The Moet British Independent Film Awards celebrated their 15th anniversary on Sunday, in what host and"The Hobbit" star James Nesbitt called the most successful year ever for British Independent cinema.
Mike Marsland | WireImage
Jude Law attends the British Independent Film Awards at Old Billingsgate Market on December 9, 2012 in London, England
"13.5 percent of all box office takings in Britain last year came from independent film, the highest ever recorded," James Nesbitt said, citing a study from the British Film Institute.
The recent successes of independent films have investors interested as well.
"Now more than ever is an interesting time for film," Wayne Godfrey, director of The Fyzz Facility, a film financing company told CNBC's Squawk Box Europe. "More and more investment is going into film. The (British) government announced that they're extending the U.K. tax credit which is fantastic for investors,"Godfrey added.
"There's something about British independent films. They're quirky and have great acting. I'm Canadian, from Toronto, and whenever a British film came out when I was growing up, I'd run out and see it," Elliot Grove, founder of the British Independent Film Awards said about their appeal.
British Actress Holliday Grainger, who recently played Estella in a new adaption of "Great Expectations" agrees.
"British Independent films have a level of grittiness to them. And I hate the word grittiness, but they're not afraid to show the harsher realities of life," said Grainger.
The film "Broken" won the award for Best British Independent Film, while Andrea Riseborough won Best Actress for Shadow Dancer, and Toby Jones clinched Best Actor for Berberian Sound Studios.