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Sergei Loznitsa's 'Imperium' and Sompot Chidgasornpongse's '9 Temples To Heaven' Among London Film Festival Winners
· Confirmed
In Short: The 70th BFI London Film Festival concluded with Sergei Loznitsa's 'Imperium' winning Best Film and Sompot Chidgasornpongse's '9 Temples To Heaven' receiving the Sutherland Award.
The winners were announced on the last day of the 70th BFI London Film Festival, which ran from October 7 to October 18.
Sergei Loznitsa's 'Imperium' took home the Best Film Award in the Official Competition. The film, which revisits the Soviet Union of the early 1970s through footage shot by Italian cameramen, was praised by the jury for its use of archive material to offer a rarely seen perspective on Soviet society before the collapse of the USSR.
Thai filmmaker Sompot Chidgasornpongse's '9 Temples To Heaven' won the coveted Sutherland Award in the First Feature Competition. The film, which debuted at Cannes, follows Sakol, who sets out on a one-day pilgrimage to nine temples after hearing a prophecy that his elderly mother may die soon.
The first feature jury, led by Amir El-Masry, commended '9 Temples To Heaven' as an 'accomplished first feature paving his own path in the well-established tradition of filmmaking in the Southeast Asian region. The film is visually outstanding, spiritual, and meditative, where a story about life and death transcends borders and generations.'
Kissada Kamyoung and Apichatpong Weerasethakul produced the film alongside co-producers Thomas Hakim and Julien Graff of petit chaos, the company behind Payal Kapadia’s award-winning 'All We Imagine as Light.'
Other winners included Asmahan Bkerat’s 'Concrete Land,' which won the Grierson Award for documentary, and Rahul Roye’s 'Aman,' which won the Short Film Award.
The four winning films were selected by separate juries chaired by filmmaker Sam Pollard, actor Amir El-Masry, director Sandhya Suri, and writer-producer Helen Simmons.
The jury praised 'Concrete Land' for its close relationship with the film’s subjects and its powerful portrayal of a Palestinian Bedouin family displaced in Jordan.
'Aman' received special mention for its painterly cinematography and expansive storytelling, which guided the audience through the complexities of its narrative with care.
The festival's conclusion marks the end of a successful event that celebrated a range of cinematic achievements, from documentaries to short films and feature-length narratives.
Background
Sergei Loznitsa's 'Imperium' won the Best Film award at the 70th BFI London Film Festival, alongside other notable winners.
In ancient Rome, imperium was a form of authority held by a citizen to control a military or governmental entity. It is distinct from auctoritas and potestas, different and generally inferior types of power in the Roman Republic and Empire.
What's confirmed
- Thai filmmaker Sompot Chidgasornpongse won the coveted Sutherland Award in the First Feature Competition with 9 Temples To Heaven.
- “The film is richly evocative and emotionally engaging on all levels, giving us a visually arresting perspective of life before the Soviet Union was broken apart.” Palestinian-Jordanian director Bkerat’s Concrete Land tells the story of a Palestinian Bedouin family displaced in Jordan.
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- The 70th BFI London Film Festival runs from October 7 to October 18 This content is provided by Exco Player and may use cookies or similar technologies.
- “This was a spirited and tightly constructed portrait of Jarman as both an artist and an activist,” the jury noted.
- “This was a beautifully observed portrait filmed with mastery and confidence,” highlighted the LFF jury.
- Actor Amir El-Masry (“Giant,” “Limbo”) presided over that jury, joined by “Moonglow” producer Alemberg Ang and sales, distribution and awards strategist Rosa Bosch.
- It is streaming free on BFI Player until Oct. 25.
- “Santosh” director Sandhya Suri headed the documentary jury, alongside Melbourne International Film Festival senior programmer Kate Fitzpatrick and BAFTA and Emmy-winning producer Andee Ryder.
- “In a noisy and often polemical world it was refreshing, humbling and deeply relevant to see the quiet resilience and dignity of this family in the face of the erasure of their culture and traditions,” the jury said.
- Bertil Nilsson’s “Masc” received a special mention in the same section.
- The film reflects on faith, kinship and the passage from life to death.