Jacques Audiard‘s Rust and Bone has been awarded best film at the BFI London Film Festival – and it’s also a first for this particular award, which was chosen this year by a jury out of 12 possible film titles.

The award was announced at an exclusive standalone ceremony on the penultimate night of the festival, the potential winners having already been specially picked out by BFI head of exhibition and festival director Clare Stewart and her dedicated festival programming team, who helped with the selection process.

On the jury was president and screenwriter, playwright, film and theatre director David Hare (impressive, eh?), along with veteran Hong Kong film producer Nansun Shi, Argentine director Pablo Trapero, Victoria Pearman, (Crossfire Hurricane producer and president of Mick Jagger‘s Jagged films), and the British actress Romola Garai.

Here’s what Hare had to say (via Hollywood Reporter): “Jacques Audiard has a unique handwriting, made up of music, montage, writing, photography, sound, visual design and acting. He is one of only a very small handful of filmmakers in the world who has mastered, and can integrate, every element of the process to one purpose: making, in Rust and Bone, a film full of heart, violence and love.”

If you’re not already familiar with Rust and Bone, here’s the rundown; it stars Marion Cotillard and Matthias Schoenaerts, and well… it’s essentially a love story, focusing on the relationship between a man and a woman who has suffered a terrible accident. The film was also featured at the Festival de Cannes, but although it was in Competition, it didn’t actually win any awards there – just shows how unpredictable film festivals can be, doesn’t it?

As for the London jury, apparently it also “admired and commended” some of the additional Competition titles. The films of note included Michel Franco‘s After Lucia for its “terrifying portrayal of school bullying”, along with Pablo Larraín‘s “highly original” No – which spotlighted controversial advertising techniques which apparently “contributed to the end of Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet”.

The Sutherland Award for best film feature went to Benh Zeitlin‘s critically acclaimed Beasts of the Southern Wild, about living life on the edge of the world.

Star couple Helena Bonham Carter and Tim Burton each walked away with a BFI Fellowship – the British Film Institution’s highest accolade. Do those two have to do EVERYTHING together?!

BFI chairman Greg Dyke was full of praise for the pair (as he should be) and referred to Burton as “one of the most creative and visionary directors” and Carter as “one of our finest British actresses.” – Well, to be fair, it’s true. Well done to both of them. Well played.

Dyke went on to congratulate all the filmmakers honored with nominations this year, “for their vision, skill, passion and creativity”. Wasn’t that nice of him?

So, that’s the end of the BFI London Film Festival for another year. Mike Newell‘s Great Expectations, (which actually starred Bonham Carter) yesterday closed the festival  – and surprise, surprise, Burton’s stop motion 3D animation Frankenweenie was the one to open the whole thing on Oct. 10

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