Docudrama scoops best film award

The film has received critical praise

Touching the Void, a mountaineering docudrama from Oscar winning director Kevin MacDonald, won best film at the Evening Standard British Film Awards.

The film triumphed over Richard Curtis' romantic comedy Love Actually at the ceremony in London on Sunday.

Paul Bettany scooped best actor for his roles in Master and Commander and The Heart of Me, while Love Actually's Emma Thompson won best actress.

Thompson's co-star Bill Nighy won The Peter Sellers Award for Comedy.

Touching the Void tells the story of Joe Simpson and Simon Yates' successful 1985 ascent of the 21,000-foot Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes, and their terrifying descent.

EVENING STANDARD BRITISH FILM AWARDS WINNERS Best film - Touching the Void Best actor - Paul Bettany Best actress - Emma Thompson The Peter Sellers Award for Comedy - Bill Nighy

Simpson shattered his knee and was then left hanging in an ice crevasse, but managed to crawl miles to eventual safety.

Touching the Void has also received a nomination for best British film at the forthcoming Bafta awards, which will be handed out next month.

Director Michael Winterbottom received the inaugural Alexander Walker Special Award, named after the Evening Standard newspaper's veteran film critic, who died last year.

Winterbottom's most recent film was In This World, about a pair of Afghani boys who undertake an arduous journey to asylum in England.

Last year's award winners included Dirty Pretty Things for best film, and Chicago star Catherine Zeta Jones, who won best actress.