‘Sublime’ film thriller wins festival’s top award

Directed by Lynne Ramsay, the film stars Tilda Swinton as the mother of a young psychopath (played by Ezra Miller), a story based on the 2003 best-selling novel of the same name by Lionel Shriver.

John Madden, chairman of the British Film Institute (BFI) jury, said: “We were simply bowled over by one film, a sublime, uncompromising tale of the torment that can stand in the place of love.

“We Need To Talk About Kevin is made with the kind of singular vision that links great directors across all the traditions of cinema.”

Ramsay said: “It’s light at the end of the tunnel, it’s been a few hard years. My dad passed away during this process which slowed it down, I wish he could be here tonight.”

“We worked really hard on this one. The script was intricate and really well crafted. We had to do it that way with only 30 days to shoot. It’s a really major achievement for us, we have been wanting this for years.”

Gillian Anderson, who was one of the judges for the Best Film category, said We Need To Talk About Kevin was a deserving winner but added: “It was really difficult to choose. There were a few that we did have to battle it out over the table.”

British actor Ralph Fiennes, was also honoured, receiving the BFI Fellowship, alongside director David Cronenberg for their “outstanding contribution” to film over the years.

Fiennes, who made his directing debut at the festival with Coriolanus, has twice missed out on a best-acting Oscar, for his roles in Schindler’s List and The English Patient and recently starred as Lord Voldemort in the Harry Potter movies.

Canadian Cronenberg who was honoured with the BFI Fellowship, recently directed A Dangerous Method, a film about the birth of psychoanalysis and the relationship between Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud, starring Pirates of the Caribbean star Keira Knightley, Irish actor Michael Fassbender as Carl Jung, and Viggo Mortensen as Sigmund Freud,

Candese Reid won the best British newcomer award for her portrayal of a young homeless woman in Junkhearts.

Pablo Giorgelli picked up the Sutherland award for his directorial debut Las Acacias, while celebrated director Werner Herzog won best documentary for Into The Abyss.