BFI LFF 2022 Award Winners

THE WINNERS
The winners of this year’s films screening In Competition are:
• CORSAGE – Marie Kreutzer, wins Best Film Award in Official Competition
• 1976 – Manuela Martelli, wins Sutherland Award in First Feature Competition
• ALL THAT BREATHES – Shaunak Sen, wins Grierson Award in Documentary Competition
• AS MINE EXACTLY – Charlie Shackleton, wins Immersive Art and XR Award
• I HAVE NO LEGS, AND I MUST RUN – Yue Li, wins Short Film Award in Short Film Competition
Placing audiences at the heart of the Festival, there is also the popular Audience Award with feature and short categories, the latter of which is introduced for the first time this year. This year’s Audience Award winners are:
• BLUE BAG LIFE – Lisa Selby, Rebecca Hirsch Lloyd-Evans, Alex Fry, wins Audience Award – Feature
• DROP OUT – Ade Femzo, wins Audience Award – Short

CORSAGE – Marie Kreutzer, Official Competition (Best Film Award)

The best film award goes to Marie Kreutzer’s masterfully realised film Corsage for its mesmerising and original interpretation of the life of the Austrian Empress Elisabeth. The jury was completely seduced by Vicky Krieps’ sublime performance of a woman out of time trapped in her own iconography and her rebellious yearning for liberation.”

The Jury would like to commend the pure cinematic language and formal mastery of Godland and for the immersive atmosphere it creates.

1976 – Manuela Martelli, First Feature Competition (Sutherland Award)
A captivating work that centres a Chile at the dawn of the Pinochet dictatorship, 1976 is an historic film that is chillingly relevant to our time. Spouses, friends and neighbors become softly radicalized under the threat of violence and an increasing atmosphere of paranoia. It is a quietly simmering political thriller with elements of noir— Martelli’s taut and refined style expertly wields menace through meticulous framing and skilful use of lighting. It is a remarkable debut, original and imaginative in its symbolism, attention to detail, and profound performances.”

The First Feature Jury said:
“We would like to give a commendation to Joyland, directed by Saim Sadiq. The jury was taken with JOYLAND’s sumptuous visual language and its deft and tender performances.

ALL THAT BREATHES – Shaunak Sen, Documentary Competition (Grierson Award)
From sweeping shots of kites in flight to following scurrying rats and swarms of flies, All That Breathes makes a moving case for no living creature being too insignificant or unworthy of attention, love and care.
The special commendation goes to What About China by Trinh Minh-ha.

AS MINE EXACTLY – Charlie Shackleton, Immersive Art and XR Competition
The Immersive Art and XR Award recognises the most innovative work from artists and creators who are boldly exploring the intersection of art, film and expanded reality.

The Jury would like to give a special commendations In Pursuit of Repetitive Beats and On the Morning You Wake (To The End of the World).

I HAVE NO LEGS, AND I MUST RUN – Yue Li, Short Film Competition (Short Film Award)
The Jury would like to give a special commendation to A Sod State.

BLUE BAG LIFE – Lisa Selby, Rebecca Hirsch Lloyd-Evans, Alex Fry, wins Audience Award – Feature

DROP OUT – Ade Femzo, wins Audience Award – Short

This year’s festival stats:

· More than 750 international and UK filmmakers, XR artists and series creatives presented their work in person at the Festival
· 12 days of in-person screenings comprising features, shorts, episodic and immersive work, Screen Talks and LFF For Free events, and a further week of selected films streaming across the UK on BFI Player sees Festival reach overall audiences in person and online of over 290k
· Occupancy across both free and paid-for in person events has increased to 87% – slightly higher than pre-pandemic levels of 84% in 2018 and 83% in 2019