"The King's Speech" rules British indie awards

"The King's Speech" reigns at British film awards

LONDON (Reuters) – "The King's Speech," starring Colin Firth as King George VI struggling to overcome a debilitating stammer, won five prizes at the British Independent Film Awards on Sunday.

The picture, already in the frame for Oscars glory, was named best British independent film. Firth was crowned best actor, while Helena Bonham Carter and Geoffrey Rush picked up supporting actor awards and David Seidler was voted best screenwriter.

Carey Mulligan won the best actress prize for her role in the adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro's best-selling novel "Never Let Me Go."

Gareth Edwards won best director for his feature debut "Monsters," a sci-fi movie made on a shoestring budget.

Among the other award winners on the night were French prison drama "A Prophet" (best foreign film) and "Enemies of the People" (best documentary) about the killing fields of Cambodia.

(Reporting by Mike Collett-White, editing by Mark Trevelyan)