The BFI London Film Festival wrapped up yesterday and with festival wraps (well, the juried festivals) come awardage. The big news for our actressy purposes was of course Galadriel receiving her BFI fellowship from Gandalf. More hoopla after the jump...
Cate's Fellowship (i.e. lifetime achievement') followed a festival which featured both Truth and Carol and, as previously stated, in our pieces on those films, Dame Blanchett is just showing off now post-Blue Jasmine. Sir Ian McKellen fawned on her and spoke the truth.
As is Cate's 'just as good as Meryl at giving speeches' prerogative, she kept everyone enthralled and laughing during her acceptance speech including a funny aside to her husband who had once warned her that she had only a five year window as a film actress.
Fuck you, darling, I'm still here."
BEST FILM Chevalier, directed by Athina Rachel Tsangari. It's a story of six men on a boat trying to determine who is the "best" of them through a series of games. Since it comes out in Greece next month we have to spend the next 10 months wondering if it will be the Greek Oscar submission for 2016.
Pawel Pawlikowski, who recently won the Oscar for returning to his homeland for Ida after an acclaimed career in British film, presided over the competition jury. Judging was "intense" and on their winner he says...
Chevalier is a study of male antagonism seen though the eyes of a brave and original filmmaker. With great formal rigour and irresistible wit, Athina Rachel Tsangari has managed to make a film that is both a hilarious comedy and a deeply disturbing statement on the condition of western humanity”.
BEST FIRST FEATURE The Witch, directed by Robert Eggers). As you may recall this was a sensation at Sundance (hard ticket to get after its first screening) and I finally caught up with it at TIFF and was suitably wowed. Slow build, creepy earthy but otherworldly aura, and major payoff.
We all worship A24 because they've had such great taste as a distributor but I fail to understand why they chose to hold this one for more than a year before release. Don't hide the good stuff, show it! The first feature jury was presided by Desiree Akhavan and I've already enthused enough over her debut Appropriate Behavior so I hope you've sought it out by now.
BEST DOCUMENTARY Sherpa, directed by Jennifer Peedom, looks at the Sherpa community around Mount Everest.
BEST SHORT FILM An Old Dog's Diary, directed by Shai Heredia and Shumona Goel. This is a profile documentary about the artist Francis Newton Souza.
As you can see from the quick perusal of names, four of the five prizes went to women! That's quite a nice change of pace. And even the outlier is female-centric. Robert Eggers The Witch is about a puritan family but the women are really the focus of the film.
The BFI has also posted a short video of highlights though it's not embeddable for some reason so click here.