Paul Greengrass's Bloody Sunday added to its tally of festival prizes over the weekend, winning the top award - the Hitchcock D'Or - at the Dinard British Film Festival (3-6 October).

The Northern Ireland set drama has already received various international awards including the Golden Bear at Berlin and the Audience Award at Sundance. It opened in the United States over the weekend.

In a festival whose competition line-up was dominated by gritty dramas, it perhaps came as little surprise that the audience prize went to Gurinder Chadha's feel good film Bend It Like Beckham. A delighted Chadha was presented with her prize by director Ken Loach. She added that his films, in particular Up The Junction, had been a huge influence on her work.

Meanwhile, the Kodak prize for cinematography went to Alwin Kuchler for Lynne Ramsay's Morvern Callar. It is understood that Morvern Callar came a very close second to Bloody Sunday in the battle for top prize, with the Dinard jury almost split in its choice of winner.

All three prize winners were in part funded by UK support body, the Film Council.

Despite taking place in hot sunshine, most screenings at this festival of British film were packed full. According to the festival, 9,600 tickets were sold during the event.

Located on the coast of Northern France, Dinard was again host to a large number of UK producers and directors, and many of their French counterparts. For many, it acted as a useful forum for discussion, making contacts and for building bridges between the French and UK film industries.

The Film Council, which along with France's CNC, is one of the main sponsors of Dinard, is mulling plans to launch a similar event for French film in the UK.

The aim would be to increase the links between the UK and French industries. A festival of French film in the UK, which would be likely to require the support of French film funding bodies, would also build on the Film Council's previously announced plans to support the distribution of foreign language films in the UK.