Dragon Awards to As In Heaven, Compartment No6, House Made of Splinters

Denmark, Finland and Norway took home major awards at the Göteborg Film Festival closing night on Saturday, with Dragon prizes going to Cannes and San Sebastian winners.

After its double win in San Sebastian for best director and shared best actress (to the young Flora Ofelia Hofmann Lindahl), As in Heaven by debut director Tea Lindeburg was bestowed the coveted SEK 400,000 Dragon Award for Best Nordic Film.

The jury consisting of directors Eva Husson from France, Milad Alami, Maria Bäck from Sweden, and producer Olena Yershova (Ukraine/Turkey) said: “This powerful and engaging film takes us into a brutal landscape filled with blood, dirt and life changing decisions. It is a character driven film that tells a story about hope, superstition and obedience, where we follow a young woman's transition from being free to feeling the suffocating weight of responsibility…We hope this award encourages the director to continue pursuing her cinematic language, giving us these rarely seen, but important perspectives.”

Reacting to the award, Lindeburg said: “I'm really honoured! Although As in Heaven is a film that deals with a universal theme, it is a story that originates from a common Nordic history and culture, and therefore it is very special to win this very Nordic award. I look forward to next week, when the film comes all the way home, when it finally gets its premiere in Denmark after traveling the world. ”

The Motor production opens domestically February 10 via Scanbox. LevelK handles sales.

Denmark also collected a Dragon Award for Best Nordic Documentary, handed out to Simon Lereng Wilmont’s A House Made of Splinters produced by Final Cut for Real. Lereng Wilmont had just been crowned Best Director at Sundance’s World Cinema Doc section.

Jury members including Swedish producer/director Stina Gardell, director Maciej Kalymon, and Norwegian producer/festival director Racha Helen Larsen first stressed this year’s rich competition entries “that have surprised us, made us cry and provoked us with a wide range of stories and ways of storytelling that truly has made us proud of the filmmakers of the Nordic region.”

The jury described A House Made of Splinters as an exceptionally beautiful film’, which “with its presence and despair, is more urgently burning than ever possible.

Finland’s Compartment No6 by Juho Kuosmanen which shared a Grand Prix Award in Cannes, received both a Dragon Best Acting Award and FIPRESCI Award in Göteborg.

In their statement, the jury members praised Seidi Haarla’s performance which ‘literally vibrated out of the screen and into our hearts. Creating an intimate performance that takes us on a journey of identity, love and belonging. With great courage conveying what it means to be lost within ourselves, but at the same time staying fearless and curious of the world.”

The Aamu Film Company production is shortlisted for the Oscars.

Norway’s supernatural thriller The Innocents by Eskil Vogt produced by Mer Film, won both the Audience Dragon Award and the Sven Nykvist Cinematography Award - handed out to Sturla Brandth Grøvlen.

Other award winners included:

• Draken Film Award to the Swedish short film 2gether by Kim Ekberg
• Draken Best International Film to Playground by Laura Wandel.
• The Ingmar Bergman Int’l Debut Award to Vera Dreams of the Sea by Kaltrina Krasniqi.
• Angelo Award Swedish Church Prize to Day by Day by Felix Herngren.

For the full list of awards, check: www.goteborgfilmfestivl.se