Shanghai goes Original
by Annika Pham
Original [+see also:
trailer
film profile], the Danish/Swedish directorial debut of Antonio Tublén and Alexander Brøndsted, won two Jin Jue Awards, for Best Film and Best Actor (Sverrir Gudnason), at the Shanghai International Film Festival, which ended last weekend.
The jury, headed by the Oscar-winning filmmaker Danny Boyle, commented: “Using this title for a film is dangerous, almost suicidal. But the film more than met the challenge the title lays down. A light, touching and subversive study of mental illness that is compassionate and never sentimental.”
The off-beat comedy drama about a man trying to break free from other people’s expectations was co-directed by 29-year-old filmmakers Tublén and Brøndsted, who made two shorts together before turning to a feature.
The film was produced by Carsten Holst for Zentropa with support from the Danish Film Institute, Nordisk Film & TV Fond, Film i Skåne and Film i Väst. Nordisk Film released it in Sweden on May 22 and will premiere it in Denmark this autumn.
Shanghai honoured another Danish film, Nils Malmros’ Aching Hearts, with the Best Actress prize for Simone Tang. The romantic drama picked up 175,000 admissions at home. Both Original and Aching Hearts are sold by TrustNordisk.
Sixteen films in total competed for the Jin Jue Awards. At the closing ceremony, French actress Isabelle Huppert was presented with an Outstanding Artistic Achievement Award, and US composer Quincy Jones a Lifetime Achievement award.
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