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GÖTEBORG 2018 Awards

Amateurs wins the Dragon Award for Best Nordic Film at Göteborg

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- Best International Film goes to Men Don't Cry and Best Nordic Documentary to The Distant Barking of Dogs

Amateurs wins the Dragon Award for Best Nordic Film at Göteborg
Director Gabriela Pichler collecting the Dragon Award for Best Nordic Film (© Camilla Lindberg)

The 41st Göteborg Film Festival, which started on 26 January and is continuing with more screenings until 5 February, gave out its awards at a gala ceremony on Saturday 3 February.

Swedish filmmaker Gabriela Pichler's Amateurs [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
, which officially opened the festival, won the main Dragon Award for Best Nordic Film, worth SEK 1 million (circa €100,000), the most valuable film prize in the world. Earlier in the week, the film also received the Angelo Award from Swedish Church, worth SEK 50,000 (about €5,000)

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A Special Mention went to What Will People Say [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Iram Haq
film profile
]
 by Iram Haq, which also won the Audience Award.

The jury, which was composed of Steve Gravestock, senior programmer at the Toronto International Film Festival, directors Dani Kouyate and Maria Blom, and cinematographer Linda Wassberg, also gave out the Sven Nykvist Cinematography Award to Sophia Olsson for Milad Alami’s The Charmer [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ardalan Esmaili
interview: Milad Alami
film profile
]

The newly established Dragon Award for Best International Film, voted on by the audience and worth SEK 50,000 (circa €5,000), went to Alen Drljević's Karlovy Vary prizewinner Men Don't Cry [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Alen Drljević
film profile
]

In the centenary year of Ingmar Bergman's birth, the Award for Best Debut that carries his name went to Menina [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
 by Cristina Pinheiro.

In the Nordic Documentary Competition, the Dragon Award, worth SEK 100,000 (about €10,000), was given to the IDFA prizewinner The Distant Barking of Dogs [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by Simon Lereng Wilmont, while My Heart Belongs to Daddy by Norwegian debutant director Sofia Haugan, which world-premiered at Göteborg, received a Special Mention.

As for the honorary awards, in addition to Alicia Vikander, who received her Dragon at the opening of the festival, Juliette Binoche was given hers at the closing ceremony.

Here is the full list of award winners:

Dragon Award Best Nordic Film
Amateurs [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
- Gabriela Pichler (Sweden)
Special Mention
What Will People Say [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Iram Haq
film profile
]
- Iram Haq (Norway/Germany/Sweden)

Dragon Award Best Nordic Documentary
The Distant Barking of Dogs [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
- Simon Lereng Wilmont (Denmark/Sweden/Finland)
Special Mention
My Heart Belongs to Daddy - Sofia Haugan (Norway/Sweden)

FIPRESCI Award
And Breathe Normally [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ísold Uggadóttir
interview: Kristin Thora Haraldsdóttir
film profile
]
- Ísold Uggadóttir (Norway/Denmark/Sweden)
Special Mention

The Return [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
- Malene Choi (Denmark)

The Sven Nykvist Cinematography Award 
Sophia Olsson – The Charmer [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ardalan Esmaili
interview: Milad Alami
film profile
]
(Denmark/Sweden/France)

Audience Dragon Award Best Nordic Film
What Will People Say - Iram Haq

Dragon Award Best International Film 
Men Don't Cry [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Alen Drljević
film profile
]
- Alen Drljević (Bosnia and Herzegovina/Slovenia/Croatia/Germany/Serbia)

The Ingmar Bergman International Debut Award
Menina [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
- Christina Pineiro (France)

Startsladden - Best Swedish Short Film of the Year 
Götaplatsen #flerochfler - Shahab Mehrabi (Sweden)

Audience Choice Award Best Swedish Short Film 
The Artist Has a Baby
 - Sanna Lenken (Sweden)

Angelo Award
Amateurs - Gabriela Pichler 

Mai Zetterling Artist Foundation Stipend
Jonas Odell 

Doris Award
Anna Bjelkerud 

Håkon Liu Grant
Anders Hazelius

Bonnie Stipend 
Caroline Ingvarsson 
Caroline Drab

Honorary Dragon Award
Alicia Wikander
Juliette Binoche

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