The Award Winners of the 50th Nordic Film Days

The Norwegian feature film "The Man Who Loved Yngve" has won the NDR Award for Best Feature Film of the 50^th Nordic Film Days Lübeck. The debut film by director Stian Kristiansen tells of a schoolboy’s painful coming-out in the eighties. The jury praised the “incredible lightness, warmth and humour” of the film, while its characters remain veracious throughout. The much-desired LN Audience Prize also goes to a Norwegian film: “The Kautokeino Rebellion” by Nils Gaup recounts a Sami rebellion in 19^th century Norway. The Interfilm Church Prize was awarded to the Swedish contribution “The King of Ping Pong”. Director Jens Jonsson gives a visually striking account of the everyday strife of a pubescent ping pong player. The Baltic Films Prize goes to the Danish romantic drama “Dancers” by Pernille Fischer Christensen, which was also the opening film of the 50^th Nordic Film Days Lübeck. The Swedish documentary “Herdswoman” by Kine Bomann depicts the life of three reindeer-keepers in Northern Sweden and has been awarded the Documentary Film Prize. The Children’s and Youth Film Prize was awarded to “Fightgirl Ayse” by the Danish director Natasha Arthy: the youth drama tells of the inner conflicts of a schoolgirl torn between Islamic family traditions and her love for kung fu. The Norwegian contribution “SOS – Summer of Suspense” by Arne Lindtner Næss, about a girl’s fight for a baby seal’s life, was awarded the Prize of the Children’s Jury.

NDR Award for Best Feature Film

Der Mann, der Yngve liebte / Mannen som elsket Yngve / The Man Who Loved Yngve
directed by Stian Kristiansen
Norway

Statement of the Jury
"The Man Who loved Yngve" gives an extremely light, warm and humorous rendition of an emotional coming-out, without depriving the characters of their truthfulness. Stian Kristiansen has directed an elegant debut with smart dialogues and brilliant young actors. Furthermore, the film transports the zeitgeist of the eighties without becoming a cliché-laden parody.

LN Audience Prize

Die Rebellion von Kautokeino / Kautokeino opprøret / The Kautokeino Rebellion
directed by Nils Gaup
Norway

Baltic Films Prize

Der Tanz / Dansen / Dancers
directed by Pernille Fischer Christensen
Denmark

Statement of the Jury
We have chosen a film that delicately suceeds in restoring belief in life. A film that finds a compromise in a dead-end situation and does it in a simple, natural and human way. A film that, we believe, rises to the biggest challenge - to make us better.

Interfilm Church Prize

Der Tischtennis-König / Ping-pongkingen / The King of Ping Pong
directed by Jens Jonsson
Sweden

Statement of the Jury
The first full-length feature film by Swedish director Jens Jonsson (born in 1974), is convincing both in form and content, dealing with the "struggle for survival" of a pubescent outsider who surpasses himself in ping pong. The director succeeds in representatively reflecting the psychological conditions of a burdened family by means of camera work, composition and particularly in his use of colours. Rille's development is striking in its authenticity, all the more so thanks to the characterization of all supporting roles.

Special Mention
Der Mann, der Yngve liebte / Mannen som elsket Yngve / The Man Who Loved Yngve
directed by Stian Kristiansen
Norway

Statement of the Jury
Concise, precise and contemporary, in short: a success. Born in 1972, the Norwegian director Stian Kristiansen presents his debut, set in 1989, about the coming-out of protagonist Jarle. It deals with the topic in a novel, differentiated and sensitive manner - and with an impressive acting accomplishment by the entire ensemble.

Documentary Film Prize

Herdenleben / Hjordeliv / Herdswoman
directed by Kine Boman
Sweden

Statement of the Jury
The Documentary Film Prize goes to the Swedish documentary film "Herdswoman" by Kine Boman. The ongoing conflict between Sami traditions and profit-oriented modern Sweden serves to portray a civilization threatened to sink into oblivion. By means of striking images and sounds, director Kine Bomann successfully depicts the struggle of the Sami people for their culture and their living space. Hopefully, the prize will encourage her to further pursue the topic and keep up her commitment for this minority.

Children's & Youth Film Prize

Fightgirl Ayse / Fighter / Fighter
directed by Natasha Arthy
Denmark

Statement of the Jury
The jury awards the Children's and Youth Film Prize of the Nordic Film Institutes to the Danish feature film "Fightgirl Ayse" by Natasha Arthy. "Fightgirl Ayse" recounts the difficulties of a young Turkish woman in contemporary Denmark, with striking images and great emotional impact. Natasha Arthy and her brilliant actors, especially Semra Turan, succeed in making Ayse's inner conflict and her struggle for self-determination both visible and tangible. This mixture of Kung-Fu film and social drama, reminiscent of the Dogme style, is truly extraordinary: the different filmic styles interlock in an impressing manner and develop a visual and narrative pull on the viewer that remains consistent throughout the entire film. And the emotional vigour falls nowhere short of the virtuosity of the fighting scenes.

Special Mention
Das Kamel ohne Höcker / Ett öga rött / One Eye Red
directed by Daniel Wallentin
Sweden

Statement of the Jury
The jury awards an honorary mention to the debut film "One Eye Red" by Daniel Wallentin. The film deals with the topic of migration by example of a Moroccan family living in Sweden. The attempt at treating integration and self-discovery in the form of an unusually colourful comedy gives a surprisingly humorous insight into the world of eleven-year-old Halim. "One Eye Red" thus gives impulses for manifold interpretations and discussions.

Special Mention
Frode und seine Bande / Frode og alle de andre rødder / Frode and All the Other Rascals
Regie / directed by Niels Chr. "Bubber" Meyer
Dänemark / Denmark

Statement of the Jury
A second honorary mention is awarded to "Frode and All the Other Rascals" by Niels Chr. "Bubber" Meyer. Consistently narrated from a child's perspective, the comedy recounts tales of the everyday life of six-year-old Frode and his friends Stinne and Læris. From the very start, the film does away with the laws of reality and remains exhilirating and funny throughout - true to the best in Scandinavian narrative tradition: one yearns to be a child once more, just as the film demands of its adult protagonists.

Prize of the Children's Jury
SOS - Ein spannender Sommer / SOS Svartskjær / SOS Summer of Suspense
directed by Arne Lindtner Næss
Norway

Special Mention
Spuk im Eis / Duggholufólkid / No Network
directed by Ari Krístínsson
Iceland

Statement of the Jury
The current Nordic Film Days are very special for us, because, as the children's jury, we were allowed to watch nine films and present the best film with a prize, endowed with 5000 euros. Therefore, the last few days were very exciting and thrilling, but also a little exhausting. The films were extremely varied. They contained sad, funny, exciting and sometimes even scary scenes. Reaching a decision was very difficult. We sat together for hours on end and held plenty of discussions. In the end we had two favourites, running a neck-and-neck race. We would thus like award one film with a special commendation. "No Network" by Ari Krístínsson impressed us with thrilling and scary scenes, especially the exciting situations involving a ghost, which ended up not being too evil, after all. The prize, then, goes to a film in which the young lead actress Noora, aided by her best friend Ludvik and her little brother Morten, fights for the life of a baby seal and against a gang of smugglers. We particularly liked this film because the three children helped and supported each other and could thereby save the baby seal and capture the gang of smugglers. The winner is the film "SOS Summer of Suspense" by Arne Lindtner Næss.