Press release from Sarah Harvey Publicity
After another hugely popular year at the Barbican, the 16th London Australian Film Festival came to a close on 28 March with a gala screening of Rachel Ward’s uncompromising and stunning Beautiful Kate.
As ever, festival audiences were encouraged to vote for their favourite feature film and documentary of the festival, and so the LAFF is delighted to announce the winners:
LAFF Audience Award for Best Film:
Bran Nue Dae (Aus 2009 Dir. Rachel Perkins)
Rachel Perkins’ tale of an indigenous boy’s coming of age is a bright and breezy musical starring Geoffrey Rush and a host of catchy tunes.
LAFF Audience Award for Best Documentary:
Glass: A Portrait of Phillip in Twelve Parts (Aus 2007 Dir. Scott Hicks)
Scott Hicks (Shine, The Boys Are Back) documents a busy year in the work and personal life of minimalist composer Philip Glass, a modern musical icon.
2010 was another strong year for the LAFF, which saw an increase in audience numbers as it retained its steady position as one of the London’s most popular festivals.
As a showcase for the cream of Australian filmmaking talent, the LAFF certainly excelled, holding sold out screenings of notable recent releases such as Warwick Thornton’s Samson & Delilah, Rachel Ward’s feature debut Beautiful Kate, Sundance hit Bran Nue Dae, Anthony LaPaglia starrer The Balibo Conspiracy and Ana Kokkinos' powerful Blessed.
As ever, a wealth of talent also attended the LAFF, including director Warwick Thornton, LAFF Patron John Hillcoat, novelist Jill Jolliffe, producer Peta Astbury, comedian and actor Tim Minchin, Kath & Kim’s Jane Turner and actor/filmmaker Matt Zeremes.