Submarino is the story of two estranged brothers, marked by a childhood of gloom. They were separated from each other at a young age by a tragedy that split their entire family. Today, Nick's life is drenched in alcohol and plagued by violence, while his kid brother, a single father, struggles as a junkie to give his son a better life. Their paths cross, making a confrontation inevitable.

Nordic jury motivation: Submarino is a tough but also deeply moving story of two brothers who are entwined by a fateful childhood. The film is about brothers who are have adult responsibility imposed upon them - and a child who carries a social inheritance but also the hope of a better future. It deals with themes such as trauma, guilt and reconciliation. Submarino is a simple and yet complex work of art, with a strong manuscript and a stylish direction. An elegant, taut and effective dramaturgy, acting presence and an intelligent use of sound and light help to create this insightful picture of human life.

Nordic Jury: Anne Jerslev (DK), Johanne Grönqvist (FI), Sif Gunnarsdottir (IS), Le LD Nguyen (N) and Eva af Geijerstam (S)

National jury motivation: Thomas Vinterberg’s Submarino is an admiringly consistent and disciplined, harsh and sober story about two brothers who both live their life on the threshold of personal and social disaster. They do not keep much contact with each other and yet they are tied together by a traumatic childhood. Submarino is unsentimental and yet gentle, tough and yet empathetic, describing a sequence of fateful and inevitable events but also promising redemption in the end. Thoroughly bleak in colour and with a sensitive camera following the two main characters, Vinterberg in one go manages to create a simple and complex film about broken souls and hope of healing. 

National jury: Anne Jerslev & Bo Green Jensen