London's biggest film celebration wrapped up on October 18, 2026, with the 70th BFI London Film Festival naming Sergei Loznitsa's archival documentary Imperium its Best Film, capping two weeks of screenings across seven London venues and ten partner cinemas around the UK.
The four competition prizes, announced by the British Film Institute, went to films from Ukraine-linked filmmaking, Thailand, Jordan and the UK, underlining the festival's long-standing reputation as a showcase for international and independent cinema. The Audience Award, voted by festival-goers, is still open, with voting closing on October 21.
Illustration: a London film festival awards night with a glowing trophy and cinema screen.
What Happened
The BFI announced the competition winners of the 70th London Film Festival on October 18, 2026, as the two-week event drew to a close. Sergei Loznitsa's Imperium took the top prize, Best Film in Official Competition, from a jury headed by American director and producer Sam Pollard.
Imperium is a documentary built entirely from archival footage shot between 1970 and 1973 by Italian cameramen, reframing everyday life in the Soviet Union in the early 1970s. According to the BFI's official announcement, the jury described it as "an extraordinary film that explores the Soviet Union in the early 1970's from a rich archive with a wide-ranging perspective that looks at life in a country with an extraordinary social and cultural landscape that has rarely been seen."
The remaining prizes went to Sompot Chidgasornpongse's Thai drama 9 Temples to Heaven, which won the Sutherland Award for best first feature; Asmahan Bkerat's Concrete Land, which won the Grierson Award for documentary; and Rahul Roye's Aman, which took the Short Film Award. The festival closed the same night with the UK premiere of Jesse Eisenberg's musical comedy The Debut at the Royal Festival Hall.
Background
The London Film Festival is one of the world's major film festivals, held each October and organised by the British Film Institute. Its full 2026 line-up was revealed on September 2, 2026, with additional titles added on September 7, including films from directors Chris Rock, Jonathan Glazer, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, according to reporting on the festival programme.
This year's 70th edition screened films at seven London venues: BFI IMAX, BFI Southbank, Curzon Soho, the Institute of Contemporary Arts, the Prince Charles Cinema, the Royal Festival Hall and Vue West End. Gala screenings also extended beyond London to venues in Nottingham, Cardiff, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Manchester, Birmingham, Belfast, Sheffield, Newcastle upon Tyne and Bristol.
The juries were led by prominent industry figures. Sam Pollard, known for documentaries such as MLK/FBI, presided over the main competition alongside Argentine filmmaker Mariano Llinás and communications executive Julie La Bassiere. Actor Amir El-Masry led the first-feature jury, director Sandhya Suri led the documentary jury, and producer Helen Simmons led the short-film jury.
Loznitsa, the Best Film winner, is widely regarded as a master of archival film reconstruction, and Imperium continues his body of work reassembling historical footage to re-examine Soviet history. The festival organisers note it is a Germany, Italy, France and Lithuania co-production.
Illustration: vintage 1970s archival film frames showing everyday street life.
Why It Matters
The 2026 winners list reflects how archival and observational cinema continues to shape the global festival circuit. Imperium's victory is a reminder that footage shot half a century ago can still feel urgent: the jury called the film "richly evocative and emotionally engaging on all levels," praising its "visually arresting perspective of life before the Soviet Union was broken apart."
The Sutherland Award for 9 Temples to Heaven continues the festival's support for debut filmmakers. The jury praised its "gentle humour and profound humanity" and its visual craft, noting that its themes of family, faith and the cycles of life "transcend borders and generations." The film had previously premiered in the Directors' Fortnight at Cannes.
The Grierson Award winner, Concrete Land, is the feature directorial debut of Asmahan Bkerat: an intimate, multigenerational portrait of a mixed-race family in Jordan facing displacement and the loss of cultural traditions. The jury praised the filmmaker's close relationship with her subjects and their "quiet resilience and dignity," according to festival coverage.
The Short Film Award winner Aman, by Rahul Roye, follows a trans man who discovers he is pregnant shortly before gender-affirming surgery, exploring identity, masculinity and fatherhood. The BFI has made it free to watch on BFI Player until October 25, giving the film a wider audience beyond the festival.
For the industry, the festival's awards also function as a launchpad: winners at London frequently go on to appear on the awards-season calendar, and the Audience Award — still to be announced — has in recent years highlighted films that reached mainstream audiences.
What Happens Next
Audience Award voting for the 2026 festival closed on October 21, with the winner expected to be announced shortly afterward. Last year's audience winners were Hamnet and Black Is Beautiful: The Kwame Brathwaite Story, so this year's result will reveal which crowd-pleasers stood out from the 70th edition's programme.
Several of the prizewinners are likely to secure wider distribution or streaming deals following their London victories, and Aman's free streaming window on BFI Player runs through October 25. Festival-watchers will also be tracking whether Imperium and Concrete Land pick up further documentary honours on the international circuit.
Illustration: a London riverside cinema hall filled with film festival audiences.
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FAQ
Who won Best Film at the 2026 BFI London Film Festival?
Sergei Loznitsa's documentary Imperium won Best Film in Official Competition. The jury, headed by director Sam Pollard, chose it for its extraordinary archival reconstruction of Soviet life in the early 1970s.
What other films won prizes at the 2026 festival?
The Sutherland Award for best first feature went to Sompot Chidgasornpongse's 9 Temples to Heaven, the Grierson Award for documentary went to Asmahan Bkerat's Concrete Land, and the Short Film Award went to Rahul Roye's Aman.
When did the 70th BFI London Film Festival take place?
The festival ran for two weeks in October 2026, closing on October 18 with the UK premiere of Jesse Eisenberg's The Debut at the Royal Festival Hall.
What is Imperium about?
Imperium is a non-narrative documentary made entirely from archival footage shot by Italian cameramen between 1970 and 1973. It reframes everyday life in the Soviet Union in the early 1970s, before the country was broken apart.
Where can I watch the winning short film Aman?
According to the BFI, Rahul Roye's Aman is available to watch free on BFI Player until October 25, 2026.
Sources
- BFI (official festival announcement, October 18, 2026): Competition winners announced at the 70th BFI London Film Festival
- Cineuropa (October 19, 2026): Sergei Loznitsa's Imperium takes home the Best Film Award from the 70th BFI London Film Festival
- Televisual (October 2026): Imperium leads London Film Festival Awards
- Business Doc Europe (October 2026): Imperium and Concrete Land named doc winners at 70th BFI London FF
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