Evil Does Not Exist, the new drama film by Drive My Car director Ryusuke Hamaguchi won the Best Film Award in the Official Competition of the 67th BFI London Film Festival

The film follows a community fighting to preserve its principles and the integrity of their natural world. A camping site development that’s under way in the peaceful village of Mizubiki will forever change the community and surrounding environment. The investors feel differently: ‘A little pollution won’t affect the water’. Driven by Hamaguchi’s sonorous and poetic script, his drama, a microcosm of wider concerns, burrows deep into the pressing issues of value and survival but never loses faith in humanity.

Ryusuke Hamaguchi, said, “I’m genuinely delighted and astonished to hear the news about this award. Sincerely, thank you very much. My heartfelt thanks go out to all involved, especially the cast and crew who diligently toiled behind the scenes. Their exceptional work has always been a source of inspiration to me, and I am sincerely grateful for the result. I would also like to express my gratitude to the judges who recognised our efforts. I want to especially single out Eiko Ishibashi for her contribution to the music. As well as working on the music for the film ‘Drive My Car,’ she also provided the concept for this film. I believe her music played a significant role in bringing this movie to completion and helped it to receive such great reviews. I hope this film brings joy to the British audience upon its U.K. release. And I look forward to visiting London once again in the future. Thank you for this truly wonderful award.”

The Official Competition jury said, “The Official Competition jury has chosen Evil Does Not Exist as the London Film Festival Best Film for 2023. Subtle, cinematic and underscored by fully realised performances, Hamaguchi’s assured drama supersedes the sum of its parts. It is both a lyrical portrait of family and community, and a nuanced consideration of the ethics of land development. Amidst a strong competition the jury is unanimous in our admiration!”

In the First Feature Competition, Paradise is Burning directed by Mika Gustafson won the top prize, the Sutherland Award. A trio of arresting and naturalistic performances power this spirited tale of siblings enjoying the pleasures and pitfalls of life ‘home alone’. With their mother absent since Christmas, sisters Laura, Mira and Steffi are used to fending for themselves – finding joy in their freedom and endless illicit capers. Each is on the cusp of something new, but all their futures hang in the balance. Drawing out vivid performances from her young cast, director Mika Gustafson’s exquisite rendering of character and emotion is, quite simply, a revelation.

Mika Gustafson, said, “It is a great honor to receive the Sutherland Trophy for Best First Feature at BFI London Film Festival. Previously awarded to such greats as Julia Decournau and Andrea Arnold. This gives me a lot of energy and courage to keep working and on my next project!”

Bye Bye Tiberias, Lina Soualem’s deeply personal and joyful exploration of her relationship with her mother, the acclaimed actor Hiam Abbass, won the top prize, the Grierson Award. in the Documentary Competition.

It’s clear that Abbass (Lemon Tree, Insyriated, Blade Runner 2049, Succession) was always destined to be a major screen presence. Soualem’s love letter to her mother follows the actor as she returns home to the village she grew up in. Drawing on a rich trove of archive footage, this beautiful and intimate documentary finds the artist returning home and reconnecting with the women of Tiberias, Palestine and beyond.

Lina Soualem said, “Karim Kattan, a Palestinian writer who contributed to the writing of Bye Bye Tiberias, recently wrote: “In the midst of this turmoil that has only just begun, we must summon heart and vision.”

First, I want to thank the audiences in London for coming to see the film and receiving it with such warmth and generosity.

With all my heart, I thank the Jury at the BFI London Film Festival that chose to award Bye Bye Tiberias with the Grierson Award, which recognizes documentaries with integrity, originality and social or cultural significance. I thank them for celebrating the stories of the Palestinian women of my family, for having seen their struggles, felt their strength, mourned their losses, understood their complexities and accepted their contradictions.

I thank them for having seen their humanity, and for deciding to highlight it. The stories passed on by these women weave the history of a people deprived of its identity and constantly bound to reinvent itself. This is a story about vanished places, life-changing experiences, and scattered memories. By making this film, I followed the same path as the women in my family. Passing on our story has always been central for us. With our words, we fight against erasure. I wanted to seize their stories before they vanish into oblivion, to preserve the images of a world that is disappearing fast. Images that stand as proof of a denied existence. At a time when we feel unseen, and more stigmatized than ever, at a time when we don’t know what tomorrow will be like, our films will always exist to remember us.”

The Archive: Queer Nigerians, Simisolaoluwa Akande’s film on the experiences of queer Nigerians, won the Short Film Award in the Short Film Competition. This poetic film documents the experiences of queer Nigerians, expanding our contemporary understanding of how queerness is expressed.

The Short Film Competition Jury said, “The Archive: Queer Nigerians takes the viewer through many emotions, it’s visually stunning and poetic in the way that it weaves together documentary and experimental styles. The subjects were held up in a positive and empathetic light through raw and intimate interviews, highlighting their vulnerability while also celebrating the joy of being your true self.”

“A special mention is given to Area Boy for its accomplished and confident directing. The jury look forward to seeing what Iggy London does next.”

Simisolaoluwa Akande said: “Receiving this prestigious award rings a sweet note of hope for stories like the ones our contributors courageously shared. We are immensely grateful for the warm embrace our film has received from the world. We are humbled by this recognition and eager to continue our journey of sharing vital narratives that deserve to be heard.

The Archive: Queer Nigerians is a testament against the erasure of queer existence, offering understanding and acceptance in a world that often seeks to silence our voices. It is our sincere hope that this archive continues to grow.

My heartfelt thanks to my dedicated team including Producers Maxine Gordon, Ermias Asfaw, and Joseph Bushell, and our exceptional Director of Photography, Bea Macdonald. Gratitude to my supportive friends and my dear mother and sisters, my guiding light.

Mommy, look, we won a BFI award!”

The winners of 2023 BFI London Film Festival In Competition are:

Winner of the Best Film Award in Official Competition – EVIL DOES NOT EXIST (Dir. Ryusuke Hamaguchi)

Winner of the Sutherland Award in the First Feature Competition – PARADISE IS BURNING (Dir. Mika Gustafson)

Winner of the Grierson Award in the Documentary Competition – BYE BYE TIBERIAS (Dir. Lina Soualem)

Winner of the Short Film Award in the Short Film Competition – THE ARCHIVE: QUEER NIGERIANS (Dir. Simisolaoluwa Akande)