In just three short years, the British Independnet Film Awards (BIFA) has become one of the local film industry's must-attend events. The brainchild of Elliot Grove, the Canadian-turned-Londoner who also helms the annual Raindance Film Festival here, the Awards now have received the official sanction of the industry elite as a valuable showcase for the best in UK talent. And true to its independent origins, it is a far hipper and cooler alternative to the stuffy BAFTA Awards.

In its two previous years, the Awards have recognised such ground breaking UK films as Nil by Mouth, Elizabeth, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Ratcatcher, East is East, Hilary and Jackie and The War Zone. These films are part of an independent movement that has revitalized (yet again) an industry prone to periods of success that are immediately followed by barren stretches and on-going financial crises. "We are here to recognise the independence of spirit, of vision, and above all of persistence - the sheer guts it takes to get a movie made!", according to founder Elliot Grove.

The event on Wednesday evening, 25 October, returned for a second year to the tony Cafe Royal in London's West End, a favorite spot for the elite to meet. But the BIFAs take the rather stodgy environs and turn them into one of London's grooviest nightspots. Perfectly capturing the tone of pep-rally for British talent and wild irreverence was comedian Richard Blackwood, a self-described "black agitator from Brixton" who kept the evening going at a fast clip, always ready to deflate the sometimes self-congratulatory atmosphere of local indie heavyweights.

The popular winner of the Best Film Award, sponsored by internet service Coppernob, was Billy Elliot, theatrical director Stephen Daldry's film directorial debut, a crowd pleaser about a miner's son who finds creative expression and an escape from his working class background through his love of ballet. The film, which is turning into this year's The Full Monty, is Britain's number one native box office sensation in the year so far.

The Best Actor award was given to Daniel Craig for the ensemble comedy Snatch. A surprise winner for Best Actress was American actress Gillian Anderson, best known for her role in the cult tv series "The X Files", who won for her startling role in the costume drama adaptation of Edith Wharton's The House of Mirth, directed by Terence Davies (The Long Day Closes).

Billy Elliot also won awards for Best Director for Stephen Daldry, a live theater wunderkind whose first film this is, and for Best Screenplay for Lee Hall, for his semi-autobiographical account from his prize-winning novel.

Winning the Best Foreign Independent Film (Foreign Language) was Kadosh, by Israeli filmmaker Amos Kitai, a penetrating story of love and sex among Orthodox Jews in the 19th century. The Straight Story, David Lynch's prize-winning story of an older man's journey of discovery as he drives a farm tractor to see his dying brother, won the award for Best Foreign Independent Film (English Language). Director Lynch was not present but in a telegram read for the crowd, he dedicated the Award to the late Richard Farnsworth, whose brilliant portrayal of the lead role was recognized last year with an Academy Award nomination. Farnsworth died a few months ago. The Film Four Special Jury Prize was awarded to director Mike Figgis (Leaving Las Vegas), whose prolific output in the past year has included an adaptation of the Strindberg theater classic Miss Julie and the multi-screen digital "film" Timecode. Figgis, who divides his time between the UK and Hollywood, gave an impassioned speech about the need for new technologies to provide opportunities for films to be seen. Obviously smarting from the lacklustre box office of both of his films, Figgis bemoaned "the tremendous pressure that even well reviewed films are under to perform spectacularly their first weekend at the box office". He said that quality films "are not given a chance to find their audience through word of mouth and critical praise". Figgis promised to devote more time to exploring the possibilities of internet distribution, which he feels to be a more democratic process that can bring quality films directly to the audience.

The Awards highlighted clips for each nominee, which added considerably to the length of the ceremony, but gave a fascinating look at the diversity and prolific nature of the current scene. With Billy Elliot scheduled to be a box office winner around the world, and new films expected this year from the prolific Mr. Figgis, Michael Winterbottom, Mike Leigh and Ken Loach, English cinema is experiencing one of its cyclical upsides. And lest we forget, this year's Oscar winner for Best Director is a London boy, Sam Mendes (American Beauty). So, the BIFAs have much to celebrate, as it reflects an industry that continues to produce some of the world's most formidable talents.

Sandy Mandelberger