Sebbe wins best film at Sweden's Golden Bugs

Youth film Sebbe, directed by Babak Najafi, won the award for best film when the annual Golden Bugs (Guldbagge) were handed out in Stockholm Monday night. The film previously won the best debut award at the 2010 Berlinale.

One of the films shut out of the prizes was Simple Simon, this year’s Swedish contender in the foreign-language Oscar race.

Actress Pernilla August’s debut as a feature director, the dark family drama Beyond, was nominated forv eight awards but won only three, including best director.

“This is just incredible,” August told Screen after the awards show. “I think this award means much more to me than I can fathom. It is a recognition of something I have done, and it makes me want to direct more.”

August has previously picked up two Golden Bugs for acting achievements, for The Best Intentions and Where the Rainbow Ends.And it is acting that is her next assignment. She reveals to Screen that she will play one of the leads in the new film by veteran Jan Troell, Truth and Consequence, that will start shooting in the spring.

Joel Kinnaman won the award for best actor for the hard hitting thriller Easy Money (Snabba Cash). The success of the film has landed Kinnaman one of the leads in the forthcoming US sci fi film The Darkest Hour as well as the male lead part in the TV series The Crime, now shooting in Vancouver. The US remake rights for Easy Money has been picked by Warner Brothers with Zac Efron set to star in the Kinnaman part.

Despite Noomi Rapace being nominated for Beyond, the female actress award went to 22-year-old newcomer Alicia Vikander for the drama Beloved. Vikander will be the Swedish Shooting Star at this year’s Berlinale. Rapace won the award last year for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

Actress Mona Malm, who made her debut in 1944, received the honorary Golden Bug. The 76-year-old veteran has been seen in, for instance, several of Ingmar Bergman’s film, among them The Seventh Seal, Smiles of a Summer Night and Fanny and Alexander”, as well as the Bergman-scripted Cannes winner The Best Intentions.

Hit movie House of Angels - Third Time Around, directed by Colin Nutley, won the audience award. The film has been in the headlines in the last week, since lead actress Helena Bergstrom went public with her view that the films of Nutley don’t get the respect they demand. The film, which opened on Christmas Day, has become a big commercial success, with more than half a million admissions so far.

BEST FILM
Sebbe, directed by Babak Najafi and produced by Rebecka Lafrenz and Mimmi Spang

BEST DIRECTOR
Pernilla August for Beyond

BEST LEAD ACTRESS
Alicia Vikander for Beloved

BEST LEAD ACTOR
Joel Kinnaman for Easy Money

BEST FEMALE SUPPORTING ACTOR
Outi Maenpaa for Beyond

BEST MALE SUPPORTING ACTOR
Peter Dalle for Behind Blue Skies

BEST SCRIPT
Lisa Langseth for Beloved

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Aril Wretblad for Easy Money

BEST FOREIGN FILM
Lourdes, directed by Jessica Hausner

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Regretters, directed by Marcus Lindeen

BEST SHORT
Tussilago, directed by Jonas Odell

THE AUDIENCE AWARD FOR BEST FILM
House of Angels - Third Time Around

GULLSPIRAN - LIFE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD FOR CONTRIBUTION TO THE MAKING OF KIDS MOVIES
Producer Lisbeth Gabrielsson

THE HONORARY GOLDEN BUG
Actress Mona Malm

THE TECHNICAL AWARDS:
Magnus Borjeson, Ola Simonsson and Johannes Stjarne Nilsson for the combination of music and sound in Sound of Noice
Asa Mossberg for the editing of Beyond
Jeanette Klintberg for the casting of Easy Money