Holy Spider sweeps Robert Film Awards - Carmen Curlers, The Orchestra score in TV

Saturday’s Robert awards ceremony in Copenhagen, organised by the Danish Film Academy, was held under Holy Spider’s supremacy as the tense crime thriller produced by Profile Pictures, left its various competitors almost empty handed.

The film which world premiere in competition in Cannes, turned 11 of its 15 nominations into awards, with Abbasi collecting Best Director, Best Original Screenplay (shared with Afshin Kamran Bahrami), Zar Amir Ebrahimi adding a Best Actress accolade to her first Cannes distinction, and Arash Ashtiani winning Best Supporting Actor for his role as the colleague to the crime reporter Rahimi played by Ebrahimi.

Other major acting wins went to Anders W. Berthelsen, crowned Best Actor for his role as the beloved Danish singer Flemming "Bamse" Jørgensen in Henrik Ruben Genz’s biopic A Lucky Man, top selling Danish film of 2022, while Lene Maria Christensen brought home her 5th Robert as Best Supporting Actress for Niels Arden Oplev’sRose.

Tea Lindeburg snagged Best Adapted Screenplay for her breakthrough feature As in Heaven, winner of last year’s Dragon Award-Bets Nordic Film in Göteborg.

Documentary filmmaker Simon Lereng Wilmont, Oscar-nominated for A House Made of Splinters produced by Final Cut for Real, picked up his second Robert award-Best Documentary after his first win in 2019 for The Distant Barking of Dogs, also dedicated to children impacted by war.

Elsewhere, Icelandic-born Hlynur Pálmason won both in the short and long form, with his 22 minute Nest, voted Best Short Film, and gripping period drama Godland, awarded for its Costume Design by Nina Grønlund. Both films were produced by Snowglobe.

In the Children & Youth category, the top prize went to Amalie Næsby Fick’s animated film Little Allan-The Human Antenna, produced by Nordisk Film.

Two of the Nordic region’s most high-profile filmmakers were celebrated in other categories: Ruben Östlund’s first English-language feature Triangle of Sadness scooped Best English-Language Film, and Joachim Trier’s The Worst Person in the World Best Non-English Language Film.

In the TV categories, DR Drama triumphed with three wins for its short series The Orchestra created and directed by Mikkel Munch-Fals for SAM Productions, and another three for the feelgood period drama Carmen Curlers created by Mette Heeno.

Documentary veteran Jørgen Leth received an Honorary Robert for his contribution to Danish cinema.

Nordisk Film & TV Fond was associated to 19 Robert awards for the films Holy Spider, Little Allan-The Human Antenna, Godland, A House Man of Splinters, Triangle of Sadness, The Worst Person in the World and the seriesCarmen Curlers.

Full list of Robert Awards 2023:

• Best Feature Film - Holy Spider by Ali Abbasi (produced by Jacob Jarek & Sol Bondy-Profile Pictures
• Best Children & Youth Film - Little Allan - the Human Antenna by Amalie Næsby Fick (produced by Thomas Heinesen & Trine Heidegaard for Nordisk Film Production)
• Best Director - Ali Abbasi, Holy Spider
• Best Original Screenplay - Ali Abbasi & Afshin Kamran Bahrami, Holy Spider
• Best Adapted Screenplay - Tea Lindeburg, As In Heaven
• Best Actress - Zar Amir Ebrahimi, Holy Spider
• Best Actor - Anders W. Berthelsen, A Lucky Man
• Best Supporting Actress - Lene Maria Christensen, Rose
• Best Supporting Actor - Arash Ashtiani, Holy Spider
• Best Set Design - Lina Nordqvist, Holy Spider
• Best Cinematography - Nadim Carlsen, Holy Spider
• Best Costume Design - Nina Grønlund, Godland
• Best Makeup - Anita Anderson & Morten Jacobsen, A Lucky Man
• Best Editor - Hayedeh Safiyari & Olivia Neergaard-Holm, Holy Spider
• Best Sound Design - Rasmus Winther Jensen, Holy Spider
• Best Score - Martin Dirkov, Holy Spider
• Best Original Song - 'En drømmer mere' by Annika Aakjær, composers: Annika Aakjær & Aske Bode, Esther's Orchestra
• Best Visual Effects - Peter Hjorth, Holy Spider
• Best Short - Nest by Hlynur Pálmason (produced by Eva Jakobsen, Mikkel Jersin, Katrin Pors, Snowglobe)
• Best Short Documentary - En film der måske handler om fremtiden by Josefine Exner (produced by Mads-August Hertz, Danish Film School)
• Best Documentary - A House Made of Splinters by Simon Lereng Wilmont (produced by Monica Hellström, Final Cut For Real)
• Best English Language Film - Triangle of Sadness by Ruben Östlund (distributor SF Studios)
• Best Non-English Language Film - The Worst Person in the World by Joachim Trier (dist-Camera Film)
• Best Short TV-series - The Orchestra created/directed by Mikkel Munch-Fals (SAM Productions)
• Best TV-series - Carmen Curlers, created by Mette Heeno (produced by Stinna Lassen for DR Drama)
• Best Actress TV-series - Maria Rossing, Carmen Curlers
• Best Actor TV-series - Frederik Cilius, The Orchestra
• Best Supporting Actress TV-series - Emma Sehested Høeg, The Orchestra
• Best Supporting Actor TV-series - Nicolai Jørgensen, Carmen Curlers

The winners of the 39^th Robert awards were decided upon by the 2,600 members of the Danish Film Academy.