News briefs

The CNN programme The Screening Room took note of the overwhelming exposure given Danish films worldwide in 2009. An excerpt from their run on Scandinavian cinema is found on Neil Curry's write-up Danish Film: Four to Watch, posted 23 December.

Lars von Trier's "Antichrist" won a global audience in 2009 after its initial screening in Cannes, report CNN, and name four other films to watch for: Henrik Ruben Genz' "Terribly Happy", the Danish entry running for an Oscar nomination, Anders Østergaard's "Burma VJ", shortlisted for an Oscar nomination for Best Documentary, Nicolo Donatos winner at Rome "Brotherhood" and Martin Zandvliet's "Applause" with Paprika Steen in the lead. 

Read more Danish Film: Four to Watch

In his write-up about the Foreign Language contestants for the upcoming Academy Award nominations, Sam Adams of the Los Angeles Times has Henrik Ruben Genz' film "Terribly Happy" right up front. Of the 65 entrants, he says, "a number take the form of crime thrillers and mystery stories. including several favourites for the final five. Denmark's "Terribly Happy" follows a disgraced Copenhagen cop exiled to a small town where secrets, and a few bodies, are buried in the local bogs, and ...".

Read article here "Mysterious Imports" from Los Angeles Times/The Envelope

Danish Actor Cyron Melville received Best Actor Award at Marrakech International Film Festival for his role as Daniel in Morten Giese's feature film debut "Love & Rage".

"Love & Rage", produced by Mikael Olsen for Zentropa, is nominated for three Robert-Awards (Danish Film Academy Awards), included Best Leading Actor.

Cyron Melville was selected as one of Berlin's Shooting Stars 2009, and was selected earlier this year, together with other actors, to take part in the Hamptons' Breakthrough Performers Program, a partnership between European Film Promotion (EFP) and The Hamptons festival. Sharon Stone, who received the Hamptons' Outstanding Achievement Award, guided the actors at the festival's mentoring brunch, as well as accompanied them to the Breakthrough Performers Gala Reception, public symposium, and a "Conversation with…" (Reference DFI News: Danish Films—Autumn Festivals)

Lone Scherfig's British production "An Education" won Best Actress Award at the British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) in London 6 December.

Carey Mulligan received the award for her role as Jenny in Scherfig's 1960s coming of age story. Mulligan is also in the cast of "Brothers", the American remake of Susanne Bier's drama.

"An Education" won Sundance' Audience Award and Best D.o.P., was given a gala screening at Berlin, and it is a favourite among the films lined up for the BAFTA awards (British Academy of Film & Television Arts) and Academy Award nominations. 

Currently, Scherfig is in negotiations for the rights to film "One Day", a novel by the British writer David Nicholls.

Read more

British Independent Film Awards BIFA Awards
The Hollywood Reporter 'An Education' helmer lines up 'One Day'

Danish Actor David Dencik received Best Actor Award at the 13th Tallin Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF) for his role in the feature film debut "Brotherhood" directed by Nicolo Donato and produced by Per Holst for Asta Film. The film was honoured in October in Rome with two awards, including Best Film Award. 

DFI Factsheet for Brotherhood

DFI press release Brotherhood gains ground at Rome

13th Tallin Black Nights Film Festival

""Brothers" is that rare animal, a US remake of a fine foreign language film which works on both a creative and thematic level in its conversion to an American setting. Susanne Bier's explosive 2004 film is effectively re-imagined by writer David Benioff  and director Jim Sheridan, and their Brothers is tight, tense and emotional, addressing the issue of soldiers returning from the war in Afghanistan in the context of an expertly told melodrama."

Read Mike Goodridge' review of Jim Sheridan's "Brothers".

Charlotte Sachs Bostrup's family film Karla and Katrine received two awards at the prizegiving ceremony at Madrid International Film Festival for Children & Youth, Saturday 21 November:

• Children's Jury Best Film Award
• Audience Award

Brotherhood, a feature film debut by Nicolo Donato, swept away Rome's top award. In his review, Jay Weissberg of Variety writes: Though Nicolo Donato's impressive debut, "Brotherhood," inevitably will be called "the gay neo-Nazi movie," such a reductive description does the film a disservice. While the film does track the unlikely sexual relationship between two members of a violent racist organization, it's Donato's assured direction, plus the superb thesping on display, that sets "Brotherhood" above what could have been either fetishistic or far-fetched. The winner of Rome's top prize, the pic could see strong Euro and bicoastal arthouse play, though some auds may be uncomfortable with the theme and the palpable passion.  

Read the entire review
http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117941456.html?categoryid=3779&cs=1&query=Nicolo+Donato

Read Variety write-up on Rome awards
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118010342.html?categoryid=3282&cs=1&query=Nicolo+Donato

Read DFI newsbrief: Brotherhood gains ground at Rome
http://www.dfi.dk/English/News/Brotherhood-gains-ground-at-Rome.aspx

"Steen gives a crushing performance as a woman who longs for love but can't handle responsibility, who pushes for more time with her children but doesn't know what to do with it when she has it. She has a mother's love but not a mother's instinct – and Steen's expressive ice-blue eyes show how it's tearing her apart. This is one of the most revealing family dramas of its type since "A Woman Under the Influence" – and Steen’s work needs to be seen by American audiences."

An excerpt from US critic Marshall Fine's write-up 'Live from Toronto Film Festival: Day 4' on his page Hollywood and Fineblog. Read his entire piece: http://hollywoodandfine.com/fineblog/?p=366