The winners of London’s Evening Standard awards were announced on Monday, Feb. 8. Andrea Arnold’s Fish Tank (above), the tale of a working-class teenager (Katie Jarvis) who resents her mother’s new boyfriend (Michael Fassbender) was chosen as the best British film of 2009. Although it's been received warmly by critics, Fish Tank is up for only one BAFTA Award: Best British Film.
Anne-Marie Duff was the best actress winner for her performance as young John Lennon’s mother in Sam Taylor-Wood’s film debut Nowhere Boy (Academy Award nominee Carey Mulligan was also in the running for An Education). Andy Serkis, best known for his Gollum in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, was voted best actor for his impersonation of rocker Ian Dury in Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll.
The other Evening Standard winners were Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, and Tony Roche for their In the Loop screenplay; most promising newcomer Peter Strickland for his direction and screenplay of Katalin Varga; and Sacha Gervasi's Anvil! The Story of Anvil as best documentary.
Also, Bruno's Sacha Baron Cohen won the Peter Sellers Award for Comedy, while the Alexander Walker Special Award went to veteran filmmaker and cinematographer Nicolas Roeg (Walkabout, The Man Who Fell to Earth, Don't Look Now) for his contributions to film. Roeg's latest effort, Night Train, is scheduled to be released later this year. The cop thriller stars Sigourney Weaver, Michael Madsen, and Raoul Bova.
Photo: Fish Tank (Holly Horner / IFC Films)