Sergei Loznitsa's Imperium won best film at the 2026 BFI London Film Festival, the festival's top jury prize. Sompot Chidgasornpongse's 9 Temples to Heaven won the Sutherland Award for best first feature, and Asmahan Bkerat's Concrete Land took the Grierson Award for best documentary.
The winners were announced as the 70th edition wrapped on Sunday, October 18.
London Film Festival 2026 winners
| Award | Film | Director |
|---|---|---|
| Best Film | Imperium | Sergei Loznitsa |
| Sutherland Award (best first feature) | 9 Temples to Heaven | Sompot Chidgasornpongse |
| Grierson Award (best documentary) | Concrete Land | Asmahan Bkerat |
| Best Short Film | Aman | Rahul Roye |
Special mentions: Masc (Bertil Nilsson), Queer Edward II (Theo Rollason) and Daughters of the Late Colonel (Elizabeth Hobbs).
What won best film at the London Film Festival?
Imperium, from Ukrainian director Sergei Loznitsa. It beat nine other films in the official competition, a strand that rewards ambitious, distinctive filmmaking. Variety, The Hollywood Reporter and Screen Daily all led their coverage with the win.
Loznitsa is one of Europe's most prolific festival filmmakers, with a body of work spanning fiction and archival documentary, including Donbass and Babi Yar. Context.
Who won the first-feature and documentary prizes?
- 9 Temples to Heaven (Sutherland Award): Thai filmmaker Sompot Chidgasornpongse's debut feature. It is also Thailand's official entry for the best international feature Oscar, Screen Daily reported. See our list of 2027 Oscar international feature submissions.
- Concrete Land (Grierson Award): Asmahan Bkerat's documentary won from a field of eight.
When was the 2026 London Film Festival?
It ran October 7 to 18, 2026, its 70th edition:
| Opening gala | Elsinore, directed by Simon Stone (October 7) |
| Closing gala | The Debut, directed by Jesse Eisenberg (October 18, Royal Festival Hall) |
| Main competition | 10 films |
| First features | 10 films |
| Documentaries | 8 films |
| Shorts | 10 films |
Peter Farrelly's I Play Rocky was this year's surprise film, screened on October 16. Read our I Play Rocky explainer.
Does winning at London matter for the Oscars?
Only indirectly. The London jury awards are respected but rarely predict Academy Award nominations. A win does tend to raise a film's profile with distributors and audiences heading into its theatrical release.
