Dragon Awards to Before Snowfall och Dog Flesh

This year’s winner of the Dragon Award Best Nordic Film is the Norwegian, Before Snowfall (Før snøen faller), directed by Hisham Zaman. Since 2011 the prize sum is a full one million Swedish Kronor, which makes it one of the world’s biggest film prizes. The Ingmar Bergman International Debut Award 2013 was awarded to the Chilean film Dog Flesh (Carne de perro), directed by Fernando Guzzoni. An additional six prizes were awarded when the Göteborg International Film Festival held its closing Dragon Award gala on Saturday evening.

Dragon Award Best Nordic Film

The Norwegian film Before Snowfall (Før snøen faller), directed by Hisham Zaman won this year’s Dragon Award Best Nordic Film. The prize sum is one million Swedish Kronor. The prize is presented in partnership with the Ernström Group. Other financiers include the County Council for Västra Götaland and the City of Gothenburg.

The jury’s motivation:
“The Dragon Award for Best Nordic Film goes to a film with an original and honest vision that goes beyond clichés. By using an exceptional cast and a precise and vivid style of cinematography the director succeeds in telling a story that reveals the impact of tradition and culture and the fact that they can be conquered by naive, true love. The winner is Before Snowfall.”

Jury: This year the jury was presided over by the Iranian filmmaker Samira Makhmalbaf. Other jury members: Manuel Alberto Claro, Christin Berg, Thor Sigurjonsson, Andrea Östlund and Timo Malmi.

The Ingmar Bergman International Debut Award

The Chilean film Dog Flesh (Carne de perro), directed by Fernando Guzzoni, was awarded with the The Ingmar Bergman International Debut Award. The prize is a one-week stay at Bergman Week, a DVD box with 22 Bergman films as well as a beautiful stone from Ingmar Bergman’s beach at Fårö, engraved with his name.

The jury’s motivation:
”A man cannot cope with the deeds of his past and experiences an intense daily suffering. An exceptional performance constitutes the chore in a multilayered tale of redemption, executed with complete artistic control.”

Jury: Jannike Åhlund, Maxine Williamson and Volker Schlöndorff.

Dragon Award Best Nordic Documentary

The new prize, Dragon Award Best Nordic Documentary, was awarded Finnish Blood, Swedish Heart, directed by Mika Ronkainen.

The jury’s motivation:
“The Dragon Award for Best Nordic Documentary goes to Finnish Blood, Swedish Heart, a touching story of inner and outer exile, which brings out a rarely discussed trauma of the Swedish welfare state of the prosperous 60s and 70s. With great sensibility and refinement, the director describes a personal relationship between father and son and their emotional trip down memory lane in the search of a sense of belonging. Their conversations and meetings with other Swedish Finns along the way gradually unfolds the theme of rootlessness and estrangement, while intertwined live recordings of Finnish immigrant songs from the 70s poetically comment on the theme and widens the picture to encompass an entire culture.”

“A special mention goes to Belleville Baby, directed by Mia Engberg, a distinctive and very personal exploration of how one’s self at each moment is affected by hidden memories and elusive inner layers.”

Jury: Lena Einhorn, Mikel Cee Carlsson and Katrine Kilgaard.

Lorens Award

This year’s Lorens Award goes to Malik Bendjelloul for his film Searching for Sugar Man. His next full-length film will be endowed with free development, estimated at a value of 500,000 SEK.

The jury’s motivation:
“Behind this exceptionally well-produced film lies labor that persevered, often against the odds. Despite considerable solitary labor, it has become an international success story. The film has prevailed at something unusual for documentary film: namely reaching out to a greater audience and using the full potential of cinematography. No journey was too long and no effort too great for the launch and contact with the public. The jury was completely unanimous that the 2013 Lorens Award would be awarded to Malik Bendjelloul for the film Searching for Sugar Man."

Jury: Tony Forsberg, Petra Ahlin, Lena Koppel, Jesper Bergom-Larsson and Ali Boriri.

FIPRESCI-prize

The FIPRESCI-prize goes to the Danish film Northwest (Nordvest), directed by Michael Noer. The prize is handed out by the International Federation of Film Critics and goes to one of the films in the competition Dragon Award Best Nordic Film.

The jury’s motivation:
“For its solid acting performances and its balanced and realistic portrayal of a young man's descent into a criminal world.”

Jury: Alison Frank, Oscar Peyrou and Katja Čičigoj.

Dragon Award New Talent

This year the film festival’s international web-based short film prize Dragon Award New Talent was won by La Ravaudeuse, directed by Simon Filliot.

The jury’s motivation:
“So said—but so beautiful. Poverty, greed, fraternal affection, eroticism and painful death. It all begins with a dramatic birth in a home in the crack between dream and reality—where loneliness hangs over everything. With their accomplished craft, the director invokes both tension and strong characters. With La Ravaudeuse, Simon Filliot has created something entirely new, a completely living world of sackcloth, twine and tangled wool. A moving and well-made pastoral drama that leaves no one untouched.”

Jury: Freddy Olsson, Johannes Nyholm, Micael Östling, Alexandra Lind and Sascha Fülscher.

Audience Award: Best Feature Film

The festival audience voted Wadjda, directed by Saudi Arabia’s first female director, Haiffa al-Mansour, as the best feature film.

Audience Award: Best Nordic Film

The festival audience voted A Hijacking (Kapringen), directed by Tobias Lindholm, as the best Nordic film.