‘Memoir Of A Snail’ Beats Out Live-Action Films, Wins Top Prize At BFI London Film Festival

Animation came out on top at the 68th BFI London Film Festival as Adam Elliot’s Memoir of a Snail, the one animated feature in the main official competition for best film, beat out ten live-action features and won the top feature film award today in London.

It marks the first time since BFI London established the best film prize in 2009 that an animated feature has won, though in 2007, the BFI’s previous top award, the Sutherland Trophy, was also won by an animated feature (Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud’s Persepolis).

Memoir of a Snail, the Australian indie animated feature that begins its U.S. run next weekend, tells the story of Grace Pudel, a book-loving, snail-collecting misfit who falls into a series of misfortunes after being separated from her twin brother Gilbert in 1970s Australia. Audiences who are familiar with Elliot’s body of work (Harvie Krumpet or Mary and Max) will know the kind of quirkiness to expect from this film.

The BFI main competition jury, comprised of Alexandre O. Philippe (director, 78/52: Hitchcock’s Shower Scene), Manori Ravindran, and Reinaldo Marcus Green, offered this statement on why they gave the top prize to Elliot:

Our jury was incredibly moved by Adam Elliot’s Memoir of a Snail, which is a singular achievement in filmmaking. Emotionally resonant and constantly surprising, Memoir tackles pertinent issues such as bullying, loneliness and grief head-on, creating a crucial and universal dialogue in a way that only animation can. The jury is delighted to recognize an animated film alongside its live-action peers.

In his acceptance of the award, Elliot added:

We could never have imagined when we started making our little blobby film eight years ago, how audiences around the world would connect and engage with our character Grace Pudel. This film was made by so many wonderful artists who toiled very long days, months and years to bring our blobs of clay to life. This award is for them. To win best film amongst such incredible films from around the world shows that stop-motion animation is alive and well and is not a genre but a wonderful medium and vehicle to tell potent and universal stories that can make audiences both laugh and cry. Thank you to the BFI, the jury and the London audiences for supporting our eccentric film.

Animation was present in other categories too, including the BFI’s Sutherland Award, which is now presented for best first feature. The Dominican Republic animated feature Olivia & Las Nubes (Olivia & The Clouds) by director Tomás Pichardo Espaillat won a special mention in the category, with the jury describing it as “a kaleidoscopic feast for the eyes and ears that playfully blurs the line between memory and reality while masterfully exploring a range of animation styles.”

In the short competition category, Lisa Ott’s LGBTQ+ short Dragfox picked up a special jury mention. Starring Ian McKellen, the film was cited by the jury as “a surprisingly moving and impressive stop-motion animation musical, which left our hearts melting after just eight minutes.” The jury added, “Not a single frame was wasted.”