The top honour of the evening also went to Vera Drake, as director Mike Leigh picked up the much-revered David Lean Award For Achievement in Direction.

The British director rose to a tremendous cheer from the hometown audience, and said he was "overwhelmed!"

"It's an immense privilege to have been allowed the freedom to make as uncompromising a film as I think we've made, and to make such an epic film with such a small budget," Leigh added.