The 55th BFI London Film Festival - or 'L Double F' as no-one calls it - has had another auspicious year. Filmmakers of the stature of David Cronenberg, Alexander Payne, Lynne Ramsay and Fernando Meirelles showed off their wares, big name actors graced the red-carpet with their Earth-healing presences and George Clooney, bless him, did both. Plus no-one fell into that giant hole in the middle of Leicester Square, which is a bonus.
But, like Highlander on sportsday, there can be only one winner. The votes are in and Ramsay's highly-acclaimed We Need To Talk About Kevin has come away with the festival's Best Film award. John Madden, LFF jury chair, described it as "a sublime, uncompromising tale of the torment that can stand in the place of love".
It seems like a solid shout - only The Artist and **Shame **have come close to the critical plaudits showered on Ramsay and her cast - and it's great to see the talented Scot, director of powerful films like **Ratcatcher **and Morvern Callar, getting the recognition she deserves.
Also walking away with gongs were Candese Reid, winner of Best British Newcomer for her turn in Tinge Krishnan's singeing social drama Junkhearts, and Las Acacias director Pablo Giorgelli who collected the Sutherland debut feature award.
The winners in full:
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BEST FILM
****We Need To Talk About Kevin **- Lynne Ramsay
BEST BRITISH NEWCOMER
Candese Reid (Junkhearts)
SUTHERLAND AWARD WINNER for best debut feature
Pablo Giorgelli (Las Acacias)**
BEST DOCUMENTARY**
**Into The Abyss **- Werner Herzog
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