'FIGHTING DEMONS WITH DRAGONS' WINS GOLDEN ALEXANDER IN THESSALONIKI

Last week 's wonderful new doc FIGHTING DEMONS WITH DRAGONS took home the Silver Alexander in the Newcomers Competition at Thessaloniki Int. Documentary Film Festival, where it celebrated its world premiere - we are so delighted and can't wait for the film to meet even more lovely audiences all over the world!

Here is the jury's statement: "We would like to award a director for taking the hard challenge of telling a multi character story, creating with tenderness a both emotional and complex universe of teenagers in such a fragile turning point of their lives. With the talent and skills of a documentarian she is voicing from a very intimate perspective her protagonists with empathy and respect."

You can see the full list of award winners here.

'OUTSIDE' WINS THE JAPAN PRIZE AWARD OF HONOR

Exciting news! Olha Zhurba’s Outside (2022) wins the Award of Honor in the Lifelong Learning Division of the 2023 Japan Prize. The goal of the prize is to contribute to the quality of educational content worldwide, and it honors works that inspire people to learn.

‘Outside’ is a documentary film about 13-year-old Roma, a street kid turned poster boy for the Ukranian Revolution in 2014. At age 18 he struggles with the challenges of facing a future that might already have been decided for him. The film is produced by Moon Man and co-produced by Tangerine Tree and Final Cut for Real.

All award winners are invited to Tokyo to present their works on The Japan Prize Festival that will run this November 20th-23rd.

If you haven’t watched the film yet, you’ll get the chance on Wednesday when Danish TV channel DR2 is broadcasting it.

'A HOUSE MADE OF SPLINTERS' AT THE OSCARS

We will be forever grateful that the team behind A House Made of Splinters last week suddenly found themselves in Hollywood for the 95th Academy Awards, celebrating the film’s nomination for Best Feature Documentary.

Although we did not take home the little golden statue, just being there was the greatest experience and also meant that this very international team were able to spend some lovely days together - we were especially grateful that our lovely protagonists Margarita and Olga joined us, and were celebrated as the stars that they are.

The film continues to screen around the world and to change lives and hearts forever.

'HUSH' WINS BEST VR AT FIRM FILM FESTIVAL

We are delighted that Vibeke Bryld’s VR experience HUSH / Havfolket Kalder Mørknet Vand won the award for Best VR/360 at Firm Film Festival in Mexico!

Hush premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2020 and has since then toured the festival circuit, having been selected for more than 25 festivals and nominated for prestigious awards.

Hush is currently being exhibited in Hirtshals, Denmark, where a beautiful large installation has been created around it. It will be exhibited until March 2023 - more info: https://bibianadanmark.dk/saerudstillingen-havfolket-kalder-moerknet-vand/

'OUTSIDE' WINS HUMAN RIGHTS FILM FESTIVAL BERLIN COMPETITION

We are very proud to announce that the film ‘Outside’ directed by Olha Zhurba has won the Willy Brandt Documentary Film Prize at Human Rights Film Festival Berlin!
The film is produced by Darya Bassel and Viktoria Khomenko at Moon Man, in co-production with Anne Köhncke and Monica Hellström from Final Cut for Real and Willem Baptist and Nienke Korthof from Tangerine Tree.

The jury’s motivation is as follows:
”This film is bringing someone from the outside of society into the center. The film is also about loneliness, about lostness and about a neglected boy who turns into a young man in Ukraine. His story touched us in a deeply emotional way. His story stayed in our minds; we could not escape it. We were asking ourselves questions, some of them uncomfortable ones. Why are there people and groups of people, who seem to always stay outside the doors of their societies? How personal can a filmmaker’s relationship with her protagonist get? Is there a red line? But isn’t it precious that these films raise such important questions?
We think yes, absolutely.
Moreover, we would like to praise not only the storyline but the whole art of directing of the filmmaker, that lives up to the high standards of documentary filmmaking. The access to the main character and his family members is incredible, the camera is nearly forgotten.”

Click here to see the rest of the award winners.

'THE KILLING OF A JOURNALIST' RECEIVES SPECIAL MENTION AT ZFF

We have some great news to announce. ‘The Killing Of A Journalist’ by Matt Sarnecki received a Special Mention in the Documentary Competition at Zurich Film Festival this past weekend.

‘The Killing Of A Journalist’ is directed by Matt Sarnecki and produced by Signe Byrge Sørensen, editing is by Janus Billeskov Jansen, and music by Kristian Eidness. The film is co-produced with GotFat Productions in Aarhus, Denmark, and Frame Films in Czech Republic, with support from the West Danish Film Fund and Czech Film Fund. The Killing of a Journalist premiered at HotDocs 2022.

Click here to see the full list of the winners of a Golden Eye and Special Mention Awards from the 18th Zurich Film Festival.

'A HOUSE MADE OF SPLINTERS' WINS AUDIENCE AWARD

We are super excited to announce that 'A House Made Of Splinters’ directed by Simon Lereng Wilmont has won the City of Malmö’s Audience Award at Nordisk Panorama Film Festival.

‘A House Made Of Splinters’ follows three children at a temporary shelter where a small group of strong-willed social workers work tirelessly to create an almost magical safe space for the kids to live in, as war-torn Ukraine leaves devastating and enduring marks on the population. Through the eyes of kids, the movie depicts a personal, tender, and simultaneously tragic and hopeful story about lives in limbo.

The film is produced by Monica Hellström for Final Cut for Real, and co-produced by Tobias Janson (STORY, Sweden), Sami Jahnukainen (Donkey Hotel, Finland) and Darya Bassel & Viktoriia Khomenko (Moon Man, Ukraine).

You can see the full list of winning films at Nordisk Panorama Film Festival, if you click on the link right here.

'BOY FROM HEAVEN' IS SWEDEN'S OSCAR SUBMISSION

We are very proud to announce that Tarik Saleh’s film 'Boy From Heaven' has been chosen as Sweden’s submission for the 2022-23 Academy Awards Best International Feature Film category.

The political thriller won the best screenplay award at Cannes earlier this year, as well as the François Chalais Prize.

‘Boy From Heaven’ is produced by Kristina Åberg at Atmo Sweden, in co-production with Monica Hellström and Signe Byrge Sørensen from Final Cut for Real, Memento Film, Bufo, Arte France and Film i Väst.
The film is supported in Denmark by The Danish Film Institute and DR.

Click here to see the full list of contenders in the category.

BOY FROM HEAVEN WINS BEST SCREENPLAY AT festival de CANNES

We are very excited to announce that ‘Boy From Heaven’ directed by Tarik Saleh has won Best Screenplay at the 75th Festival de Cannes. The film is produced by Kristina Åberg at Atmo Sweden, in co-production with Monica Hellström and Signe Byrge Sørensen from Final Cut for Real, Memento Film, Bufo, Arte France and Film i Väst. ‘Boy From Heaven’ further won the Francois Chalais Prize – an award dedicated to the values of life affirmation and journalism.

The film reunites Saleh with the top creative team from ‘The Nile Hilton Incident’ (Saleh’s first film exploring the modern Arabic world) including Swedish actor Fares Fares, production designer Roger Rosenberg, French cinematographer Pierre Aïm, Danish editor Theis Schmidt and VFX specialist Peter Hjorth, VFX producer Mikael Windelin and editing consultant Janus Billeskov Jansen. For 'Boy From Heaven' the Danish team has been expanded with the Danish actor Hassan El Sayed.

The film is supported in Denmark by The Danish Film Institute and DR.

The Cannes Film Festival 2022 took place on the 17th May to the 28th May. The Festival is organised in various sections, where ‘Boy From Heaven’ was presented in Competition, the category displaying films that are representative of “arthouse cinema with a wide audience appeal”.

To read more about the Festival de Cannes click here.

TEAM 'FLEE' GOES TO THE OSCARS

It has been a week since the team behind ‘Flee’ directed by Jonas Poher Rasmussen went to the Oscars, and what a week it’s been! While we left the Dolby Theatre empty-handed, the Flee journey has truly been one for the books, and we are so grateful for all the amazing and inspiriting moments that it has brought along. We are moreover simultaneously humbled and proud for the way it has been received all across the world from people of completely different paths of life. And not to forget – Thank you to Amin, whose bravery and generosity in sharing his story has demonstrated the brutal and inhumane, but nevertheless ultimately beautiful, complicated and courageous reality for millions of refugees scattered around the globe.

‘Flee’ is produced by Monica Hellström and Signe Byrge Sørensen for Final Cut for Real and Charlotte de la Gournerie for Sun Creature.

‘Flee’ tells the extraordinary true story of Amin who, on the verge of marriage, is compelled to uncover his past for the first time – one that he has kept secret for over twenty years and which has continuously threatened the life he has built for himself since making the journey as a child refugee from Afghanistan to Denmark. Told mostly through animation, ‘Flee’ weaves together a stunning tapestry of images and memories which tell the affecting story of a young man grappling with his traumatic past in order to discover his true self and the meaning of home.

The Oscars ceremony was held on the 28th of March 2022. To read more about the ceremony click here.

'A HOUSE MADE OF SPLINTERS' WINS GOLDEN ALEXANDER AND FIprESCI AWARD AT THESSALONIKI DOCUMENTARY FESTIVAL

We are very happy to announce that ‘A House Made of Splinters’ directed by Simon Lereng Wilmont has won the grand prize for Best Documentary of the International Competition as well as the FIPRESCI award at Thessaloniki Documentary Festival! The award for Best Documentary was one among two under the International Competition awards - A joint jury reasoning for the selection was thus given for ‘A House Made of Splinters’ and ‘Young Plato’ by Declan McGrath & Neasa Ní Chianáin:

“There are two films that stood out for us. Two profoundly moving and intricate films that, in many ways, struck us as companion pieces, and that deserve to be seen together. The Special Jury Award goes to a film that can only give us hope in future generations and their capacity to make the world a better place. The award goes to Young Plato. The Golden Alexander Award goes to an unforgettable film that shines a light on the burden carried by children for the horrors and mistakes perpetrated by the world of the adults who should be caring for them. The Golden Alexander Award goes to A House Made of Splinters”.

‘A House Made of Splinters’ follows three children at a temporary shelter, as war-torn Ukraine leaves devastating and enduring marks on the population. Through the eyes of kids, the movie depicts a personal, tender, and simultaneously tragic and hopeful story about lives in limbo.

To read more about the 24th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, click here.

'FLEE' WINS BEST FEATURE AWARD AT IDA DOCUMENTARY AWARDS

We are very proud to announce that ‘Flee’ directed by Jonas Poher Rasmussen and produced by Monica Hellström, Signe Byrge Sørensen, and Charlotte De La Gournerie has won the award for Best Feature at IDA (International Documentary Association) Documentary Awards!

‘Flee’ tells the extraordinary true story of Amin who, on the verge of marriage, is compelled to uncover his past for the first time – one that he has kept secret for over twenty years and which has continuously threatened the life he has built for himself since making the journey as a child refugee from Afghanistan to Denmark. Told mostly through animation, ‘Flee’ weaves together a stunning tapestry of images and memories which tell the affecting story of a young man grappling with his traumatic past in order to discover his true self and the meaning of home.

The IDA Documentary Awards is the world's most prestigious event dedicated to the documentary genre, celebrating the best nonfiction films and programs of the year. It seeks to represent excellence in the documentary field from around the world, by emerging and established documentarians. The 2021 Awards was presented at a virtual ceremony on Friday, March 4, 2022.

To see the full list of winners and nominees, click here.

'FLEE' IS NOMINATED FOR THREE OSCARS

For the very first time in Oscar history, a documentary has been nominated in three categories – And we are absolutely thrilled to announce that the well-deserved honour is all ‘Flee’ directed by Jonas Poher Rasmussen and produced by Monica Hellström and Signe Byrge Sørensen. A huge congratulations to the whole team behind the film and everyone who made it possible.

‘Flee’ tells the extraordinary true story of Amin who, on the verge of marriage, is compelled to uncover his past for the first time – one that he has kept secret for over twenty years and which has continuously threatened the life he has built for himself since making the journey as a child refugee from Afghanistan to Denmark. Told mostly through animation, ‘Flee’ weaves together a stunning tapestry of images and memories which tell the affecting story of a young man grappling with his traumatic past in order to discover his true self and the meaning of home.

The award ceremony will be held on the 27th of March 2022.

To see the full list of nominees, go to oscars.org

'A HOUSE MADE OF SPLINTERS' WINS BEST NORDIC DOCUMENTARY AT GOTEBORG FILM FESTIVAL

We are very proud to announce that the Dragon Award Best Nordic Documentary at Göteborg Film Festival went to director Simon Lereng Wilmont for ‘House Made of Splinters’.

In the statement of motivation, the jury expressed their considerations in selecting Wilmont’s film:

The jury has been challenged by a wonderful selection of documentaries that have surprised us, made us cry and provoked us with a wide range of stories and ways of storytelling that truly has made us proud of the filmmakers of the Nordic region. 

The award goes to an exceptionally beautiful film. A film that with its presence and despair is more urgently burning than ever possible. With poetically unforgettable images, it gives a voice to the children’s heartbreaking stories, with a brutal war in the background. The story and the images that carry so much weight, sometimes feel light, like a soap bubble floating carefree in a room. In its total darkness, there is a little shimmer, a spirit of warmth and hope. 

The award ceremony was held 28th January and lasted until 6th February.
To see the full list of nominees, go to goteborgfilmfestival.se.

'FLEE' WINS FOUR CATEGORIES AT ROBERT AWARDS 2022

‘Flee’ had quite the night at the Robert Awards – Having been nominated for Score of the Year; Best Sound Design; Best Editing; and Best Documentary, the film won all four prizes! We are so incredibly proud of the film and everyone who made it possible.

‘Flee’ tells the extraordinary true story of Amin who, on the verge of marriage, is compelled to uncover his past for the first time – one that he has kept secret for over twenty years and which has continuously threatened the life he has built for himself since making the journey as a child refugee from Afghanistan to Denmark. Told mostly through animation, ‘Flee’ weaves together a stunning tapestry of images and memories which tell the affecting story of a young man grappling with his traumatic past in order to discover his true self and the meaning of home.

The award ceremony was held on the 5th of February 2022.

To see the full list of winners and nominees, go to robertprisen.dk

PRODUCER MONICA HELLSTROM WINS IB AWARD AT ROBERT AWARDS 2022

A huge congratulations to producer Monica Hellström for winning the Ib Award at this year’s Robert Awards! The Ib Award is an external award occasionally delegated by Danish Film Directors to “brave, innovative, risk-taking, anarchic – and incredibly tenacious – entrepreneurs, with no fear of unpopularity, and most of all, with a great beating heart for films and the whole difficult gang of self-inflated egos that necessitate films.” (Danish-English translation from the official description on robertprisen.dk).

The award ceremony was held on the 5th of February 2022.

To see more information about the Robert Awards, go to robertprisen.dk

'FLEE' NOMINATED FOR TWO BAFTAS

It is with great excitement that we announce the nomination of ‘Flee’ directed by Jonas Poher Rasmusssen and produced by Monica Hellström and SIgne Byrge Sørensen in not one, but two categories at this year’s BAFTA awards! ‘Flee’ is in great company in the categories of Best Documentary and Best Animated Film.

‘Flee’ tells the extraordinary true story of Amin who, on the verge of marriage, is compelled to uncover his past for the first time – one that he has kept secret for over twenty years and which has continuously threatened the life he has built for himself since making the journey as a child refugee from Afghanistan to Denmark. Told mostly through animation, ‘Flee’ weaves together a stunning tapestry of images and memories which tell the affecting story of a young man grappling with his traumatic past in order to discover his true self and the meaning of home.

The award ceremony will be held on the 13th March 2022.

To see the full list of nominees, go to bafta.org

'FLEE' WINS A GULDBAGGE FOR BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM

Pictured is producer Monica Hellström and Co-Producer Charlotte Most

A big congratulations to the ‘Flee’ team for winning the Guldbagge award in the category of Best international Feature Film last night! 

‘Flee’ is directed by Jonas Poher Rasmusssen and tells the extraordinary true story of Amin who, on the verge of marriage, is compelled to uncover his past for the first time – one that he has kept secret for over twenty years and which has continuously threatened the life he has built for himself since making the journey as a child refugee from Afghanistan to Denmark. Told mostly through animation, ‘Flee’ weaves together a stunning tapestry of images and memories which tell the affecting story of a young man grappling with his traumatic past in order to discover his true self and the meaning of home.

The Guldbagge Awards are Sweden’s leading film awards and have been presented since 1964 for outstanding contributions to Swedish film over the past year.

The award ceremony was held January 24th 2022.

To see the full list of nominees, go to filminstitutet.se