‘Imperium,’ ‘Concrete Land’ and ‘9 Temples to Heaven’ Win BFI London Film Festival Awards

Sergei Loznitsa’s *Imperium* won the top prize at the 70th BFI London Film Festival, while Asmahan Bkerat’s *Concrete Land* took the documentary competition award. The films examine overlooked lives and perspectives: *Imperium* draws on footage of the Soviet Union in the early 1970s, while *Concrete Land* follows a displaced Palestinian Bedouin family in Jordan.

Sompot Chidgasornpongse’s *9 Temples to Heaven*, about a grandmother’s pilgrimage with her family, won the first feature award. The documentary competition gave a special mention to Theo Rollason’s *Queer Edward II*, and Bertil Nilsson’s *MASC* received a special mention in the first feature programme. The festival was due to close with the UK premiere of Jesse Eisenberg’s *The Debut*.