UK MVA 2019 winners announced

British artists Stormzy and FKA twigs emerged as the big winners in an international pack of honourees at this year’s UK Music Video Awards, celebrated last night (23rd October) at London’s Roundhouse, where Partizan's legendary French director Michel Gondry won the UKMVAs’ biggest honour, The Icon Award, for his outstanding contribution to the music video artform.

Stormzy’s Vossi Bop, the visual accompaniment to his chart-topping summer single, claimed the title for the Video of the Year, and Best UK Urban Video, while Henry Scholfield, who directed the video and its follow-up for Sounds Of The Skeng, won the prestigious Best Director award at the annual celebration of creativity and craft in the medium of music videos.

FKA twigs’ video for Cellophane, directed by Chinese-American director Andrew Thomas Huang, was the most honoured video at the 2019 UKMVAs, winning four awards: Best UK Alternative Video, and three prizes for its technical excellence in the categories of Cinematography, Editing and Visual Effects. Twigs followed that by winning the UKMVAs’ Best Artist award – for the second time in 6 years.

View all UK MVA Winners on our Slate.

Other British artists honoured for the creativity of their music videos included breakout star Sam Fender, whose video for his single Dead Boys, directed by American director Vincent Haycock, won Best UK Rock Video; beatbox artist/producer Beardyman, won Best UK Dance Video for his video for 6am (Ready To Write) featuring Joe Rogan, directed by British director Ian Pons Jewell; and singer-songwriter Barns Courtney won Best UK Pop Video for You And I, directed by Spanish director Pablo Maestres.

British grime veteran Kano, won the inaugural MVA award for Best Special Video Project, directed by Aniel Karia – continuing their working relationship on the Netflix hit series Top Boy – for the extended video Trouble, and Loyle Carner’s video for Ottolenghi, directed by Oscar Hudson, won Best Production Design in a Video, while Thom Yorke’s mini-feature for his album Anima, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, won Best Choreography in a Video.

The international nature of the UK Music Video Awards 2019 was shown in wins for Spanish pop-flamenco sensation Rosalía, for the De Aqui No Sales video, by directing duo Diana Kunst and Mau Morgó (Best International Pop Video), US hiphop star A$AP Rocky’s video for Sundress by British director Frank Lebon (Best International Urban Video) Dutch rock band De Staat’s Kitty Kitty, directed by compatriot Wouter Stoter (Best International Rock Video); Italian DJ Salvatore Ganacci’s hilarious video for Horse, by Bosnian director Vedran Rupic (Best International Dance Video award).

Among the individuals honoured, Javier Alejandro, was named Best Producer, for his work with Henry Scholfield on his Stormzy videos and Wiley’s Boasty. Semera Khan of Polydor won the Best Commissioner award for the second time, and this year’s Best New Director was Duncan Loudon for his work with Obongjayar, Flohio and Skepta.

The Best Production Company award was won by relative newcomers Object & Animal at the end of a big night for the company which saw their video for Rosalía’s De Aqui No Sales directed by Diana Kunst and Mau Morgó collect the hotly-contended International Pop Video award, as well as the multiple wins for FKA twigs’ Cellophane. The London-based production company, led by producers Dom Thomas and Morgan Clement, was honoured for an outstanding output of music videos over the past year, for artists including Justice, Madonna, A$AP Rocky and James Blake.

In the live sector, director Elie Girard, continued French production company La Blogothèque’s dominance of the Best Live Video category with his shortform piece for Maggie Rogers’ Light On. Meanwhile, Blink Inc and directors Blue Leach and Rob Sinclair claimed the Live Concert award for their longform film covering Kylie Minogue’s Golden tour.

As new successes were celebrated, there was also recognition for a living legend and enduring inspiration of the music video craft: Michel Gondry. The French born director was honoured with this year’s UKMVA Icon Award, which he received via video link from Los Angeles. Artists including Björk, The Chemical Brothers, and Paul McCartney, actor and longtime collaborator Jim Carrey, and fellow directors including Spike Jonze, Dougal Wilson and Garth Jennings, all paid tribute to Gondry’s contribution to the medium on the night with video messages.

The 12th annual UK Music Video Awards ceremony was hosted by BUG frontman, and UKMVA regular host, Adam Buxton. 

The Winners:

Best Pop Video – UK in association with Cinelab London
Barns Courtney – You And I
Director: Pablo Maestres
Producer: Inés Massa
Prod co: Primo / Friend
Commissioner: Paul McKee

Best Rock Video – UK
Sam Fender – Dead Boys
Director: Vincent Haycock
Producer: Fred Bonham-Carter
Prod co: Park Pictures
Commissioner: Semera Khan for Polydor

Best Alternative Video – UK
FKA twigs – Cellophane
Director: Andrew Thomas Huang
Producers: Alex Chamberlain & Morgan Clement
Prod co: Object & Animal
Commissioner: Scott Wright for Young Turks

Best Dance Video – UK
Beardyman ft Joe Rogan – 6am (Ready To Write)
Director: Ian Pons Jewell
Producer: Ash Lockmun
Prod co: Academy Films
Commissioner: Elena Argiros for Sony Music Entertainment

Best Urban Video – UK
Stormzy – Vossi Bop
Director: Henry Scholfield
Producer: Javier Alejandro
Prod co: Caviar
Commissioner: Dan Curwin for #Merky Records / Atlantic Records

Best Pop Video – International
Rosalía – De Aquí No Sales
Directors: Diana Kunst & Mau Morgó
Producer: Ella Ackroyd
Prod co: Object & Animal / O Creative
Commissioner: Luis Angeles for Sony Music Spain

Best Rock Video – International
De Staat – Kitty Kitty
Director: Wouter Stoter
Producer: William Griffioen
Prod co: We Are Will
Commissioner: Torre Florim for Caroline Benelux

Best Alternative Video – International
Cayucas – Girl
Director: Nick Roney
Exec Producer: Andreas Attai
Producers: Alan Michnoff & Ed Leer
Prod co: Anarchy Films
Record co: Park The Van

Best Dance Video – International
Salvatore Ganacci – Horse
Director: Vedran Rupic
Producers: Christian Kuosmanen & Siamand Masoodian
Prod co: Business Club Royale
Record Co: Owsla

Best Urban Video – International
A$Ap Rocky ft Tame Impala – Sundress
Director: Frank Lebon
Producers: Anastasia Ehrich & Nat Baring
Prod co: Camera Club
Commissioner: A$AP Rocky
Record co: A$AP Worldwide, Polo Grounds Music, RCA Records
Film Laboratory: Cinelab London

Best Pop Video – Newcomer
Ashnikko – Hi, It's Me
Director: Lucrecia Taormina
Producer: Joseph Goldman
Prod co: FRIEND
Commissioner: Sam Seager for Parlophone

Best Rock Video – Newcomer
Flasher – Material
Director: Nick Roney
Producer: Andreas Attai
Prod co: Anarchy Films Inc.
Commissioner: Johanna McManus for Domino Recording Co

Best Alternative Video – Newcomer in association with OB Management
Obongjayar – Never Change
Director: Duncan Loudon
Producer: Tarquin Glass
Prod co: Somesuch
Commissioner: Richard Grewe for Plastic Circle
Film Laboratory: Cinelab London

Best Dance Video – Newcomer
Cora Novoa – State Of Mind
Director: Alex Gargot
Producer: Alvaro Priante
Prod co: Grayskull
Commissioner: Cora Novoa
Record co: Seeking The Velvet

Best Urban Video – Newcomer
Jay Prince – Beamlight
Director: Filmawi
Producer: Joseph J Goldman
Prod co: COMPULSORY.
Record co: Cosa Nostra Music

Best Production Design in a Video in association with CHEAT
Loyle Carner ft Jordan Rakei – Ottolenghi
Production Designer: Luke Moran-Morris
Director: Oscar Hudson
Producer: Chris Harrison
Prod co: Pulse Films
Record co: AMF Records

Best Styling in a Video in association with i-D
Baloji – Zombies
Stylist: Baloji
Director: Baloji
Prod co: BBL Productions
Record Co: Bella Union

Best Choreography in a Video
Thom Yorke – ANIMA
Choreographer: Damien Jalet
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Producers: Sara Murphy, Paul Thomas Anderson & Erica Frauman
Prod co: Dawn Chorus, LLC For Netflix
Record co: XL Recordings

Best Cinematography in a Video in association with Panalux
FKA twigs – Cellophane
DOP: Daniel Fernández Abelló
Director: Andrew Thomas Huang
Producers: Alex Chamberlain & Morgan Clement
Prod co: Object & Animal
Record co: Young Turks

Best Colour Grading in a Video in association with CHEAT
Prince – Mary Don't You Weep
Colourist: Simon Bourne at Framestore
Director: Salomon Ligthelm
Prod co: Stink Films
Record co: Warner Bros

Best Editing in a Video in association with Cut+Run
FKA twigs – Cellophane
Editor: Andrew Thomas Huang
Director: Andrew Thomas Huang
Producers: Alex Chamberlain & Morgan Clement
Prod co: Object & Animal
Record co: Young Turks

Best Visual Effects in a Video in association with Creep
FKA twigs – Cellophane
VFX: Analog Studio, Matt Chandler, Fabio Zaveti
Director: Andrew Thomas Huang
Prod co: Object & Animal
Record co: Young Turks

Best Animation in a Video
Weval – Someday
Animator: Páraic Mc Gloughlin
Director: Páraic Mc Gloughlin
Record co: Kompakt

Best Special Video Project in association with The Mill
Kano – Trouble
Director: Aneil Karia
Producer: Precious Mahaga
Prod co: Somesuch
Commissioner: Sam Seager for Parlophone