August, Sweden conquer Lübeck

by Annika Pham

08/11/2010 - Beyond [trailer] by Swedish star actress turned director Pernilla August was bestowed the NDR Award for Best Feature Film and its €12,00 cash prize on Saturday at the closing ceremony of the Nordic Film Days in Lübeck, Germany. The Swedish drama convinced the jury "on account of its topicality and its radical intensity."

For the first time in the festival’s 52 years, four Swedish films won major awards in Lübeck. Like Beyond, the other three are also feature debuts. Ola Simonsson and Johannes Stjärne Nilsson’s Sound of Noise [trailer] won the Baltic Film Prize, Agnieszka Lukasiak’s Between Two Fires [trailer] the Interfilm Church Prize (€2,500) and Babak Najafi’s Sebbe [trailer] the Children's and Youth Film Prize (€2,500).

Steam of Life (Finland) by Joonas Berghäll and Mika Hotakainen scooped the Documentary Film Prize and Biger Larsen’s Superbrother [trailer] (Denmark) a Special Mention from the Children and Youth Film jury.

Dagur Kári’s The Good Heart [trailer] received €5,000 and the LN Audience Prize, and Fridrik Thor Fridriksson’s Mamma Gógó [trailer] a Special Mention from the Interfilm Church Prize. Both titles are from Iceland.

Illustrating Norway’s current popularity with children and youth films, the Children’s Jury crowned Lars Berg’s crime story for kids East End Angels Best Film, while Katarina Launing and Roar Uthaug’s Christmas saga Magic Silver [trailer] got a Special Mention.

The Cinegate-Prize went to Germany’s Go Bash by Stefan Prehn and Paula Bergner.