Only God Forgives wins top prize at Sydney Film Festival

Nicolas Winding Refn’s ultraviolent collaboration with Ryan Gosling, Only God Forgives, has taken the top prize at the 2013 Sydney Film Festival.

Jury president Hugo Weaving announced the Official Competition winner on the closing night of the fest, declaring it “a visually mesmerizing and disturbing film which polarised our opinions.”

Only God Forgives trumped 11 other movies for the accolade, earning Refn a $60,000 reward.

His earlier effort, Bronson, won the Official Competition in 2009.

“I am very honoured and extremely excited to have received this honourable award from a country that in my opinion has one of the great film histories of the world,” said Refn.

You can find my review of Only God Forgives here.