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LONDON 2019 Awards

Monos wins the Best Film Award at the London Film Festival

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- Alejandro Landes’ flick has won the top prize in the UK capital, while Atlantics scooped Best First Feature, White Riot pocketed Best Documentary and Fault Line came out on top in the shorts category

Monos wins the Best Film Award at the London Film Festival
Monos by Alejandro Landes

Monos [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
has won the Best Film Award in the Official Competition of the London Film Festival. Giving out the prize, Wash Westmoreland, the Official Competition jury president, called Alejandro Landes’ movie a “stunning cinematic achievement, marrying dynamic visuals, faultless performances and groundbreaking storytelling. It’s a masterpiece!”

Monos, which tells the story of child soldiers in Colombia, is a co-production between Colombia, Uruguay, Argentina, the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, Sweden and the USA. France’s Le Pacte is handling its international sales. Monos debuted at Sundance, where Cineuropa praised the film as an “exhilarating nightmare”. The Official Competition jury also gave out Special Commendations to Rose Glass’ Saint Maud [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Rose Glass
film profile
]
and Alma Har’el’s Honey Boy.

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Atlantics [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Mati Diop
film profile
]
by Mati Diop won the Sutherland Award for Best First Film. Jessica Hausner, First Feature Competition jury president, lauded the ghost story in which the men in Dakar have vanished, stating, “This film dares to invent a poetic fable, which is mysterious and challenging.” Atlantics debuted in competition at Cannes, where Cineuropa delighted in its peculiarities, calling it a “bold, unique and eclectic cocktail.” The First Feature Competition jury also gave a Special Commendation to Bora Kim’s House of Hummingbird.

White Riot [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by Rubika Shah won the Grierson Award for Best Documentary. The movie blends fresh interviews with archive footage to profile the Rock Against Racism music protest movement. Yance Ford, Documentary Competition jury president, commented, “In the spirit of the Grierson Award criteria, White Riot is both a provocation and a tremendous opportunity… Rubika Shah has used the power of film to remind us of where we have been and asks how long it will take us to change course.”

Soheil Amirsharifi’s Fault Line won the Short Film Award. Jacqui Davis, Short Film Competition jury president, said, “This is a film that provoked intense discussion, as we continued to decode it long after watching it.” The Short Film Competition jury also gave a Special Commendation to If You Knew by Stroma Cairns.

Here is the complete list of award winners: 

Best Film Award in Official Competition
Monos [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
– Alejandro Landes (Colombia/Netherlands/Argentina/Germany/Denmark/Sweden/Uruguay/Switzerland)

Special Commendations
Saint Maud [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Rose Glass
film profile
]
- Rose Glass (UK)
Honey Boy - Alma Har’el (USA)

Sutherland Award in First Feature Competition
Atlantics [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Mati Diop
film profile
]
– Mati Diop (France/Senegal/Belgium)

Special Commendation
House of Hummingbird - Bora Kim (South Korea)

Grierson Award in Documentary Competition
White Riot [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
- Rubika Shah (UK)

Short Film Award in Short Film Competition
Fault Line – Soheil Amirsharifi (Iran)

Special Commendation
If You Knew - Stroma Cairns (UK)

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