'A HOUSE MADE OF SPLINTERS' NOMINATED FOR EUROPEAN FILM AWARD

We are so immensely proud that Simon Lereng Wilmont’s beautiful and touching documentary film A House Made of Splinters has been nominated for at European Film Award for Best European Documentary.

A House Made of Splinters is a follow-up to Wilmont’s debut feature The Distant Barking of Dogs, both films showing the lives of children in war-torn Eastern Ukraine. The film from 2017 won a string of awards, including for best first film at IDFA. A House Made of Splinters follows a small group of strong-willed social workers close to the frontlines in Eastern Ukraine, who strive tirelessly in a special kind of orphanage to create an almost magical safe space for kids to live in while the state authorities and courts decide the future fate of the children and families.

The European Film Awards have been presented annually since 1988 and are given by the European Film Academy in recognition of excellence in European cinematic achievements.

The awards ceremony is on December 10 in Reykjavik, Iceland.

Click here to see the full list of nominees

'THE KILLING OF A JOURNALIST' WINS PRICE AT BERGEN INTERNATIONAL FILMFESTIVAL

More great festival news! 'The Killing Of A Journalist’ has won the Checkpoint - best human rights documentary price at Bergen International Filmfestival!

‘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.

The jury’s statement:

“This year's Checkpoints winner captures the importance of speaking truth to power despite government oppression. By focusing on a fledgling democracy, the documentary brings a new perspective and nuance to an often overlooked theme and place. This explosive, well-soured and objective documentary keeps its viewers captivated. The film is beautifully produced and shot. 

At its core the film is about the struggle to save the soul of a nation. The documentary captures the reality of living in a captured mafia state and showcases the bravery of those who oppose a corrupt regime regardless of the consequences. It even shows how corruption's tentacles extend beyond national borders into revered institutions such as the European Union. A red thread that runs throughout the documentary is the importance of the freedom of the press. 

The jury selects this feature documentary not only for the reasons above but also for its potential impact, both in the country and its neighbours who live under similar conditions. 

This year's winner of Checkpoints 2022 is THE KILLING OF A JOURNALIST.”

You can see the full list of jury statements from Bergen International Filmfestival 2022 here

'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.

'DREAMING ARIZONA' WORLD PREMIERE AT IDFA

Festival news: We are so proud to announce that ‘Dreaming Arizona’ by Jon Bang Carlsen will have its world premiere at IDFA, where it has been selected for the main competition!

‘Dreaming Arizona’ takes place in a small town called Winslow. At the town’s high school, we meet five teenagers, each with their own dream of the future. Like all teenagers around the world, they are in a transition where they have to shape their own lives, find a way out of childhood and create a new identity as adults. Their desire for freedom is strong, and there are consequences when parents, society or their own conscience restrict it. Film director, Jon Bang Carlsen, examines the teenagers’ basic need to stage their own lives as the documentary imperceptibly seeps into fiction. Together with the main characters, the director has created some imaginary life paths and thereby our teenagers comment on their own situation, the audiences’ anticipations and the director's vision.

The film is produced by Heidi Elise Christensen and Signe Byrge Sørensen.

Click here to see the full festival program.

'A HOUSE MADE OF SPLINTERS' AND 'THE KILLING OF A JOURNALIST' AT DOCNYC

This years DOCNYC is right around the corner, and we are happy to announce that we have ‘A House Made Of Splinters’ and ‘The Killing Of A Journalist’ screening at the festival.

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, screened at Karlovy Vary Int FF, and recently won the TRUTH DOX award at DokuFest.

A House Made of Splinters is directed by Simon Lereng Wilmont, and produced by Monica Hellström, edited by Michael Aaglund, sound design by Heikki Kossi, Pietu Korhorhonen, Peter Albrectsen & Sune Kaarsberg, music by Uno Helmersson. The film is co-produced by Story in Sweden, Donkey Hotel in Finland, Moon Man in Ukraine and MDR in collaboration with Arte (GER/FR), with support from The Danish Film Institute, Danish Film Directors, The Swedish Film Institute, The Finnish Film Institute, AVEK, Nordic Film & Tv Fond & Creative Europe: TV Programming. A House Made of Splinters premiered at Sundance 2022, winning the Best Directing Award, and went on to also receive the Dragon Award for Best Nordic Documentary at Gothenburg Film Festival as well as the Politiken:DOX Award at CPH:DOX and two awards at Thessaloniki IFF.

See the full program for DOCNYC here

'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.

'THE KILLING OF A JOURNALIST' AT ZURICH FILM FESTIVAL

We are happy to announce that Matt Sarnecki’s 'The Killing Of A Journalist' will be screened at Zurich Film Festival and is one out of 14 films in ZFF’s Documentary strand for a Golden Eye.

‘The Killing Of A Journalist’ explores the brutal murder of a young Slovakian investigative journalist and his fiancée. Their deaths inspire the biggest protests in Slovakia since the fall of communism. The story takes an unexpected turn when a source leaks the secret murder case file to the murdered journalist’s colleagues which includes the computers and encrypted communications of the assassination’s alleged mastermind, a businessman closely connected to the country’s ruling party. Trawling these encrypted messages, journalists discover that their country has been captured by corrupt oligarchs, judges and law enforcement officials. A reckoning awaits.

The film 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, screened at Karlovy Vary Int FF, and recently won the TRUTH DOX award at DokuFest.

Click here to see the rest of the films in the documentary competition

'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.

PRESIDENT NOMINATED FOR THE GRIERSON AWARDS ‘22

We are proud and thrilled to announce that ‘President’ directed by Camilla Nielsson, has been nominated for the Grierson Awards 2022!

The Grierson Awards, also known at the British Documentary Awards, commemorate the pioneering Scottish documentary filmmaker John Grierson (1898 – 1972), famous for ‘Drifters’ and ‘Night Mail’ and widely regarded as the father of the documentary.

The awards ceremony takes place in London on November 10, 2022 where a winner from the strong list of nominees will be announced!

FLEE SHORTLISTED FOR PRIX ITALIA 2022

Click here to see the other shortlisted films!

FLEE IN FRENCH CINEMAS

Over the last few weeks our animated documentary ‘Flee’ has been screening in more than 100 cinemas across France!

The above photo of the happy audience is form Cinéma ARVOR in Rennes, where the director, Jonas Poher Rasmussen attended the screening and answered the questions of the approx. 100 teenagers who are studying cinema. We had such an interesting debate and enjoyed the dedicated audience!

We are very happy that ‘Flee’ will continue to run in French cinemas until the end of the year!

'PRESIDENT' BANNED IN ZIMBABWE

We are sad to announce that The Government of Zimbabwe has slapped a ban on our Oscar-shortlisted documentary, PRESIDENT, by Camilla Nielsson. The reason for the ban is based on the argument that the film “has the potential to incite violence” as Zimbabwe gears up for presidential elections in 2023.

In an exclusive article published by Variety on August 8, film director, Camilla Nielsson and producer, Signe Byrge Sørensen comment upon the ban and how it’s a clear example of a growing crackdown on dissent by the Zimbabwean government.

Click her to read the full article from Variety.

These are very sad and disturbing news, however we are unfortunately not surprised with the verdict, and we continue to fight and challenge the ruling in Zimbabwe’s constitutional court, promising a long legal battle ahead.

While we wait for a solution on this critical censorship, PRESIDENT is in the meantime having it’s release across the U.S. on PBS’ POV documentary series on August 8.

'THE KILLING OF A JOURNALIST' AT KVIFF

This year’s Karlovy Vary International Film Festival is right around the corner, and we are happy to announce that our film ‘The Killing of a Journalist’ has been selected for the Special Screenings section, which represents an exclusive selection of international and Czech films presented as premieres and avant-premieres.

‘The Killing of a Journalist,’ directed by Matt Sarnecki and produced by Signe Byrge Sørensen, will have its European premiere on July 5, 2022.

The film explores the brutal murder of a young Slovakian investigative journalist and his fiancée. Their deaths inspire the biggest protests in Slovakia since the fall of communism. The story takes an unexpected turn when a source leaks the secret murder case file to the murdered journalist’s colleagues which includes the computers and encrypted communications of the assassination’s alleged mastermind, a businessman closely connected to the country’s ruling party. Trawling these encrypted messages, journalists discover that their country has been captured by corrupt oligarchs, judges and law enforcement officials. A reckoning awaits.

Karlovy Vary International Film Festival is the largest film festival in the Czech Republic and one of the most prestigious festivals in Central and Eastern Europe. Every year, the festival presents more than 200 films from around the world, and regularly hosts famous and important filmmakers.

Click here to read more about the other films selected for the Special Screenings section.

FLEE AT THE LUX AUDIENCE AWARDS IN STRASBOURG

We are so happy that ‘Flee’ by Jonas Poher Rasmussen obtained an impressive second place at the LUX Audience Award at the European Parliament in Strasbourg this week!

The European Parliament wrote the following about the film:

One of this film’s many great flourishes comes in the opening minutes, as Amin (all the main characters have pseudonyms to protect their anonymity) lies down on a plush couch and prepares to narrate his impressive tale to Rasmussen. Then, just as we in the audience are similarly settling down, a film clapperboard hovers in the corner of the frame, the two main characters giggle and then the scene. And this is all rendered in hand-drawn animation, with the slanted lines and imperfections of a sketch. What reality are we in here? Subjective reality and the nature of our perceptions are in fact one of this film’s key concerns.

The masterstroke of using animation to literally illustrate Amin’s story is that its colourful splendour and spatial exaggerations bring us closer to the feeling of actually ‘accessing’ memory, a bit like the colour-coded levels of reality in Christopher Nolan’s work.

Unlike many migrant narratives in contemporary film, Flee takes place at an earlier point in time – the latter stages of the Afghan-Soviet War in the late 1980s – where escaping had become civilians’ only option. The affinity with the modern refugee crisis is nonetheless obvious. In his early teens, Amin initially decamped from Afghanistan, along with his frail mother and three older siblings, to Russia, the only country that would take them. Yet this was merely a temporary solution, with their Russian visas expiring and the country descending into turmoil after the fall of communism. The bulk of the film follows Amin’s increasingly hapless and Kafkaesque attempts to settle in a more secure Western European country. Yet a person is not solely defined by their political status, and a key thread in this story is Amin’s burgeoning queer sexuality; we see his struggles to conceal this from his family, and how he explores his urges in private and with people of his own age.

Read the latest news and more about the other winners here!

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.