Press release 09.03.2005
Danish films - whether
they be children's films, art-house films or major genre ventures
-continued to make an impact throughout the second half of 2004 and the
first quarter of 2005. Accordingly, Danish films retained a high national
market share at the domestic box office and swept away numerous international
awards, including honours at San Sebastian and Sundance.
Extract of
international awards
Two of autumn's Danish
box-office hits "Brothers" and "King's Game" won a number of prestigious
awards:
Susanne Bier's
"Brothers" won the Critic's Prize at the Hamburg Film Fest, received the
World Cinema Dramatic Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival, and
won Best Actor (Ulrich Thomsen) and Best Actress (Connie Nielsen) award at
San Sebastian.
Nikolaj Arcel's feature
film debut "King's Game", which brought in the highest number of
admissions for Danish films in 2004, did not only receive rave reviews and
sweep away 8 Robert awards and a Bodil award, it also won the Best
Screenplay award at the Viareggio Europa Cinema & TV Festival in
Rome.
Paprika Steen's feature
film debut "Aftermath" continued its successful festival run, and received
a Grand Prix for Best Film at the Kiev Molodist International Film
Festival, as well as the Audience Award at the Film by the Sea festival in
Vlissingen. Moreover, Steen won the Special Prize and the Baltic Film
Prize at the Nordic Film Days in Lübeck. Also, at the Nordic Film Days,
Peter Flinth's "The Fakir" received a Special Mention, while Giacomo
Campeotto's feature film debut "Nasty Brats" was honoured with the
Children's Jury's First Prize.
Other Danish children
and youth films won awards in 2004:
Stephanie Leòn won Best
Actress at the Rimouski Carrousel International Youth Film Festival for
her role in Anders Gustafsson's debut feature "Scratch". Another debuting
director, Linda Krogsøe Holmberg, took home Best Screenplay in Athens and
the Children's Jury's Second Best Film award in Oulu for "Count to 100".
"Strings", an animated fantasy film by Anders Rønnow Klarlund, took home
two prizes at the Barcelona Sitges International Film Festival: an
Honourable Mention and the Critic's Prize. "The Boy Who Wanted To Be A
Bear", by animation grand master Jannik Hastrup, won the Jury Award at the
Bangkok Animation Film Festival, while Henrik Ruben Genz' feature film
debut "Someone Like Hodder" won two Special Prizes at the Sochi
International Children & Youth Film Festival in Moscow as well as Best
Children's Film at the Buenos Aires International Film Festival for
Children and Youth. Finally, Malene Vilstrup's "Zafir", also a feature
film debut, won the Special Prize at the Chicago International Children's
Film Festival.
Children's films were
not the only Danish awardwinners in Chicago. "Day and Night", Simon
Staho's second feature, won the Silver Hugo at the Chicago International
Film Festival.
Annette K. Olesen's
second feature film "In Your Hands" won the Special Prize of the Jury at
the Valladolid International Film Festival in Spain and the Audience's
Prize for Best Long Feature at the Bordeaux International Festival for
Women. At the same Festival Nikolaj Kopernikus won Best leading Actor for
his role in "In your Hands".
Eric Clausen's "Villa
Paranoia", an awardwinner at festivals in the spring of 2004, went on to
win Best Film at the Abitibi-Témiscamingue Film Festival in Quebec and the
Critic's Prize at the Palic Subotica International Film Festival in
Serbia.
For further information
Danish Bodil Awards 2005Danish Robert Awards 2005
DFI Fact sheets for the above titles
"Aftermath"http://www.dfi.dk/dfi/english/featurefilms/11055.htm"Brothers"http://www.dfi.dk/dfi/english/featurefilms/15430.htm"Count
to 100"http://www.dfi.dk/dfi/english/featurefilms/588.htm"Day
and Night"http://www.dfi.dk/dfi/english/featurefilms/15894.htm"In
Your Hands"http://www.dfi.dk/dfi/english/featurefilms/13907.htm"King's
Game"http://www.dfi.dk/dfi/english/featurefilms/15175.htm"Nasty
Brats"http://www.dfi.dk/dfi/english/featurefilms/10895.htm
"Reconstruction"http://www.dfi.dk/dfi/english/featurefilms/11020.htm
"Scratch"http://www.dfi.dk/dfi/english/featurefilms/551.htm"Someone
Like Hodder"http://www.dfi.dk/dfi/english/featurefilms/10136.htm"Strings"http://www.dfi.dk/dfi/english/featurefilms/10875.htm"The
Boy Who Wanted To Be A Bear"http://www.dfi.dk/dfi/english/featurefilms/536.htm
"The Fakir"http://www.dfi.dk/dfi/english/featurefilms/10965.htm
"Villa Paranoia"http://www.dfi.dk/dfi/english/featurefilms/10762.htm
"Zafir"http://www.dfi.dk/dfi/english/featurefilms/13708.htm
Danish Film Institute (DFI)Charlotte
Appelgren, +45 3374 3506, +45 2244 0037 charlottea@dfi.dkAsbjørn Poulsen,
+45 3374 3536, asbjornp@dfi.dkVicki Synnott, +45
3374 3438, +45 5054 5011, vickis@dfi.dk