04/10/2011

British actor Ralph Fiennes (pictured) and Canadian auteur David Cronenberg will be bestowed BFI Fellowships, the institute’s highest honour, at the 55th BFI London Film Festival (October 12-27).

Directors John Madden, Asif Kapadia and Sam Taylor Wood, actress Gillian Anderson, producer Tracey Seaward and writer Andrew O’Hagan will judge the festival’s Best Film Award.

The nominees are: 360 [+see also:
trailer
film profile], Fernando Meirelles (UK/Austria/France/Brazil); The Artist [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Michel Hazanavicius
film profile], Michel Hazanavicius (France); The Deep Blue Sea [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Terence Davies
film profile], Terence Davies (UK); The Descendants, Alexander Payne (US); Faust, Aleksandr Sukurov (Russia); The Kid With A Bike [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne
film profile], Luc & Jean-Pierre Dardenne (Belgium/France/Italy); Shame [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], Steve McQueen (UK); Trishna, Michael Winterbottom (UK); and We Need To Talk About Kevin [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Lynne Ramsay
film profile], Lynne Ramsay (UK/US).

The award for Best British Newcomer will be judged by actress Anne-Marie Duff, actor Tom Hollander, director of the National Film and Television School Nik Powell, producers Andy Harries and Stephen Woolley and show presenter Edith Bowman.

The nominees are; Nick Murphy, Director, The Awakening [+see also:
trailer
film profile]; Tinge Krishnan, Director, Junkhearts [+see also:
trailer
film profile]; Candese Reid, Actress, Junkhearts; Nirpal Bhogal, Writer/director, Sket; Aimee Kelly, Actress, Sket [+see also:
trailer
film profile]; Tom Cullen, Actor, Weekend; Chris New, Actor, Weekend; and D.R. Hood, Writer/Director, Wreckers.

The Jury for the Sutherland Award, presented to the director of the most original and imaginative feature debut in the festival includes Turner Prize nominee Phil Collins, producer Andrew Eaton, director Joanna Hogg, Peter Kosminsky, actress Saskia Reeves, Hugo Grumbar, managing director (International) Icon UK Group, and film journalist Tim Robey.