French prison drama “A Prophet” won the inaugural best picture award at the London film festival on Wednesday, going one better than in Cannes where it was runner-up to Michael Haneke's “The White Ribbon”. Jacques Audiard directed the gritty thriller about Malik, a young man who is sentenced to six years in prison and must use his ingenuity to survive a dangerous standoff between gangs. Another inaugural award this year, best British newcomer, went to Jack Thorne who wrote the screenplay for “The Scouting Book For Boys”, a story exploring the anxieties of being a teenager and set during a hazy British summer. The longstanding Sutherland Trophy for a debut feature went to Israeli Yaron Shani and Palestinian Scandar Copti and their movie “Ajami”, a crime drama set on the streets of a tough Jaffa neighborhood rife with ethnic tension. Two British Film Institute Fellowships were also handed out at an awards ceremony in London. One went to British actor John Hurt, best known for his roles in “The Elephant Man.”
