This year’s London Film Festival 2021 brought back some of the traditional elements of attending the cinema to see some of the films while others I had the pleasure of watching online. This hybrid experience made it both exciting and busy whilst also allowing me to see some of the biggest films of the year as well as some indie films I may not have had the chance to see otherwise (which is always a good thing!).
It’s become a little tradition to do a small awards at the end of each festival so it only makes sense to point out the highlights of my London Film Festival experience. From the Palme d’Or winning Titane to Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog (her first film in 12 years!) to two of Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s new films, Drive My Car and Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy, there were so many films to see. In total, I saw 14 films with 3 of those being at Chapter Cinema in Cardiff (The Harder They Fall, The Power of the Dog and Titane) and the rest online, being successful in the online ballots for Petite Maman and Lamb so I got to experience the best of both mediums.
Here are the Smaller Pictures Winners of London Film Festival 2021:
Best Picture – Titane
Best Director – Julia Ducournau for Titane
Best Leading Actress – (TIE) Agathe Rousselle for Titane and Annes Elwy for Gwledd (The Feast)
Best Leading Actor – Benedict Cumberbatch for The Power of the Dog
Best Supporting Actress – Regina King for The Harder They Fall
Best Supporting Actor – Jason Isaacs for Mass
Best Original Screenplay – Julia Ducournau for Titane
Best Adapted Screenplay – Jane Campion for The Power of the Dog
Best Original Score – Jim Williams for Titane
Best Cinematography – Eli Arenson for Lamb
Best Editing – Julien Lacheray for Petite Maman
Best Production Design – Martin Whist for The Harder They Fall
Best Costume Design – Antoinette Messam for The Harder They Fall
Best Hair and Makeup – Olivier Afonso, Marison De, Amelie Grossier, Céline Llerena, Antoine Mancini and Flore Masson for Titane
Special Shoutout Winner – Ryusuke Hamaguchi for Drive My Car and Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy
The calibre of the films this year was so high and each film I watched had something important to say. With even more non-English language films being incorporated into the roster, it’s great to be given the chance to view even more films from around the world that I may not have had the chance to watch otherwise.
That’s it for my roundup! It’s been extremely busy and a lot of work but definitely worth it and makes me excited to see what next year will bring!
Here are the films I saw at this year’s London Film Festival in alphabetical order. My reviews for Gwledd (The Feast) and The Phantom of the Open were commissioned by Wales Arts Review so the link will take you to the page on their website:
Smaller Pictures Film 