The 2024 BFI London Film Festival, in collaboration with American Express, has announced the winners of the esteemed LFF Awards, honoring an impressive range of themes and cinematic storytelling techniques. Four knowledgeable jurors chose the winning films, which ranged from documentaries to stop-motion animation and displayed a wide range of originality and creativity from around the world.
Key Award Winners:
- Best Film Award: Memoir of a Snail (Dir. Adam Elliot) – This emotional stop-motion animation tells the touching story of separated twins in 1970s Australia. The jury praised its ability to tackle universal issues like bullying, loneliness, and grief, making it a standout achievement in animation.
- Sutherland Award (First Feature): On Falling (Dir. Laura Carreira) – Set in Scotland, this powerful film delves into the life of a young immigrant warehouse worker, exploring themes of isolation and corporate exploitation. Carreira’s cinematic precision and deeply felt performances made a lasting impression on the jury.
- Grierson Award (Documentary): Mother Vera (Dirs. Cécile Embleton, Alys Tomlinson) – A visually stunning documentary that follows an Orthodox nun grappling with her past, showcasing personal transformation and resilience through evocative visuals.
- Short Film Award: Vibrations from Gaza (Dir. Rehab Nazzal) – This poignant documentary highlights the resilience of Deaf children in Gaza, using sound and imagery to create a deeply impactful experience.
The festival also featured special mentions, including On Becoming a Guinea Fowl by Rungano Nyoni and Dragfox by Lisa Ott, both recognized for their unique storytelling and bold themes.
The Audience Awards voting is now live, allowing festival-goers to choose their favorite narrative, documentary, or short film, with winners to be announced at the end of October.
Memoir of a Snail
Oscar-winning filmmaker Adam Elliot’s moving stop-motion animation, Memoir of a Snail, which took home the Best Film Award, tells the story of twins who were split up in Australia in the 1970s. The judges gave the movie high marks for its emotional depth and its original use of animation to tackle universal themes like sorrow, loneliness, and bullying. They called it “a singular achievement in filmmaking” that generates an important conversation about these issues.
‘This film was made by so many wonderful artists who worked long hours to bring our blobs of clay to life,’ Elliot said in his reflection on the victory, expressing his thanks for the acknowledgment. The fact that stop-motion animation won Best Film among such amazing productions demonstrates that it is more than just a genre; it is a potent medium that can convey universal tales that move viewers to tears and laughter.
