News

Haugesund, Norway — Iceland’s “A White, White Day,” Denmark’s “Queen of Hearts” and Norway’s “Blind Spot” are among the five films that will compete for this year’s Nordic Council Film Prize, a prestigious film award aimed at promoting Nordic co-operation and environmental initiatives.

Sweden’s “Reconstructing Utøya” and Finland’s “Aurora” help round out the list, which was announced on Tuesday evening, during the opening of the New Nordic Films market at the Haugesund Film Festival.

Given on a permanent basis since 2005, the award includes a cash prize of Dkk 350,000 and will be attributed on October 29 as part of the Nordic Council Autumn Session in Stockholm. Previous winners include Joachim Trier’s “Louder than Bombs,” Benedikt Erlingsson’s “Of Horses and Men,” Thomas Vinterberg’s “The Hunt,” Dagur Kari’s “Virgin Mountain,” Pernilla August’s “Beyond” and Lars von Trier’s “Antichrist,” among others.

In order to qualify,...

The $52,750 prize will be shared equally among the screenwriter, director, and producer.

The five nominees for the Nordic Council Film Prize 2019 have been unveiled at the Haugesund International Film Festival in Norway today (August 20).

The $52,750 prize will be shared equally among the screenwriter, director, and producer.

The nominees are:

Aurora (Finland), Miia Tervo (director/script), Max Malka (producer) Blind Spot (Norway), Tuva Novotny (director/script), Elisabeth Kvithyll (producer) Queen Of Hearts (Denmark), May el-Toukhy (director/script), Maren Louise Käehne (script), Caroline Blanco, René Ezra (producers) Reconstructing Utøya (Sweden), Carl Javér (director/script), Fredrik Lange (script/producer) A White, White Day...

The gathering celebrates entering middle age in style, with its 30th anniversary edition swapping champagne and party hats for taking a closer look at the world. Founded in 1990, Nordisk Panorama Film Festival, the biggest film festival for Nordic documentary and short films — organized by Nordisk Panorama and supported by the city of Malmö, Film i Skåne and Region Skåne — will see 14 documentaries competing for the title of the Best Nordic Documentary and a hefty prize of €11,000 in September. Chosen titles will include films that have already generated some heat on the festival circuit, such as Lina Maria Mannheimer’s Mating, Carl Javér’s Reconstructing Utøya or Marie Skovgaard’s The Reformist. As well as some new discoveries, including two world premieres: Photographer of War, directed by Boris Benjamin Bertram and dedicated to Danish photojournalist Jan Grarup, who won the World Press Photo award for his coverage of the...

Former Sundance programmer Hussain Currimbhoy was the guest programmer.

Two world premieres are among the line-up for the Nordic documentary competition of the 30th anniversary edition of the Nordisk Panorama Film Festival, which runs September 19-24 in Malmo, Sweden.

The first is Boris Benjamin Bertram’s Photographer Of War (Denmark) about famed Danish war photographer Jan Grarup who has to learn to take care of his three children when his ex-wife becomes ill. LevelK handles sales.

The other is Hrafnhildur Gunnarsdóttir’s The Vasulka Effect (Iceland), about two pioneers of video art who see a renewed interest from the art world when they are retired.

Other winners include Goliath and Reconstructing Utøya.

Ali Abbasi’s Border (Gräns) was the big winner at Sweden’s Guldbagge Awards, which were announced last night (Jan 29) in Stockholm.

The film, which also won the top prize in the Un Certain Regard strand at Cannes last year, scooped six awards in total, including best film and best actress for Eva Melander.

Peter Grönlund’s Goliath won four awards including best actor for Joakim Sällquist and best screenplay.

Reconstructing Utøya won best director for Carl Javér and best Documentary.

Full list of winners

Best Film

Border (Gräns)

Best Director

Carl Javér...