"American Honey", "I, Daniel Blake" triumph at British Independent Film Awards

The film "American Honey" was the big winner at the British Independent Film Awards, scooping four prizes.

Andrea Arnold's middle America roadtrip odyssey "American Honey" won the awards for best director, best actress for Sasha Lane, best British independent film, and the prize for outstanding craft for cinematographer Robbie Ryan.

The film "I, Daniel Blake" was also a prominent winner in the annual awards ceremony held on Sunday evening in the Old Billingsgate Market in central London.

Director Ken Loach's "I, Daniel Blake", won awards for best actor and for best newcomer. The film tells the deeply personal story of poor people struggling to survive in contemporary Britain without a job and with dwindling support from welfare authorities.

Dave Johns who won the award for best actor, in his feature film debut, told Xinhua: "It's been a crazy time, I never felt it would have the impact it has had -- audiences are loving and reviewers are loving it. It has got something to say."

Hayley Squires, who won the award as best newcomer for her performance as Katy, a struggling single mother, told Xinhua: "We did a lot of research. I met people in homeless hostels, in Katy's position; and I visited a food bank about four days before we did the scene. It is pretty delicate research; you are stepping into people's lives, who are in crisis."

"You are talking about people's lives and what they go through daily; if you let go of that, then there is a lack of truth in you."

The prize for best international indie film went to Barry Jenkins' drama "Moonlight" about growing up in the contemporary United States against a background of racial and sexual identity. Endit