Austrian filmmaker Marie Kreutzer clinched the best film award in the main Official Competition of the 66th London Film Festival with her latest feature Corsage, starring Vicky Krieps.
The historical drama, which is also the Austrian entry for the best international feature film Oscar race, follows the disgruntled Empress Elisabeth (Krieps), a 19th-century royal who, upon turning 40, begins to rebel against her carefully orchestrated public image.
The festival jury, headed by producer Tanya Seghatchian (Power of the Dog, Cold War), actor Gwendoline Christie (Game of Thrones), filmmaker/playwright Kemp Powers (One Night in Miami), filmmaker Chaitanya Tamhane (The Disciple), and journalist Charles Gant described the film as a “mesmerizing and original interpretation of the life of the Austrian Empress Elisabeth.”
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“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 said in a statement after handing over the award.
Before announcing Corsage as the best film winner, the jury also praised another competition title, Hlynur Pálmason’s latest film Godland, for its “pure cinematic language” and “formal mastery.”
Both Corsage and Godland debuted at Cannes earlier this year where Krieps (Phantom Thread, Bergman Island) picked up the Best Actress award in the Un Certain Regard sidebar section.
In other main competition awards, the First Feature Competition (Sutherland Award) went to Chilean filmmaker Manuela Martelli for her debut 1976, a historical drama billed as a portrait of the ways in which the Pinochet dictatorship realized its brute force and pervasive influence.
“I am so happy and honored to receive this award, I want to thank the festival for selecting and showing the film and I want to thank the jury as well,” Martelli said accepting the award.
In their remarks, the first feature jury also commended Joyland by Saim Sadiq for its “sumptuous visual language and its deft and tender performances.”
“It is an extremely important film that heralds the arrival of an exciting new voice in filmmaking,” the jury said of Joyland and Sadiq.
Shaunak Sen took home the Grierson Award in the official Documentary Competition for his second feature All That Breathes and Yue Li won the Short Film Award for I Have No Legs, And I Must Run.
In the festival’s expanded section, British filmmaker Charlie Shackleton picked up the Immersive Art and XR Award for the live performance piece As Mine Exactly.
The Jury said Shackleton’s work created an “extraordinary level of intimacy” that showcases love and empathy. This year’s audience award was picked up by Blue Bag Life by Lisa Selby, Rebecca Hirsch Lloyd-Evans, and Alex Fry. The audience award for short films was won by Ade Femzo for Drop Out.
The winners were announced during an online ceremony by the Jury Presidents on the final day of the BFI London Film Festival. A collection of the festival program is available to view on BFI Player until 23 October, including the first Feature Award winner 1976.
The London Film Festival closes this evening with the European Premiere of Rian Johnson’s highly-anticipated sequel Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. As previously announced, BFI Festivals Director Tricia Tuttle will step down following the conclusion of this year’s festival. She will remain in post through to early 2023 while the BFI recruits a replacement.
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