Danish Dogme-title Truly Human (Et Rigtigt Menneske) went away with top honours, the NDR-Foerderpreis worth $11,500 (DM25,000) and the Baltischer Filmpreis, at the 43rd Nordic Film Days in Luebeck, Germany.
The jury glowing said of the film: "Through the eyes of a modern Kaspar Hauser, the film succeeds in laying bare the conventions of our society in a clever and humorous way without false dismay. This balancing act is underscored by the outstanding performances of the actors and brilliant technical realisation."
In comparison to earlier Dogme-titles Truly Human disappointed at the local box-office, but was sold by Trust Film Sales to Golem for Spain. And it was well received in San Sebastian, where it picked up the International Catholic Prize.
The audience award Publikumspreis der Luebecker Nachrichten $2,300 (DM 5000) went to Nowegian crowdpleaser Elling by director Petter Naess, who also took the church award.
The other films on the audiences' top 5 were Bille August's Swedish A Song For Martin, Lone Scherfig's Danish Italian For Beginners, Gisli Snaer Erlingsson's Icelandic Ikingut and Swedish veteran Jan Troell's As White As In Snow. Finland's official Oscar candidate, Jarmo Lampela's The River, received a special mention.
The children's awards were divided between Sweden's Wings Of Glass (Reza Bagher) and Denmark's The Flying Granny for the Kinderpreis der Nordischen Filminstitute and Preis der Kinderjury repectively.
The Nordic Film Days this year presented some 120 features, shorts and documentaries from the Scandinavian and Baltic countries.
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