06/03/2006

Swedish film Frostbiten and Danish title Adam's Apples [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Anders Thomas Jensen
interview: Mads Mikkelsen
interview: Tivi Magnusson
film profile] were the big winners of the 26th edition of Fantasporto, receiving the top awards in the Official Fantasy Competition and in the sidebar section Director's Week, marking a Scandinavian victory in a year in which other European films also found their space in the limelight.

Young directing talent Anders Banke conquered the official jury with Frostbiten, a tale that mixes vampires with teenagers in which a doctor and her 17 year-old daughter begin a new life in a small town in the north of Sweden. While the mother has a new job in a hospital run by an unassuming vampire in search of the formula to cross his species with the human race, the daughter's new high school peers are bizarre and eager for strong emotions. Frostbiten, announced as the first Swedish vampire film, was produced by Cinepost Studios in association with Cinestar Production AB and Film i Skåne .

Also in official competition, the Best Director award went to the directorial debut of Canadian actor Robin Aubert for Robin Aubert Saints-Martyrs-des-Damnés, while other awards recognised European talent, including Hungarian production Johanna [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Kornél Mundruczó, which received the Special Jury Award. Its leading actress Orsi Tóth was chosen as Best Actress, while the Best Actor award was given to Jaume Garcia Arija for his performance in Spanish psychological thriller Zulo [+see also:
trailer
film profile].

Another of this year’s top winners was Animal [+see also:
trailer
film profile], a co-production between Portugal (Animatógrafo 2) and France (Légende), directed by Roselyne Bosch. Shot in English, the film received the Best Script award, as well as the Silver Meliès. Animal is now the nominee supported by Fantasporto for the Golden Meliès (Best European Fantastic Film), which will be handed out in Helsinki next July.

In the Director's Week sidebar section, the Best Director award went to Pieter Kuijpers for Dutch film Off Screen. However, Anders Thomas Jensen made the biggest splash with Adam's Apples, which won three awards: Best Film, Best Script and Best Actor (Ulrich Thomsen). The Danish filmmaker won multiple awards in the same section for this 2003 film Green Butchers [+see also:
trailer
film profile].

Considered by US magazine Variety to be one of the 20 best festivals worldwide, Fantasporto was attended this year by over 100,000 moviegoers, a similar figure to last year's edition. The 27th edition will be held from February 23-March 3, 2007.