email print share on Facebook share on Twitter share on LinkedIn share on reddit pin on Pinterest

AWARDS The Nordic Countries

Play of boys robbing boys wins Nordic Council's film prize

by 

- Swedish director Ruben Östlund's Play adds the Nordic Council's Film Prize of €47,000 to its string of awards for 'its dissection and analysis of human behaviour'

Swedish director Ruben Östlund's third feature, Play [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ruben Östlund
interview: Ruben Ostlund
film profile
]
, will receive the Nordic Council's Film Prize, the largest in Scandinavia, it was announced in Oslo today (October 9). The prize, which comes with a €47,000 cheque for the writer-director and producer Erik Hemmendorff will be awarded at the Nordic Council's session in Helsinki on October.

Play, which won the Coup de Coeur award when launched in the Directors' Fortnight at Cannes 2010, has collected a string of international accolades in Moscow, Tokyo, Dublin, Gijon, adding two Guldbagger – Sweden's national film prize – one for Best Director.

(The article continues below - Commercial information)

"The film confirms Östlund as one of today's most original Nordic filmmakers. The stylistic imagery, the relentless pace of the story, the astounding performances from non-professionals make Play a gut-wrenching drama that prompts us to reflect on important issues in modern society," the Nordic jury declared.

The other nominations for Danish director Nikolaj Arcel's A Royal Affair [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Mikkel Boe Følsgaard
interview: Nikolaj Arcel
film profile
]
, Finnish directors Jukka Kärkkäinen and J-P Passi's The Punk Syndrome [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
, Icelandic director Hafsteinn Sigurdsson's Either Way [+see also:
trailer
interview: Hafstein Gunnar Sigurdsson
interview: Hilmar Gudjônsson - Shootin…
film profile
]
and Norwegian director Arild Andresen's The Orheim Company [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
.

"To us a good film will constantly ask important questions to and about people in the society we live in, which gives it the specific tone and character. Probably this is what's so special about films from our Nordic environment," said Östlund and Hemmendorff.

Play was inspired by newspaper articles concerning 40 cases of 12-14-year-old boys robbing other children in Göteborg between 2006-2008. The crimes followed elaborate role-play that tricked the victims without resort to violence or threats.

(The article continues below - Commercial information)

Did you enjoy reading this article? Please subscribe to our newsletter to receive more stories like this directly in your inbox.

Privacy Policy