03/11/2006

Four emerging European directors and producer won top awards yesterday at the closing night ceremony of the 50th London Film Festival, attended by Alejandro González Iñárritu and Gael García Bernal, who starred in the director’s Babel,.

Andrea Arnold and her Red Road [+see also:
trailer
film profile] won the Sutherland Trophy for the most original and imaginative first feature film. The jury’s statement was: “The subtle innovation, the sheer courage with storytelling and the kind of attention to detail which makes a story resonate on an astounding range of levels resulted in massive support for this beautiful and unpredictable debut feature.” Red Road, which already won the Cannes Jury Prize, was released last Friday by Verve Pictures and grossed £81,992 from 38 screens in three days.

Mark Herbert, the UK producer of This is England [+see also:
trailer
film profile], won the Alfred Dunhill UK Film Talent Award worth £15,000; Spanish filmmaker Javier Rebollo was awarded the FIPRESCI Award for his feature debut Lola [+see also:
trailer
film profile], co-produced with France; and the acclaimed German feature debut by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, The Lives of Others [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Florian Henckel von Donners…
interview: Ulrich Muehe
film profile] (see focus), won the Satyajit Ray Award. The prestigious TCM Short Film Award was handed out to UK up-and-coming talent Chris Shepherd for his Silence is Golden.

This year’s exceptional LFF screened 183 feature films and 131 short films from 48 countries and welcomed 1649 international filmmakers and industry professionals as well as 900 accredited journalists from over 50 countries.

Artistic Director Sandra Hebron commented: “We’ve been delighted by the enthusiastic response of filmmakers and audiences alike to our special birthday festival. The diversity of the films on offer, the range and calibre of guests who’ve attended and the success of our industry and educational events puts the festival in a very strong position as we look forward to our next 50 years”. Now the efficient team of the LFF will have a break before starting its Touring Programme across the UK next January.