Producer Signe Byrge Sørensen is headed for international festivals in Venice and Toronto with her new documentary "The Look of Silence," Joshua Oppenheimer's companion piece to "The Act of Killing," this time giving a voice to the victims of the Indonesian genocide in 1965-66.
Sørensen founded Final Cut for real in 2009. The modest producer probably never imagined that five short years later she would be walking the most glamorous red carpet in Hollywood as an Oscar nominee for the controversial "The Act of Killing." But vision and a desire to communicate global issues in film were always a driving force in Sørensen’s professional life. Her social engagement, combined with a capacity for hard work, analytical acumen and great courage, has made her a deeply respected producer among her colleagues in Denmark and abroad.
The Roos Award recognises an outstanding achievement in Danish documentary film. The award committee consists of last year's winner (Adam Nielsen) and, from the Danish Film Institute, CEO Henrik Bo Nielsen and head of development Ane Mandrup. On the selection of the 44-year-old producer, the award committee says:
"A film producer can be – but is not necessarily – a creative driving force. Signe Byrge Sørensen is much more than a creative producer. In 'The Act of Killing' she has shown herself to be a world-class visionary producer. She saw the potential in Joshua Oppenheimer’s material, including more than 1000 hours of footage. She established a professional, creative space around him that made it possible to shape the prodigious material into a film that is innovative and remarkable in all ways. She created the financial space, and by a persistent strategic effort she made sure to get the film out in the world where it received the attention it deserved from critics, audiences and politicians.
Among her colleagues in the film industry, Sørensen is praised for her intellect, seriousness, lack of prejudice and tremendous persistence. When Signe takes on an assignment, she takes full responsibility – production-wise, creatively, ethnically, politically, etc. Do not be fooled by her modest demeanour. Sørensen knows what she wants and graciously, but stubbornly, goes for it.
It is a gift to us all that Signe Byrge Sørensen’s overarching goal is to contribute to a better world with greater equality and social justice. Her films have been known to knock people off their feet, but Sørensen herself stands firm – on the red carpet or among the Syrian refugees who are the subject of an upcoming film."
Signe Byrge Sørensen
The producer behind The Look of Silence and The Act of Killing has produced films since 1998 and founded her company Final Cut for Real in 2009.
Other films by Signe Byrge Sørensen include Cathedrals of Culture: Halden Prison (dir. Michael Madsen, 2014), The Human Scale (dir. Andreas M. Dalgaard, 2012), The Kid and the Clown (dir. Ida Grøn, 2011), and Football Is God (dir. Ole Bendtzen, 2010). Signe Byrge Sørensen has also co-produced a string of international documentaries. Signe Byrge Sørensen holds an MA in International Development Studies and Communication Studies and is a graduate of Eurodoc (2003) and EAVE (2010).
