BFI London Film Festival : HOW I ENDED THIS SUMMER by director Alexei Popogrebsky is awarded BEST FILM, Clio Barnard is BEST BRITISH NEWCOMER

The winners of the 54th BFI London Film Festival have been announced. The best films were honoured at an award's ceremony on the 27th of October at LSO St.Luke's. GoSee presents a few film trailers as appetisers, as well as some snapshots of the award ceremony.

In the BEST FILM category, HOW I ENDED THIS SUMMER by director Alexei Popogrebsky managed to convince the international jury around actress Patricia Clarkson. The head of the jurors: “With elemental themes of isolation, alienation and the power of misunderstanding, HOW I ENDED THIS SUMMER is a visceral psychological drama set in the immersive landscape of the windswept Arctic.”

The film tells the story of Sergej and Pawel, who have been living in an Arctic science station in the Arctic Ocean for several years. When their stay putatively comes to an end, a perennial abidance comes to an end for Sergej. He is worried about his return to the mainland and his family. Pavel on the other hand is still keen on adventure and while Sergej is off fishing, he receives a radio message that he does not dare relay to Sergej. He does everything in his power to conceal the message, hoping that the ship's arrival will acquit him of his duty. But then Pavel learns that the ship will probably not come this year after all.

Clio Barnard, director of THE ARBOR was awarded the BEST BRITISH NEWCOMER award. The docudrama focuses on Andrea Dunbar and her daughter Lorraine. The mother grew up in a slum in Bradford, England and was considered a prodigy, penning her first play at just 15 years of age. Despite her success, she never left the run down council housing and died at the age of 29 as a result of increased alcohol consumption. Lorraine was 10 when this happened. In THE ARBOR, Lorraine is the same age her mother was when she died and is doing time in prison for manslaughter, detoxing at the same time. To Lorraine, her mother is the cause of all ills, but interviews with other members of the Dunbar family paint an entirely different picture.

The film has been showing at British cinemas since October the 22nd. GoSee is pleased to present the trailer.

ARMADILLO, Janus Metz' portrait of a Danish soldier, who is stationed in Afghanistan, was awarded the BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM and the GRIERSON AWARD on top of it. The award is named after documentary filmmaker and produced John Grierson (1898-1972), who is considered the 'father of British and Canadian documentary film' and to whom the introduction of the word 'documentary' is contributed.

As elaborated by Kevin Macdonald, head of the jury: “Filmed with a combination of extraordinary intimacy and stylistic sophistication, Janus Metz's ARMADILLO follows a group of Danish soldiers on their first posting to Afghanistan. With total access and great honesty, the film shows us why these men want to go to war and what the experience of action does to them. Humane but focused in its attitude to the conflict, we believe that Armadillo is a touchstone film that will be watched for years to come.”

Director Danny Boyle also saw his fair share of appraisal. He was awarded the BFI FELLOWSHIP. His new film 127 HOURS was the festival's closing film. The trailer can be viewed here.

In his speech, film director Martin Scorsese praised the BFI National Archive, one of the world's largest film archives, which celebrates its 75th birthday today.