Competition juries announced for 66th BFI London Film Festival

The 66th BFI London Film Festival in partnership with American Express has announced its jury line-up for this year’s festival awards. The awards will be held virtually on Sunday 16 October at 16:00 on BFI YouTube and social media #LFFAwards.

The Official Competition jury is led by acclaimed Power of the Dog (LFF 2021) and Cold War producer Tanya Seghatchian. The First Feature Competition (Sutherland Award) jury will be headed up by director and actor Nana Mensah, whose directorial debut Queen of Glory (LFF 2021) won the best new narrative director prize at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival. Italian filmmaker Roberto Minervini will lead the jury selecting the winner of the Grierson Award for best documentary after winning the award in 2018 for his film What You Gonna Do When the World’s on Fire. The Immersive Art and XR Competition will be led by acclaimed photographer Misan Harriman, and the list is rounded off by producer and director Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor who will lead the jury selecting the best short film.

Tanya Seghatchian, Official Competition jury president said: “I’m looking forward to getting to work with my fellow jurors. It’s both a privilege and a luxury to be able to spend time viewing such an eclectic and visionary group of films. This is a particularly uncertain time for independent cinema so it’s more important than ever to have a UK festival like the LFF there to celebrate the very best work from film makers around the world.”

Seghatchian is joined this year by: actor Gwendoline Christie (Game of Thrones, Star Wars – The Last Jedi), filmmaker and playwright Kemp Powers (One Night in Miami, Soul), filmmaker Chaitanya Tamhane (The Disciple, Court) and journalist Charles Gant.

Nana Mensah, First Feature Competition jury president said: “It was a highlight of my career to premiere my first feature at LFF in 2021, so to be invited to serve as jury president for this year’s Sutherland Award is an honour beyond description. I’m looking forward to meeting the filmmakers in competition, and diving headfirst into their fearless, ground-breaking works.”

Alongside Mensah will be: comedian and actor Asim Chaudhry (People Just Do Nothing), Sight and Sound managing editor Isabel Stevens and Edinburgh International Film Festival creative director Kristy Matheson.

The Sutherland Award recognises the most original and imaginative directorial debut. It was introduced in 1958 and named in honour of BFI Patron George Sutherland Leveson-Gower. 

Roberto Minervini, Documentary Competition president said: “It is a great honour to preside over the Grierson Jury in a prolific year for documentary cinema that has witnessed the rise of powerful auteur voices. Along with my fellow jurors we have the task not only to award the finest works, but to enhance their visibility in a completely new, complex, post-Covid distribution scenario. This is a great responsibility, and we look forward to rolling up our sleeves and getting to work.”

Joining Minervini on the jury this year is producer and former director of the Sundance Film Festival, Tabitha Jackson, whose credits include 20,000 Days on Earth and The Imposter, and writer and artist Morgan M Page whose recent work Framing Agnes (directed by Chase Joynt and co-written by Page) dazzled audiences in Sundance and BFI Flare festivals earlier in 2022.

The Grierson Award recognises feature-length documentaries with integrity, originality and social or cultural significance. 

Misan Harriman, Immersive Art and XR Competition president said: “I am honoured to be the chair of the jury and I cannot wait to watch this year’s entries.”

Harriman will be joined by London area director at Arts Council England, Tonya Nelson, and Olivier Delpoux, head of digital and audiovisual creation at the Institut Francais.

The Immersive Art and XR Award recognises the most innovative work from artists and creators who are boldly exploring the intersection of art, film and expanded reality. 

Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor, Short Film Competition president comments: “I’m honoured and excited to chair the jury. Short films are so vital in filmmakers creative journeys and I can’t wait to delve into these with my fellow jurors.”

Joining Gharoro-Akpojotor will be film producer Sorcha Bacon, journalist Caspar Salmon and Maddy Probst, managing producer at Bristol Watershed.

The Short Film Award recognises short form works that speak with a unique cinematic voice, demonstrating a confident handling of theme and content. 

The LFF Audience Award invites festival-goers to vote for their favourite film of the festival. The 2021 winner of the Audience Award – Best Feature Film was Mounia Akl’s Costa Brava, Lebanon. This year we are thrilled to introduce a new category, Audience Award – Best Short Film.