Sweden's grand master was not back from Los Angeles where he had just lost the coveted Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film to Waltz with Bashir. But the main Nordic actors in his film were all on hand at Stockholm's Cirkus to receive their respective awards. "I love working for you. Thanks Jan," said Finland's top actress Maria Heisjanen, winner for Best Actress, while her partner and Guldbagge winner Mikael Persbrandt, (photo) said he was ‘moved and proud'. Denmark's Jesper Christensen (Best Supporting Actor) also thanked Jan Troell for a ‘wonderful film' that he was ‘glad to have worked on'. The Danish/Swedish coproduction produced by Denmark's Final Cut, still has a chance to be Oscars nominated on January 22.
Alfredson's Let the Right One In won two of the top prizes - Best Director and Best Script (John Ajvide Lindqvist). The arthouse-oriented vampire film produced by EFTI, is Sweden's biggest film export of 2008, with over 50 territories sold by Bavaria International Film Sales.
In the Best Film category, Documentary, the voting jury of the 2008 Guldbagge award comprising Katinka Faragó, Maaret Koskinen, Nils Petter Sundgren, Vinca Wiedemann, Jonas Åkerlund, Josef Fares, and Pia Johansson preferred Maggie in Wonderland to Mr Governor (H:r Landshövding) and An Extraordinary Study in Human Degradation.
The evening's biggest looser was Ruben Östlund's Involuntary which failed to turn any of its five nominations into awards, although it had just won a ‘Greta' Award for Best Film from the Swedish Film Critics Association.
Full list of 2008 Guldbagge winners:
Best Picture
Everlasting Moments produced by Thomas Stenderup (Final Cut)
Best Director
Tomas Alfredson, Let the Right One In
Best Actress in a Leading Role
Maria Heiskanen, Everlasting Moments
Best Actor in a Leading Role
Mikael Persbrandt, Everlasting Moments
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Maria Lundqvist, Heaven's Heart
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Jesper Christensen, Everlasting Moments
Best Screenplay
John Ajvide Lindqvist, Let the Right One In
Best Cinematography (Including George Eastman Award of SEK 50.000)
Hoyte van Hoytema Let the Right One In
Best Foreign Language Film
Lust, Caution by Ang Lee
Best Short Film
Lies by Jonas Odell
Best Documentary Film
Maggie in Wonderland by Mark Hammarberg, Ester Martin Bergsmark, Beatrice Maggie Andersson
Lifetime Achievement Award
Actress Harriet Andersson
Audience Award
Arn - the Kingdom at World's End
Best artistic achievements
Composer
Matti Bye, Everlasting Moments
Production Designer
Eva Norén Let the Right One In
Sound
Per Sundström and his crew Jonas Jansson and Patrik Strömdahl Let the Right One In
Gullspira Award 2008 (for extraordinary contributions in children's film)
Georg Riedel ‘For numerous tunes deepening film experiences, with a special place in the soul of Sweden'