Per Fly’s Monica Z wins Nordic award

Danish director Per Fly picked up the Nordic Film Prize at the NIFF awards last night [Aug 20] for his biopic Monica Z (Waltz for Monica).

The story of legendary Swedish singer-actress Monica Zetterlund stars Edda Magnason in her first film role. Monica Z will be released in Norway on Sept 13.

Fly will next direct Backstabbing for Beginners, based on the true story of UN whistleblower Michael Soussan who called for an investigation of the UN’s dealings with Saddam Hussein. Fly is working on the screenplay with US writer Daniel Pyne (The Sum of All Fears) and it marks the first project developed for the international market by Creative Alliance - a new company created earlier this year by six Nordic directors and US outfit Parts & Labor.

Other winners included Abdellatif Kechiche’s Blue Is the Warmest Colour, which can now add the Norwegian critics’ prize to the Palme d’Or it won in Cannes this year.

Felix van Groeningen’s The Broken Circle Breakdown collected the Audience Award.

The festival’s Ray of Sunshine prize went to Gunhild Westhagen Magnor’s documentary The Optimists, about an elderly ladies’ volleyball team.

NIFF runs from Aug 15-22 in Haugesund.

National film awards

Norwegian director Dag Johan Haugerud’s feature debut, Som du ser meg (I Belong), collected four Amanda statuettes, including Best Film, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay, at Norway’s national film prizes on Friday [Aug 16].

Sea voyage drama Kon-Tiki received eight nominations and won four awards, including the audience prize. Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg’s Oscar-nominated film has taken almost 900,000 admissions in Norway.

FULL LIST OF AMANDA WINNERS

• Best Feature
  Som du ser meg (I Belong)
• Best Childen’s Film
  Pelle politibil på sporet (Ploddy the Police Car on the Case)
• Best Cinematography
  Arild Østin Ommundsen, It’s Only Make Believe (Eventyrland)
• Best Sound Design
  Christian Schaanning, Uskyld (All That Matters Is Past)
• Best Musical Score
  Ola Kvernberg, Jag etter vind (Chasing the Wind)
• Best Editing
  Vidar Flataukan, 90 Minutes
• Best Stage/Production Design
  Karl Júliusson, Kon-Tiki
• Best Visual Effects
  Arne Kaupang, Storm Studios, Kon-Tiki
• Best Actress
  Laila Goody, I Belong
• Best Supporting Actress
  Suzan Ilir, Før snøen faller (Before Snowfall)
• Best Actor
  Pål Sverre Hagen, Kon-Tiki
• Best Supporting Actor
  Fridtjof Såheim, Victoria
• Best Original Screenplay
  Dag Johan Haugerud, I Belong
• Best Director
  Dag Johan Haugerud, I Belong
• Audience Award
  Kon-Tiki
• Best Newcomer (Viasat Prize)
  Kaia Varjord, 90 Minutes
• Best Documentary
  De andre (Nowhere Home)
• Best Short
  Magnus – en vårdag
• Best Foreign Feature
  Searching for Sugar Man
• The Honorary Amanda
  Norwegian writer, director and producer Bent Hamer
• The Golden Clapperboard
  Norwegian continuity supervisor Irmelin Wister