Lucrecia Martel’s documentary Landmarks has won the best film award in Official Competition at the 69th BFI London Film Festival.
Landmarks reflects on the death and legacy of Indigenous Argentinian activist Javier Chocobar, who was murdered in 2009.
Scroll down for the full list of winners
“In foregrounding present-day voices and neglected histories, Martel emerges with a portrait of — and for — an Indigenous community, and grants them a measure of the justice the courts have long denied them,” said a statement from the jury, headed by Number 9 Films producer Elizabeth Karlsen.
Landmarks debuted out of competition at Venice Film Festival in August, going on to play Toronto, San Sebastian and New York. It is Argentinian filmmaker Martel’s first film since 2017 period drama Zama.
The Match Factory handles international sales on Landmarks, with Cinetic Media representing North America.
Vincho Nchogu’s Kenyan-Nigerian feature One Woman One Bra won the Sutherland award for best film in the First Feature Competition. Set in a rural village, the drama follows an orphaned girl battling hostile neighbours and shady organisations to prove her family lineage and claim her land deed.
“We were incredibly impressed by Nchogu’s ability to confidently move between so many tones, but always holding the audience with care,” said a statement from the First Feature jury, headed by filmmaker Kibwe Tavares. “Her film uses humour to shattering effect. Vincho also elicited fantastic performances from her entire cast, complemented by stunning cinematography throughout. The piece is at once funny, life-affirming, and deeply moving; its emotional journey stayed with us and will continue to do so.”
Nchogu wrote and directed the film, as well as doing casting and costumes. It is produced by Josh Olaoluwa for Nigeria’s Conceptified Media, and Kenya’s Kilastory.
David Bingong’s Cameroonian-Spanish film The Travelers, about the journey taken by a group of migrants from Cameroon to Europe, won the best documentary award. The 61-minute film launched at Visions du Reel in April, and will play at International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam next month.
“Facing the most inhumane of circumstances… the camaraderie of young Cameroonian men is rendered with kinetic intensity,” said a statement from the documentary jury, headed by filmmaker Eloise King. “An immersive journey of intimate photography, humour, and a spontaneously arising soundtrack contextualises the past lives and present perils of its protagonist.”
The jury also presented a special mention to Deming Chen’s Always, about a young poet growing up in China.
The 69th BFI London Film Festival closes this evening (Sunday, October 19) with the international premiere of Julia Jackman’s 100 Nights Of Hero, starring Emma Corrin, Maika Monroe, Nicholas Galitzine, Charli XCX and Felicity Jones.
BFI London Film Festival 2025 winners
Best film, Official Competition – Landmarks (Arg-US-Mex-Fr-Neth-Den) dir. Lucrecia Martel
Sutherland award, First Feature Competition – One Woman One Bra (Ken-Nig) dir. Vincho Nchogu
Grierson award, Documentary Competition – The Travelers (Cam-Sp) dir. David Bingong; special mention – Always (US-Fr-China) dir. Deming Chen
Short Film award – Coyotes (UK-Fr-Jor) dir. Said Zagha
