Greek drama Chevalier won the biggest honor at the British Film Institute’s London Film Festival— the most prestigious film festival award in the UK.
The award was presented to Greek director Athina Rachel Tsangari for her biting tale of male rivalry on the Aegean Sea, which included appearances by Greek pop singer Sakis Rouvas and actors Giorgos Pyrpassopoulos, Vangelis Mourikis, Yorgos Kendros, Panos Koronis and Makis Papadimitriou.
Tsangari, who earned critical acclaim with the film “Attenberg” was presented her BFI London Award by jury president, Pawel Pawlikowski, the director of Oscar-winner “Ida,” who described “Chevalier” as a “study of male antagonism seen though the eyes of a brave and original filmmaker.”
He added: “With great formal rigor and irresistible wit, Athena Rachel Tsangari has managed to make a film that is both a hilarious comedy and a deeply disturbing statement on the condition of Western humanity.”
The film beat much-praised contenders including Cary Fukunaga’s child-soldier saga “Beasts of No Nation” and Laszlo Nemes’ searing Holocaust drama “Son of Saul.”
