28/08/2009

Two horror films (Antichrist [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Lars von Trier
film profile], Sauna [+see also:
trailer
film profile]), two debuts (North [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Rune Denstad Langlo
film profile], The Amazing Truth About Queen Raquela [+see also:
trailer
film profile]) and one documentary (Light Year) are the five Nordic titles running for the €47,000 Nordic Council Film Prize (NCFP) of 2009, to be shared on October 21 between the winning film’s director, scriptwriter and producer. Each film was selected by a jury member and a substitute from the five Nordic countries.

Denmark is represented by Lars von Trier’s controversial Antichrist, written by von Trier and produced by Meta Louise Foldager (Zentropa Entertainment). Finland’s genre film Sauna, by AJ Annila, has travelled to over 30 festivals. It was written by Iiro Küttner and produced by Tero Kaukomaa and Jesse Fryckman (Bronson Club).

Iceland’s The Amazing Truth about Queen Raquela was directed by Olaf de Fleur Johannesson, who co-wrote the film with Stefan Schaefer and produced it with Schaefer, Helgi Sverrisson and Arleen Cuevas (Poppoli Pictures). The film won the Teddy Award for Best Feature at the 2008 Berlinale.

Norway’s North, by Rune Denstad Langlo, has been collecting awards since this year’s Berlinale. The comedy drama was written by Erlend Loe and produced by Sigve Endresen and Brede Hovland (Motlys).

Sweden, which had a particularly strong artistic year, with films such as Let the Right One In [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: John Nordling
interview: Tomas Alfredson
film profile] and Involuntary [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Erik Hemmendorff
interview: Ruben Östlund
film profile], has a surprise candidate in Mikael Kristersson’s Light Year. The documentary captures life in the director’s garden, over one year. It was produced by Lisbet Gabrielsson.

For the second year in a row, the Nordisk Film & TV Fond, which administrates the prize, has organised a pan-Nordic promotional campaign for the NCFP nominations that will start in Reykjavik on September 11-13 and end in Stockholm on October 24-28. Last year’s NCFP winner was Roy Andersson’s You, the Living [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Pernilla Sandström
interview: Roy Andersson
film profile].