Speaking on the red carpet, Blanchett seemed thrilled about her award. “It’s such an incredible honour. People who have been honoured before me have been great influences on me creatively. I’ve long adored cinema from this region, so I feel incredibly blessed to be here tonight.”
Other wins on the night included French film Chevalier, which picked up the award for Best Film; Sherpa, which won Best Documentary and An Old Dog’s Diary, the winner of the Best Short Film. The Witch, by newcomer Robert Eggers, was given the award for Best First Feature.
Ralph Ineson, who stars in The Witch, which centres around a Puritan family in 17th century New England, spoke about the physical transformation for his character William. “I had nine weeks to prepare so I lost two stone in weight and grew an enormous beard. It’s the most preparation I have done for a part. It’s very exciting to be up for award.”
First feature jury president Desiree Arkhavan said the jury were looking for originality and heartfelt stories in all of the 12 films nominated. “They were all incredible films. It was exciting to view all of them. It wasn’t a tough choice because this one film that we chose really stood apart as a new voice. It felt like ‘Oh wow, this person is going to be showing us a lifetime of incredible groundbreaking work’.”
There's just one gala left in this year's London Film Festival, so come back tomorrow for the closing film, Steve Jobs.
*Reporting by Anjali Mandalia, with thanks to Go Think Big and O2. For amazing work opportunities go to Go Think Big.co.uk. *