Ride Upon the Storm

RIDE UPON THE STORM (Herrens veje)
Denmark, 2017
10 x 60’
Nominated writer: Adam Price
Director: Kaspar Munk
Producer: Camilla Hammerich
Produced by DR Drama for DR
International distributor: Studiocanal

The character-driven drama explores good and evil and the spiritual journey towards seeking a greater meaning in life. The story centres on a family of priests that traces its roots back more than 250 years.

Read our interview with Adam Price HERE.

Jury statement: 
The first time the three of us met for lunch and sat down to discuss the selected programmes, each one of us had a clear winner in mind. The problem was – were we talking about the same show?  Five hours later, we discovered we were… so in many ways, it was the simplest task ever… all we ended up doing was discussing the series for hours, telling each other why we had loved it so much and why it meant so much to us.  

All the nominated programmes are exceptional examples of Scandinavian storytelling at its best, showing breadth and scope but also superb crafting. But the winner stood out for a very simple reason – it is unlike any Scandinavian show we had ever seen before. A bold, original approach to a deeply unfashionable subject. An innovative push into a genre that does not mirror the hugely successful Scandi formula for fast, slick thrillers. We all felt this was a piece of television destined to transform and refresh the Scandi canon. Quite simply, it was a show with a beating heart and soul.  

For all of us, the plot was almost insignificant (we hope the writer won´t take this personally). Very quickly, all we cared about was the characters, their emotional life, their troubles and dilemmas.  
TV drama at its best is an art form as magnificent and dignified as a Caravaggio or a Rembrandt. Some artists are fashionable, others are Masters. One thousand years from now, in an imaginary Museum of TV Masterpieces, this programme will come to represent what it was like to live in Scandinavia in 2018… not what was trendy or what was considered pretty – but what was true.  

The fact that such a story would be written, and commissioned by a big terrestrial broadcaster is nothing short of miraculous. But then again, the writer probably does believe in miracles.  

This years Nordisk Film and TV Fond Prize for Best TV drama script worth 200,000 Swedish crowns goes to RIDE UPON THE STORM.

This year's jury consisted of jury president Walter Iuzzolino, Italy/UK, TV executive/curator of the streaming service Walter Presents; Sofia Helin, Sweden, actress (Bron/The Bridge) and Kirpi Uimonen Ballesteros, Finland, entertainment journalist, board member of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association TV committee.