Another increase in visitors for 185 films and 250 screenings

Lübeck, Nov. 7, 2016. The 58^th Nordic Film Days Lübeck (Nov. 2 – 6, 2016) came to a festive close on Sunday after 250 screenings of a total of 185 films. There was enormous interest among visitors for the festival’s newest attractions, such as Scandinavian TV series, virtual reality stations and the fulldome 360° cinema. With a total of 32,000 visitors, more people than ever came to Lübeck for the NFL, making it the largest influx of attendees in the history of the festival. Linde Fröhlich (Artistic Director) and Christian Modersbach (Managing Director), the two directors of the festival, a presentation of the city of Lübeck, were very pleased with the results: “This year’s Nordic Film Days Lübeck showed how diverse film is. Visitors could see new formats and sample technical innovations, binding both new and familiar film fans to the festival. The strong and emotional stories of the films across the sections were captivating and provided many opportunities for intense discussions. “

On top of the exciting programme of films from Scandinavia, the Baltic and Schleswig-Holstein/Hamburg, it was above all the new locations and spectacular special events that drew many people to the screens. Audiences could take a journey with a windjammer and a shanty choir at an open-air event in the old prison yard of the European Hanse Museum, or enjoy a trip through film history at a silent movie with live musical accompaniment in the St. Katharine’s Museum Church. Following up on last year’s launch of “crisis cuisine”, this year saw more than 1400 meals served over three days, providing a platform for initiatives committed to helping refugees and migrants, and a lively exchange between migrants, Lübeckers and the festival public.

The Baltic city played host this year to some 780 industry professionals and press, as well as 230 filmmakers. Directors, filmmakers and actors were delighted to encounter film-savvy festival audiences, who actively engaged with the post-screening discussions.

The gala Film Prize Night for the 58th Nordic Film Days Lübeck saw the award of eight prizes in total, with the highest endowment – 12,500 euros – for the NDR Film Prize going this year to the Icelandic film “Heartstone” (“Hjartasteinn”), the directorial debut of young filmmaker Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson.

The Film Days once again enjoyed strong support from their two media partners, NDR and the Lübecker Nachrichten, with a host of reports and interviews on the festival.

Save the date: The 59th Nordic Film Days Lübeck will run from November 1 – 5, 2017.

Detailed information on the 57th Nordic Film Days Lübeck, including prize winners, is available at www.filmtage.luebeck.de, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram / nordicfilmdays

Press contact:

Silke Lehmann
Wiebke Reichenbach
Zara Zerbe
Nordic Film Days Lübeck
Press and publicity department
Schildstr. 12, 23539 Lübeck, Germany
Tel: +49 451 122 1455
presse@filmtage.luebeck.de