That's life: Bjarup Riis sells 51,000 DVDs, scoops two Svend awards

by Jorn Rossing Jensen

30/08/2012 - Danish director Anne-Grethe Bjarup Riis's first feature, This Life (aka The Hvidsten Group) received the Svend Award last night (August 29) – Denmark’s top audience prize, voted by 90,000 cinema-goers – for Best Film, at the Svendborg Film Days on the Funen island.

Female lead Bodil Jørgensen took Best Actress at the awards ceremony, organised by Danish Producers and Danish Distributors associations, Danish regional film centre FilmFyn, and the municipality of Svendborg.

Last week (August 20) This Life, which has surpassed 765,000 admissions in theatres, was released on DVD and within five days it had sold more than 51,000 discs, breaking previous records set by the Harry Potter franchise.

An experienced parachutist landed with the first copy at the Hvidsten Inn – the centre of the resistance group during WW2 depicted in the film – where he was greeted by Bjarup Riis and her cast.

FULL LIST OF SVEND AWARDS:

Best Feature
This Life by Anne-Grethe Bjarup Riis

Best Actress
Bodil Jørgensen, for This Life

Best Actor
Nikolaj Lie Kaas, for A Funny Man [trailer]

Best Line in a Danish Feature
A Funny Man

Best Danish Children's Feature
Jelly T [trailer] - Michael Hegner

Best Danish Documentary
Svend - Anne Regitze Wivel

Best Foreign Feature
The Help (US) - Tate Taylor

Best Foreign Children's Feature
The Adventures of Tintin - Steven Spielberg (US)