10/10/2007

The jury of the annual Nordic Council Film Prize announced today at the Danish Film Institute that this year’s winner is Danish film The Art of Crying [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Peter Schønau Fog.

The €47,000 Film Prize is shared between the director, scriptwriter Bo hr. Hansen, and producer Thomas Stenderup (of Denmark’s Final Cut Productions). The film was one of nine from the five Nordic countries nominated for the 2007 award.

The jury’s statement was the following: “Seen through the eyes of a young boy, The Art of Crying depicts the absurdity and even horror of family life with laconic humour. Disturbing and entertaining at the same time, the film handles the difficult subject of child abuse sharply but humanely. It boldly reveals the repressive forces at work underneath the sunny surface of a small rural town.”

Schønau Fog’s directorial debut has won numerous international awards since its world premiere at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival, including a FIPRESCI award and the Church of Iceland award last weekend at the Reykjavik International Film Festival (see article). The Art of Crying is Denmark’s candidate for the 2008 Oscars nomination for Best Foreign Language Film and the only Danish film shortlisted for the European Film Awards 2007.

The co-production between Final Cut and Norway’s Motlys Film is one of this year’s top grossing films in Denmark, with over 228,000 admissions for SF/Filmcompagniet. The film is currently playing in Norway through SF Norge.

The Nordic Council Film Prize will be presented to Schønau Fog, Hansen and Stenderup at a ceremony during the Nordic Council’s Annual Session in Oslo on October 31.