missing pieces in the puzzle.

The following interview took place at the Moet British Independent Film Awards in London on 9th December 2012. 

INTERVIEW: Broken Director Rufus Norris and Cast at the British Independent Film Awards 2012

The Moët British Independent Film Award for Best British Independent Film goes to... Broken! At the 15th year of celebrating all that is incredible in the world of British independent film-making, I was treated to the cavalcade of Broken cast and crew who were in visibly high spirits (one or two who also may have taken advantage of the copious amounts of champers being handed out by the evenings sponsors, quite rightly so) to discuss their win.

In front of me, just about, sat Broken Director Rufus Norris, Editor Victoria Boydell, Producers Nick Marston and Dixie Linder and actors Eloise Laurence, Robert Emms, Clare Burt and Bill Milner, squeezed in and ready to celebrate at the after-party about to commence.

This was Rufus' debut film, an impressive way to make an entrance on the film-making scene.

INTERVIEW: Berberian Sound Studio Director Peter Strickland - British Independent Film Awards 2012

Berberian Sound Studio picked up no less that four awards for the coveted title of Best Director, Best Actor (for Tony Jones' performance as Gilderoy), Best Achievement In Production and Best Technical Achievement for the sound design (also nominated again in this category but for Cinematography) plus a host of nominations including Best Screenplay and Best British Independent Film. Impressive, frankly.

Elated as you can imagine, I met award winning Berberian Sound Studio Director Peter Strickland after he had just been handed one of his many awards. Amusingly, fighting the constant rapturous applause and live music happening in the awards hall next door, the following interview with Peter reveals his unique passion and observation for the seemingly mundane everyday sound and how it resulted in the winning film of the night.

INTERVIEW: Sightseers Alice Lowe & Steve Oram at the British Independent Film Awards 2012

Alice Lowe and Steve Oram get ushered in to our little press room in a whirlwind of PR reps and a constant hum of best-friend banter between the two. They sit, still jesting with each other, without barely even noticing the interview has begun; a constant level of laughter is the stand-out feature throughout. In fine fettle after their minutes-ago win for the BIFA 2012 Best Screenplay award, Alice answers most of the questions, constantly looking to Steve for reference and amusing back-up. Behind that particularly impressive home-grown beard, Steve's face lights up when conversation of it and his heritage are discussed,  along with illegalities of dog bottom-licking. (You really need to see this film.)

Sightseers is easily summed up as a 'pitch black comedy' death-trip which focuses on the developing relationship between the two leads, Tina [Alice Lowe] and Chris [Steve Oram]. Throw in some scenes of Cumbria hills, cute dog and a caravan, you have a quintessentially perfect English film that you can see America attempting to remake in the not-too-distant future.

INTERVIEW: James Floyd at the British Independent Film Awards 2012

James Floyd won Most Promising Newcomer at the British Independent Film Awards this year for his role in My Brother The Devil, a film about gangland London from the perspective of two young British Arab brothers. 

The following interview took place at the Moet British Independent Film Awards in London on 9th December 2012.

GG: You gave a very heartfelt speech about your award win, directing many thanks to your family. So how important is family to you as a new actor? Are you still getting to grips with the industry?

James: Yes, I’m still getting to grips with the lights [this interview took place after a red carpet stint with the paparazzi and his win on stage] and people asking me questions and press conferences – this is all new to me, but nice. It’s taken about six, seven years to get here – that’s why family is so important. During the tough years you need that support system to keep you going. It’s not easy being an actor who is working but has no money. For that reason and many others, an emotionally supportive family is the most important thing – and that’s not just your blood family, but people who are close; your loved ones.

INTERVIEW: Olivia Colman at the British Independent Film Awards 2012

After winning the coveted Best Actress award last year for Tyrannosaur, Peep Show's Olivia Colman made a raptuous return to the British Independent Film Awards with another win for her work in Hyde Park On Hudson. Fantastic at playing comedic roles in films such as Hot Fuzz and Confetti to cult British television series including Look Around You and Green Wing, Olivia is gaining equal notoriety for her more gritty, straight-laced roles, and deservedly so. Genuinely shaken a little with nervous excitement from her win, Olivia's giddiness came through during my interview with her, inescapably British, over-apologising when she couldn't find the right words. I found her reaction to the win incredibly touching and one of the most down-to-earth actors I've had the pleasure to meet.

The following interview took place at the Moet British Independent Film Awards in London on 9th December 2012.

INTERVIEW: Andrea Riseborough at the British Independent Film Awards 2012

Shadow Dancer's Andrea Riseborough made an entrance akin to that of the golden Hollywood luminaries in a stunning black dress and cool red-carpet confidence to match the wintry temperature outside. In front of me, the statue of sassiness had been diluted, now replaced with genuine astonishment for picking up her first win at the British Independent Film Awards. You may know of Andrea from Madonna's W.E. or Brighton Rock [2011]. Her television work consists of, amongst many others, The Devil's Whore [2008] and you may have spotted her as the original ghost Annie from the the pilot of Being Human.
 
Andrea co-stars with a particularly strong cast in Shadow Dancer, with the company of Gillian Anderson [The X-Files, Any Human Heart] and Clive Owen [Children Of Men, The Bourne Identity]. 

The following interview took place at the Moet British Independent Film Awards in London on 9th December 2012.

INTERVIEW: Rory Kinnear at the British Independent Film Awards 2012

At the British Independent Film Awards 2012 I grabbed five minutes with Best Supporting Actor award winner, Rory Kinnear. Son of comedy character actor Roy Kinnear of Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, The Three Musketeers and George & Mildred fame (and brilliantly the voice of Bulk in 80s children's series Super Ted), it was a fantastic night to see him in such fine fettle carrying on the artistic Kinnear gene, albeit it for a role that on first experience, is anything but jocose.

In Broken, Rory plays Bob Oswald, a recently widowed father of three young girls, with a ticking time-bomb of an explosive temper. When ignited, the detrimental shock-wave effect on his neighbours within the unassuming cul-de-sac, fuses the families together to an altogether moving and warming story of pure heart.

INTERVIEW: Sir Michael Gambon at the British Independent Film Awards 2012

As Michael settles himself in front of me, he reflects on the montage that had just played of all of the films he had appeared in throughout his highly acclaimed, extensive career. The films included Wives and Daughters, The Singing Detective, The Good Shepherd, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou and The King's Speech. Not forgetting his portrayal of Dumbledore from the Harry Potter franchise that younger film fans will certainly recognise.

I met Sir Michael at the British Independent Film Awards 2012 after he had just come off stage from receiving the prestigious Richard Harris Award for his distinguished and outstanding contribution as an actor to the film industry...