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AWARDS Iceland

Mr Bjarnfredarson tops EDDAs

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Ragnar Bragason’s successful TV series The Prison Shift and its feature film spin-off Mr Bjarnfredarson scored at the Icelandic EDDA Film and Television Awards ceremony last Saturday by winning six prizes each, including Best Film, Best TV Fiction and Best Director.

A downbeat comedy about an ex-con, Mr Bjarnfredarson has been watched on Icelandic screens by over 20% of the local population since last December. The film was produced by Saga Film, which also initiated the TV series The Prison Shift. Jón Gnarr, who played the lead in both the TV series and feature film and co-wrote the script for Mr Bjarnfredarson , won EDDA awards in both categories.

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Fridrik Thor Fridriksson’s semi-biopic Mamma Gógó won three statuettes: Best Actress (Kristbjörg Kjeld), Best Music (Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson) and Best Production Design (Árni Páll Jóhannsso).

The EDDA for Best Children’s Film went to The Big Rescue by Bragi Thór Hinriksson and Dreamland by Þorfinnur Guðnason and Andri Snær Magnason won Best Documentary.

Industry insiders took advantage of the live TV coverage on the privately owned Channel 2 to criticize the recent film funding cutbacks from the Icelandic government and public broadcaster RUV. As a symbol of their dissatisfaction, EDDA Academy members handed out a token honorary award to “the Icelandic nation for its strong support of Icelandic film through the years.”

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