'Downfall' triumphs at the BBC4 World Film Awards

Oliver Hirschbiegel's remarkable film sees off challenges from the likes of 'The Sea Inside' and '2046'.

Jan 27 2006

I was lucky enough to be invited to the BBC4 World Film Awards at the NFT last night, a ceremony that was a good as it was brief. Host Jonathan Ross sped through clip packages of the brilliant nominees '2046', 'House of Flying Daggers', 'Look at Me', 'Downfall', 'Tropical Malady' and 'The Sea Inside'.

British filmmaker Amma Asante ('A Way of Life') then sauntered onstage to announce the winner, 'Downfall', a powerful and affecting account of Hitler's last days.

Accepting the award, director Oliver Hirschbiegel talked about how painful the film had been to make and then encouraged the audience to keep supporting foreign films in this time of globalization and Hollywood dominance. Which might have been more convincing if Hirschbiegel hadn't just returned from the States where he has been making the Nicole Kidman-starring big-budget blockbuster 'The Visiting'!

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