The film Sex produced by Motlys received the distribution award Europa Cinemas Label as Best European Film, the CICAE Arthouse Cinema Award and the Prize from the Ecumenical Jury.

Norwegian production company Motlys received the Label award for the 4th time at the Panorama section at the 47th Berlinale.

Sex is the first film in the trilogy Sex Dreams Love by director-writer Dag Johan Haugerud. The trilogy is produced by Motlys’ Yngve Sæther and Hege Hauff Hvattum, in co-production with Viaplay and with support from Nordisk Film & TV Fond.

When asked what Motlys is doing right, producer Yngve Sæther tells the Fund:

"What we’re doing? Good question. I think we just try to stay humble and follow the simple, but also complicated motto “Look into your heart” when we choose and develop our projects. And we form a very good team where we all push each other in the right direction in case we forget our compass or get lost during the process."

This year, two Nordic and a total of eight European films competed for the Label for Best European Film.

During the past 15 years Motlys has now won the European Cinemas Label four times. The previously awarded films are North (Nord) by Rune Denstad Langlo in 2009, Blind by Eskil Vogt in 2014, and Hope (Håp) by Maria Sødahl in 2020.

The Europa Cinemas Label was created in 2003, and is delivered five times a year across esteemed festivals in Berlin, Cannes, Karlovy Vary, Locarno, and Venice. The labeled film is benefiting from promotional support and improved exhibition from Europan Cinemas in 38 countires and on 3160 screens.

This year’s jury at the Berlinale was Director at Cinélux Giuditta Ricci, Board Member at Breakthroughs Film Festival Autumn Scott, Managing Director at Central im Bürgerbräu Marc Velinsky and General Manager at Mestni kino Domžale Jure Matičič.

The jury issued the following statement:

Dag Johan Haugerud’s Sex is fresh, original, and, above all, great fun. Yes, it is a talky film, but we feel strongly that the open and frank conversations about the fundamental nature of relationships will please audiences around Europe. Their attention is gripped from the first scene, and it will challenge and stay with them for a long time. The excellent photography helps drive the film’s appeal. And what a pleasure to see tangible evidence that men can talk freely about their feelings!

Read more on the Europa Cinemas Label nominees and jury: CLICK HERE

Sex also received two awards from independent prize juries during the Berlinale.

The CICAE Arthouse Cinema Award aims at bringing high-quality films to the arthouse cinemas, by an international jury of arthouse cinema exhibitors and programmers. The jury awarded two films: Sex in the Panorama section, and Shahid by Narges Kalhor in the Forum section. Read more: CLICK HERE.

The Ecumenical Jury represents the international film organisations Interfilm and Signis, and the prizes go to directors who have succeeded in sensitising viewers to spiritual, human or social values. The motivation for Sex included:

Through slow pacing and humorous conversations the film focuses our attention on the nuances of our social constructions of gender and sex, and more importantly, of love.

Three films were awarded: My Favourite Cake by Maryam Moghaddam and Behtash Sanaeeha in the Competition section, Sex in the Panorama section, and Maria’s Silence by Oksana Karpovych in the Forum section. Read more: CLICK HERE.

Official trailer: