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HAUGESUND 2020 New Nordic Films / Awards

Teemu Nikki’s A Blind Man Who Did Not Want to See Titanic wins the Eurimages Award at Haugesund

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- The Finnish project was the big winner of New Nordic Films, this year held both online and on site

Teemu Nikki’s A Blind Man Who Did Not Want to See Titanic wins the Eurimages Award at Haugesund
Director Teemu Nikki

New Nordic Films, the special industry section of the Norwegian International Film Festival at Haugesund, which ran from 18-21 August digitally, has handed out its awards. The Haugesund’s Works in Progress jury, comprising Cia Edström (Göteborg Film Festival), Svend Bolstad Jensen (Arthaus), and director Nino Kirtadze, decided unanimously to present Finnish filmmaker Teemu Nikki with the €50,000 Eurimages Lab Project Award for his upcoming project A Blind Man Who Did Not Want to See Titanic [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Teemu Nikki and Jani Pösö
interview: Teemu Nikki, Jani Pösö an…
film profile
]
.

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Written and directed by Teemu Nikki, the film was described by the jury as a project “which blends an inner world and dreams, with the harsh reality of the outside world, which the character has to enter to reach his goal. A world that is scary and unpredictable for someone who can’t see, and new and exciting for us, the audience who can see. The film plays as a modern tale about deep human bonds. The bold artistic approach that the director and producer propose takes us deep into the universe of a blind man who has to confront the world and dive into the unknown, in the name of love. Making a film about blindness could become a boring cinematic experience, but the filmmakers are using this opportunity to make a film like we’ve never seen before.” A Blind Man Who Did Not Want to See Titanic is produced by Nikki’s regular collaborator Jani Pösö for the Finnish company It’s Alive Films, with its release being expected for next year.

Furthermore, the jury has decided to give a special mention to the hybrid Swedish film, Excess Will Save Us [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Morgane Dziurla-Petit
film profile
]
, directed by debutant Morgane Dziurla-Petit, that is “about family relations, made both with love and the need to reach new understandings. Shot like a documentary, but with the aesthetics and composition of a feature film, such as a family drama made by Roy Andersson.” Written by Dziurla-Petit and based on her previous short, the film is produced by Fredrik Lange for Vilda Bomben Film AB in co-production with Film I Väst. Israeli agent Cinephil is handling the world sales.

At the 15th edition of the Nordic Co-Production Market, the award for the Best Project went to Dogborn [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Isabella Carbonell
film profile
]
 by Swedish debutant director Isabella Carbonell, which was selected among 16 projects (read the news). The story follows two homeless siblings, Syrian refugees in Sweden, who struggle to survive and turn to a criminal world in hope of a better life. The jury, composed of Linde Fröhlich, artistic director of Lübeck Nordic Film Days; Silje Nikoline Glimsdal, sales and project manager of TrustNordisk; and journalist Wendy Mitchell, mentioned: “We were impressed by the pitch itself, especially the director’s passionate and personal explanation of her connection to the story. We think this film will have big international potential at festivals and beyond.” Produced by Farima Karimi, David Herdies and Erik Andersson for Momento Film, the winner gets to participate in the Producers Network at Cannes Marché du Film.

Exceptionally, a Special Mention was also handed by the jury of the Nordic Co-production Market, to the Norwegian-Polish project Norwegian Dream by award-winning Leiv Igor Devold (The Accidental Rockstar), a romantic coming-of-age drama based on a script by Justyna Bilik and produced by Håvard W. Gossé for Spætt Film in co-production with Bartek Glinski and Maciek Hamela for Warsaw-based Impakt Film.

Finally, ten short films from Nordic film school graduates participated in the Next Nordic Generation section (read the news). The winner was Tape, written and directed by Mirjam Thorkelsdottir, who graduated from Westerdals in Norway and received the NOK 10,000 (€955) prize given by SF Studios Norge. The jury, which consisted of producer Gary Cranner, producer Elisa Pirir, and Håkon Skogrand, the former head of programming at the Norwegian Film Festival, also handed a Special Mention to another of Westerdals’s alumnus, Olav Bjelland Feet for his film Stalker.

Here is the full list of award winners at the New Nordic Films:

Eurimages Lab Project Award
A Blind Man Who Did Not Want To See TitanicTeemu Nikki (Finland)
Producer: Jani Pösö (It’s Alive Films)

Eurimages Lab Project Special Mention
Excess Will Save Us [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Morgane Dziurla-Petit
film profile
]
 – Morgane Dziurla-Petit (Sweden)
Producer: Fredrik Lange (Vilda Bomben Film AB)

Nordic Co-Production Market Award for Best Project
Dogborn [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Isabella Carbonell
film profile
]
– Isabella Carbonell (Sweden)
Producers: Farima Karimi, David Herdies, Erik Andersson (Momento Film)

Nordic Co-Production Market Special Mention
Norwegian Dream – Leiv Igor Devold (Norway/Poland)
Producer: Håvard W Gossé (Spætt Film)
Co-producers: Bartek Glinski, Maciek Hamela (Impakt Film)

Next Nordic Generation Award
TapeMirjam Thorkelsdottir (Norway)
Producer: Mats Lien

Next Nordic Generation Special Mention
StalkerOlav Bjelland Feet (Norway)
Producers: Trym Bertheussen Falkanger, Maria Vihovde

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