08/10/2009

The Times BFI 53rd London Film Festival (LFF) will present a dedicated awards ceremony on October 28 at which two new awards will be presented – the Best Film Award and Best British Newcomer – in addition to the longstanding Sutherland Trophy and The Grierson Award for documentaries.

Winners will get the inaugural Star of London awards designed by sculptor Almuth Tebbenhoff. This year’s recipients of the BFI Fellowship are British actor John Hurt and Malian filmmaker Souleymane Cissé. Hurt said, “For me, the BFI is the heart of British cinema. I consider it the highest honour possible to be awarded a Fellowship.”

This year’s jury for the Best Film award is chaired by Anjelica Huston and includes John Akomfrah, Jarvis Cocker, Matthieu Kassovitz, Charlotte Rampling and Iain Softley.

The Sutherland jury comprises Edgar Wright, Matt Bochenski, Mark Cosgrove, Kerry Fox, Sara Frain, Paul Greengrass, David Parfitt and Gillian Wearing.

Judges for the Best British Newcomer Award are Lenny Crooks, head of the UK Film Council’s New Cinema Fund; Christine Langan, Creative Director of BBC Films; Tessa Ross, Controller of Film4 and Drama, Channel 4; and Tanya Seghatchian, head of the UK Film Council’s Development Fund and Executive Producer of the Harry Potter franchise.

The Grierson jury includes Nick Broomfield, Molly Dineen, Ellen Fleming and Christo Hird.

The shortlists of nominees:

Best Film
Balibo
Bright Star [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Micmacs [+see also:
trailer
film profile]
Nowhere Boy [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]
A Prophet [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jacques Audiard
interview: Jacques Audiard and Tahar R…
film profile]
The Road
A Serious Man
The White Ribbon [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Michael Haneke
film profile]

Sutherland Award
Ajami [+see also:
trailer
film profile]
Bunny and the Bull [+see also:
trailer
film profile]
Cold Souls [+see also:
trailer
film profile]
Eyes Wide Open
Lebanon [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]
Metropia
Samson and Delilah
Shirley Adams
Wah Do Dem
Wolfy

Best British Newcomer
Malcolm Venville - director, 44 Inch Chest [+see also:
trailer
film profile]
J Blakeson - director, The Disappearance of Alice Creed [+see also:
trailer
film profile]
Jordan Scott - director, Cracks [+see also:
trailer
interview: María Valverde
film profile]
Lindy Heymann - director, Kicks [+see also:
trailer
film profile]
Leigh Campbell - writer, Kicks
Tom Harper - director, The Scouting Book for Boys [+see also:
trailer
film profile]
Jack Thorne - writer, The Scouting Book for Boys

Grierson Award
45365
La Danse: The Paris Opera Ballet [+see also:
trailer
film profile]
Defamation
Have You Heard From Johannesburg: The Bottom Line
His & Hers
Mugabe and the White African
Osadné
Sergio