27/09/2017 - The Danish-Syrian documentary "is an example of outstanding filmmaking", said the jury at the festival, which screened 110 documentaries and shorts

Syrian director Feras Fayyad's Last Men in Aleppo [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] added the top €11,000 Award for Best Nordic Documentary to its (so far) 15 international festival prizes, when yesterday (26 September) the Nordisk Panorama Film Festival announced the winners of its 28th edition during a gala ceremony at Malmö Town Hall.

“This example of outstanding filmmaking portrays one of the greatest tragedies of our time. Risking their lives, with great respect for their characters and an impressive sensitivity for the complexity of war, the filmmakers lead us into a world made up of choices that very few of us would be capable of making,” concluded the jury. 

Co-directed by Danish director Steen Johannessen, Last Men in Aleppo follows a small group of rescue workers from the White Helmets, a civil defence organisation of volunteers operating in Syria. After five years of war, the residents in Aleppo are readying themselves for a siege; three founding members of the White Helmets have remained to help their fellow citizens in their daily life of struggle in a city under fire.

This year's Nordisk Panorama focused on Finland, and Finnish director Jonna Kina's Arr for a Scene received the €7,000 Award for Best Nordic Short Film. In six minutes, Kina describes how two Foley artists created the sound for one of the most famous scenes in film history: the shower scene in British director Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (1960). 

Organised as a touring showcase by the five Nordic countries of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, the festival has been based in Malmö since 2013 – and this year, more than 1,000 accredited industry guests from 32 countries mingled with local audiences for the screenings of 110 films at 15 venues; other highlights included the sauna cinema, scream-along cinema, cocktail cinema, virtual-reality experiences, seminars and master classes. 

Here is the full list of Nordisk Panorama 2017 winners: 

Best Nordic Documentary
Last Men in Aleppo [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] – Feras Fayyad (Denmark/Syria) 

Best Nordic Short Film
Arr for a Scene – Jonna Kina (Finland) 

Best New Nordic Voices
Best Documentary
Loving Lorna [+see also:
trailer
film profile] – Jessica Karlsson and Annika Karlsson (Sweden)
Best Short Film
Penelope – Heta Jäälinoja (Finland)

Children's Choice Award
Schoolyard Blues – Maria Eriksson (Sweden)

Nordisk Panorama Audience Award
The Celestial Darkroom – Nils Petter Löfstedt (Sweden)