JONAS POHER RASMUSSEN

TEAM 'FLEE' GOES TO THE OSCARS by Maria Kristensen

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.

'FLEE' WINS BEST DOCUMENTARY CATEGORY AT THE BODIL AWARDS by Maria Kristensen

We are very proud to announce that ‘FLEE’ directed by Jonas Poher Rasmussen won the category for Best Documentary at the Bodil Awards this saturday!

‘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 prestigious Bodil statuettes have been given out yearly by the Association of Danish Film Critics since the first Bodil award ceremony in 1948. This year the award ceremony took place on the 19th of March in Folketeatret, Copenhagen.

To see the full list of winners and nominees for this year's Bodil, visit: www.bodilprisen.dk (in Danish)

'FLEE' WINS BEST FEATURE AWARD AT IDA DOCUMENTARY AWARDS by Maria Kristensen

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 by Maria Kristensen

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

'FLEE' WINS FOUR CATEGORIES AT ROBERT AWARDS 2022 by Maria Kristensen

‘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

'FLEE' NOMINATED FOR TWO BAFTAS by Maria Kristensen

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 by Maria Kristensen

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

'FLEE' SHORTLISTED FOR FEATURE DOCUMENTARY AND INTERNATIONAL FEATURE ACADEMY AWARDS by Maria Kristensen

We are so very honoured that Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s animated documentary film Flee has been shortlisted for both the Feature Documentary and International Feature Film Academy Awards.

The shortlist for both awards contains 15 films, which will be narrowed down to 5 nominated films on February 8, 2022, and the 94th Academy Awards Ceremony will take place on March 27, 2022.

So we’ll keep our fingers crossed for the next couple of months!

Flee is produced by Monica Hellström and Signe Byrge Sørensen for Final Cut for Real, and Charlotte de la Gournerie for Sun Creature Studios. The film is co-produced by Charlotte Most for Most Films (SE), Maria Ekerhovd for Mer Film (NO) and Mathieu Courtois and Jean-François Le Corre for Vivement Lundi.

Executive Producers are Philippa Kowarsky (Cinephil), Danny Gabai, Natalie Farrey & Jannat Gargi (VICE Studios) and Hayley Pappas & Matt Ippolito (RYOT Films).

The film is produced with the support of the Danish Film Institute, Swedish Film Institute, Norwegian Film Institute, Nordic Film and TV Fond, West Danish Film Fund, Creative Europe MEDIA Programme of the European Union, Région Bretagne, Région Hauts De France/Pictanovo, CNC, Procirep + Angoa, DR, SVT, YLE, The Animation Workshop, Fritt Ord, Movistar+, I Wonder Pictures, ERR, RTV Slo.

Click here to see the full shortlist announcement

'FLEE' WINS AT EUROPEAN FILM AWARDS 2021 by Maria Kristensen

Flee directed by Jonas Poher Rasmussen and produced by Monica Hellström has received two prizes at this weekend’s European Film Awards!

The awards ceremony took place in Berlin on Saturday, December 11, 2022. Due to Covid-restrictions, Jonas received the awards for Best Documentary and Best Animated Feature virtually. It is possible to watch the entire awards ceremony and see Jonas’ speech here.

The European Film Awards have been presented annually since 1988 by the European Film Academy to recognise excellence in European cinematic achievements. We are all super proud and happy at Final Cut for Real!

'FLEE' WINS GOTHAM AWARD FOR BEST DOCUMENTARY by Maria Kristensen

We are so excited that Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s animated documentary film ‘Flee’, produced by Monica Hellström and Signe Byrge Rasmussen has won the Gotham Award for Best Feature Documentary Monday night at the awards ceremony in New York City.

Flee’ wasn’t the only Final Cut for Real production represented at the awards ceremony. Camilla Nielssons's award-winning film ‘Presidentwas competing in the same category. We wish both of our directors a huge congratulations on their honorable achievements!

The Gotham Awards ceremony was held on November 29 and is one of the leading honors for independent film and television and provides acknowledgment to groundbreaking independent films and television series.

‘FLEE’ AND ‘PRESIDENT’ AT THE CINEMA EYE HONORS 2022 by Maria Kristensen

We are super proud that Fleedirected by Jonas Poher Rasmussen, produced by Monica Hellström & Signe Byrge Sørensen is nominated in nothing less than seven categories at the 15th annual Cinema Eye Honors!

Furthermore, Camilla Nielsson’s ‘President produced by Signe Byrge Sørensen is nominated in the category for Outstanding Achievement in Production!

The Cinema Eye Honors are recognizing outstanding artistry and craft in nonfiction or documentary filmmaking and include awards for the disciplines of directing, producing, cinematography and editing. The ceremony will take place at the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, Queens on January 13, 2022.

'FLEE' RECEIVES THE NORDIC COUNCIL FILM PRIZE 2021 by Maria Kristensen

We are so proud and happy that Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s animated documentary film ‘Flee has won the Nordic Council Film Prize 2021!

The Prize is shared by film director and screenwriter Jonas Poher Rasmussen, screenwriter Amin and producers Monica Hellström and Signe Byrge Sørensen from Final Cut for Real and Charlotte de la Gournerie from Sun Creature. The award was announced Tuesday evening November 2, during the live broadcast of the awards ceremony from Copenhagen.

As part of their motivation, the Nordic jury states:

“It is not often that aesthetic, political and humane dimensions combine in a such sublime and artistic piece of film as in 'Flee'."

"We find that 'Flee' tells a necessary, relevant and touching story about how all people, regardless of their ethnicity, background, age or sexual orientation, have the right to a happy childhood and a safe place to call home. The film was created before many people in Afghanistan recently had to flee from civil war and its relevance has only increased in the wake of these events. But the director manages to not become self-pitying or sentimental in their way of storytelling." 

'FLEE' SELECTED AS DENMARK'S OFFICIAL OSCAR CANDIDATE by Maria Kristensen

We are extremely proud that the Danish Oscar committee has chosen Fleedirected by Jonas Poher Rasmussen, produced by Monica Hellström & Signe Byrge Sørensen as Denmark's official Oscar entry for the 2022 International Feature Film category.

'Flee' was selected from a shortlist of three Danish films. In the press release from the Danish Film Institute the chairperson of the committee, Claus Ladegaard, among other things states: "'Jonas Poher Rasmussen directs with tremendous empathy and Amin’s story is hard to shake. The film’s finely balanced use of animation, music and live action gives us a real sense of the horror and cynicism of Amin’s journey to Europe – while not ignoring the beauty, humour and hope of his story. This makes 'Flee' an unusually nuanced film with social and existential depth.”

The Academy will be announcing the 15 films that have a chance to become one of the five nominees in the International Feature Film category on December 21. Until then we’ll be crossing our fingers!

Click here to read the entire press release from the Danish Film Institute.

'FLEE' AND 'SONGS OF REPRESSION' WIN AT DOCS AGAINST GRAVITY by Maria Kristensen

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This week, the awards for the 18th edition of Millenium Docs Against Gravity, Poland’s largest film event, were handed out and we are extremely grateful that Flee, by Jonas Poher Rasmussen, received 3 awards, the Grand Prix Millennium Award, Best Film on Psychology and the Lower Silesia Grand Prix, and that the directors of Songs of Repression, Marianne Hougen-Moraga and Estephan Wagner, received the Amnesty International Poland Award.

The jury statements for the awards were as follows:

Flee - Grand Prix Millenium Award 2021
Our unanimous winner is „Flee” by Jonas Poher Rasmussen. This film speaks about a real, extremely important subject in an artistically powerful, compelling, and complex way. The original form, the sincerity of the main character, the lack of sentimentality and its strong emotional content make it not only an attractive movie for the wider audience, but also an important statement about the real situation of today’s refugees, helping us to understand their destiny and choices and evoking deep empathy. Far beyond the usual limits of documentary storytelling, this powerful film speaks about the importance of being allowed to live in truth.”

Flee - The “Zwierciadło” Magazine Award for the Best Film on Psychology 2021
There are many reasons why „Flee” deserves an award. Now this dramatic story resound sin a particularly shocking context, with the Taliban regaining full power in Afghanistan. We decided to select this film mainly because of its excellent portrayal of the birth of shame: being ashamed of who you are. The protagonist begins this story as a regular kid running around the yards of Kabul with his Walkman--and then suddenly the old Kabul is gone and he begins running away, goes into hiding, pretends to be someone else. Shame is not an innate emotion--it's acquired, born of how others treat us. Flee forces us to consider whether we could be these "others" too.”

Flee - The Lower Silesia Grand Prix, 2021
The film which receives the Lower Silesia Grand Prix is also a reflection of the most topical matters and the message which we noticed in many of the competition masterpieces. We are awarding the documentary we have chosen for high sensitivity and evocative nature of the narrative, oscillating on a broad emotional scale, its psychological aspect, taking up a tough subject in a remarkable way and last but not least – for not allowing us to lose hope.
It is also a film which shows the great broadness of documentary. At the same time, it is a universal tale about human memory and trauma. This masterpiece builds bridges and provides a way for a wider audience to understand the issues which polarize every day. The film is “Flee” by Jonas Poher Rasmussen.

Songs of Repression - The Amnesty International Poland Award 2021
For its important lesson about the complexities of social mechanisms governing the world, the darkness in the depths of human nature, and the vagaries of our psyche, imparted through the tale of a small community. The directors employed simple formal means to capture universal truths about mechanisms of control, dependence, evil, manipulation, and the consequences of violent upbringing (as well as upbringing for violence) in their story of a seemingly Utopian, isolated German community in Chile. The ease with which evil takes over individuals and entangles societies is as terrifying as the permanence of its influence. This film doesn’t limit itself to portraying the community—it goes further, delving into the consequences of living alongside evil and depicting the complexity of the reality we live in. The tale of the German community in Chile becomes a mirror of human history—one that’s worth looking into ourselves.”

Click here to read the full list of awards

'FLEE' AND 'OUR MEMORY BELONGS TO US' SELECTED FOR CAMDEN IFF by Maria Kristensen

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We are proud and happy to announce that ‘Flee’ and ‘Our Memory Belongs to Us’ have been selected for the Camden International Film Festival 2021.

The 17th edition of the festival will be held at venues in Maine from September 16-19 and online from September 16-26, 2021. The Camden International Film Festival is recognized as one of the top documentary film festivals in the world and the program features 37 feature and 33 short films from 30 different countries.

‘Flee’ , directed by Jonas Poher Rasmussen and produced by Monica Hellström, is chosen as the Closing Night Film and ‘Our Memory Belongs to Us’ , directed by Rami Farah and produced and co-directed by Signe Byrge Sørensen, is highlighted by Filmmaker Magazine as one of the notable films of the selection!

Click here to read more about the full festival lineup (Filmmaker Magazine)

'FLEE' NOMINATED FOR THE NORDIC COUNCIL FILM PRIZE AND SELECTED FOR THE EUROPEAN FILM AWARDS SHORTLIST by Maria Kristensen

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Flee by Jonas Poher Rasmussen has been nominated for the Nordic Council Film Prize 2021 and is among the 15 shortlisted documentaries for the European Film Awards.

The Nordic Council Film Prize is awarded this year for the 18th time and is one of the most prestigious film awards in the Nordic region (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden). The winner will be announced on November 2nd, 2021 at the Awards Ceremony in Copenhagen in conjunction with the Session of the Nordic Council.

Click here to read more about the prize and the five nominees

The European Film Awards have been presented annually since 1988 by the European Film Academy to recognize excellence in European cinematic achievements. Nominations will be made public on November 9th and the 34th European Film Awards will take place in Berlin on December 11th, 2021.

Click here to see the full selection of shortlisted documentaries.

'RAISING A SCHOOL SHOOTER' & 'FLEE' NOMINATED FOR BEST NORDIC DOCUMENTARY AT NORDISK PANORAMA by Maria Kristensen

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Raising and School Shooter by Frida & Lasse Barkfors and Flee, by Jonas Poher Rasmussen are among the 14 Nordic films selected to compete for the Best Nordic Documentary Award at Nordisk Panorama 2021. The festival takes place 16. - 21. September in Malmö, Sweden, and is a major event for the Nordic documentary industry.

Flee was selected for Cannes 2020, and premiered at Sundance in January 2021, where it won the Grand Jury Prize, and has since then won several awards.

Raising and School Shooter premiered at CPH:DOX in April 2021, and is the third film in Frida & Lasse Barkfors’ trilogy on social stigma, following “Pervert Park” and “Death of a Child”.

Click here to read more about the festival and to see the full programme.

'FLEE' WINS 3 AWARDS AT ANNECY by Maria Kristensen

It was an incredible night for Flee at this year’s Annecy International Animation Festival - one of the world’s absolute leading film festivals for animation films. ‘Flee’ took home three awards - Best Original Music, the Gan Foundation Award for Distribution and last, but definitely not least: The Cristal Award for Feature Film.

Many from the team were present at Annecy and were able to accept the awards in person, which was wonderful after a year of mostly virtual festivals and appearances.

Flee is directed by Jonas Poher Rasmussen, and produced by Monica Hellström & Signe Byrge Sørensen for Final Cut for Real. Animation producer is Charlotte de la Gournerie from Sun Creature Studio. The film is coproduced by Jean-François Le Corre, Mathieu Courtois (Vivement Lundi ! FR)., Charlotte Most (MostFilm SE) and Maria Ekerhovd (Mer Film NO).

Flee is in cinemas all over Denmark right now, and has premiered to fantastic reviews - book your ticket here

And click here to see the full list of award winners at Annecy.

'FLEE' PREMIERES IN DANISH CINEMAS ON JUNE 17TH by Maria Kristensen

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On Thursday June 17 Fleewill be premiering in Danish cinemas.

Flee’ (Danish title: Flugt) has received great critical acclaim internationally, was selected for Cannes 2020, won the World Documentary Award at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and the Dragon Award for Best Nordic Documentary at Gothenburg Film Festival 2020.

In a recent article from Soundvenue, in relation to the upcoming premiere, ‘Flee’ is mentioned as a Strong candidate for this year’s most hyped Danish film”. So come see what the hype is all about and get your tickets here.

‘Flee’ is directed by Jonas Poher Rasmussen and produced by Monica Hellström and Signe Byrge Sørensen for Final Cut for Real, in collaboration with Sun Creature Studios, and in co-production with Vivement Lundi ! (France), MostFilm (Sweden) and Mer Film (Norway).