BFI London Film Festival announces 2026 winners
Serge Loznitsa’s Imperium wins top prize at the 70th edition.
Translated from Dutch by AI
The BFI London Film Festival announced the winners of its competition on Sunday. Serge Loznitsa’s Imperium received the award for best film at the 70th edition of the British festival.
The winners were announced on 18 October, the final day of the BFI London Film Festival. The festival ran from 7 to 18 October and, alongside public screenings, organised an industry programme featuring competitions, premieres and presentations of new projects.
The jury selected Imperium as the winner of the official competition. The BFI describes the competition as a selection of films representing distinctive and innovative work. The award is not a guarantee of international distribution, but it does give a film visibility among British and international professionals.
For producers and sales companies, festivals such as the London Film Festival serve as meeting places for programmers, distributors, financiers and talent. Their business value therefore lies not only in the awards, but also in the opportunity to present films to a professional audience and arrange follow-up meetings.
Alongside the main award, the BFI published the other competition and audience winners. The festival’s official communications distinguish between the jury awards and the Audience Awards. This means artistic assessment and audience response are measured separately.
The 2026 edition was also an anniversary edition: the festival held its 70th edition. The BFI presented the programme as a combination of international premieres, UK premieres and films from various production regions. The award for Imperium gives the film additional prominence within that international programme.
For the Western European sector, the combination of festival prestige and market access is particularly relevant. Films selected for a major festival can more easily come to the attention of distributors and funds, although the BFI published no new sales figures or concrete distribution deals when the winners were announced.
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The award for Imperium and the closing date were directly confirmed by the BFI. The business significance for distribution and financing is presented as context, not as a measured effect.
- Confirmed Serge Loznitsa’s Imperium won the award for best film in the official competition. — The BFI names Imperium as the winner of the official competition.
- Confirmed The festival ran from 7 to 18 October 2026. — The official festival information gives this period.
- Confirmed The festival published separate jury and audience awards. — The official winners’ list distinguishes between the two categories.
Editor’s note
The award, date and festival period have been officially confirmed. No concrete new sales deals or distribution figures were published; they have therefore not been included as facts.Sources
- Competition winners announced at 70th BFI London Film Festival — BFI London Film Festival
- Official Competition films announced for 70th BFI London Film Festival — BFI London Film Festival