The big winner of the night, Kathryn Bigelow’s The Hurt Locker, ran away with 6 awards including the first Best Director BAFTA awarded to a woman. It received its UK premiere at EIFF in June last year with actor Brian Geraghty in attendance to introduce the film.

Our 2009 Michael Powell Award winner, Duncan Jones, was the recipient of Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer, for his first feature Moon, which had its international premiere here in Edinburgh.

Further flying the flag for British talent, Andrea Arnold’s Fish Tank was awarded the BAFTA for Outstanding British Film, was also first introduced to UK audiences at EIFF. Both directors attended the Festival, and Moon and Fish Tank went on to appear in 2009’s Best of the Fest.

Great news and well done to all concerned.