William Friedkin to receive Danish Honorary Robert
- The Danish Film Academy and the CPH:PIX - Copenhagen International Film Festival to celebrate the US director with a retrospective and live concert
American director William Friedkin will be in focus at the CPH:PIX - Copenhagen International Film Festival, which runs from 3-16 April. As the first foreign filmmaker to receive such treatment, he will be given an Honorary Robert – a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Danish Film Academy, which instigated the Danish film prize 30 years ago.
“Friedkin's films are milestones in film history - it is hard to overestimate the influence he has had and still has on filmmakers all over the world," said the Academy’s chairman, Danish producer Kim Magnusson.
In Copenhagen, the 78-year-old director, who was presented with the Golden Lion for his work at this year’s Venice International Film Festival, will introduce a concert by German krautrock orchestra Tangerine Dream, who will be performing the score for his Sorcerer (1977) at the Tivoli Concert Hall on 3 April.
As well as featuring the score's first live performance, the programme will also include 30 minutes of music that did not make it into the final cut of the film; a newly restored version of Sorcerer has been selected for the festival’s Friedkin retrospective.
Besides The French Connection (1971) and The Exorcist (1973), which garnered him five Oscars from 15 nominations, the 12 titles being shown in collaboration with the Copenhagen Cinematheque range from Cruising (1980) and To Live and Die in LA (1985) to lesser-known TV films such as The People vs Paul Crump (1965).
Friedkin will meet Copenhagen audiences for the screenings from 3-6 April; he will deliver a masterclass in conjunction with artFREQ on 5 April at Copenhagen’s Dagmar Theatre, moderated by Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn.
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