'A HOUSE MADE OF SPLINTERS' NOMINATED FOR GRIERSON AWARD

Simon Lereng Wilmont’s documentary film A House Made of Splinters has been nominated for a Grierson Award in the category ‘Best Single Documentary – International’.

This years’ Grierson Awards is the 51st of its’ kind, and it will take place in London on the 9th of November. The awards, also known as British Documentary Awards, commemorate Scottish documentary filmmaker John Grierson (1898 – 1972) and are given to documentaries that “have made a significant contribution to the genre and that demonstrate quality, integrity, creativity, originality and overall excellence.”

Director Simon Lereng Wilmont explains, that “On the surface it (A House Made of Splinters, red.) is a story about neglect, but on a deeper level it is just as much an uplifting and universal story about hope and about children’s ability to survive and find the magic in life despite tragic circumstances.”

We are excited that A House Made of Splinters has been nominated, and we will follow the British Documentary Awards closely, as winners are revealed on November 9th. You can find out more about the awards and all the films that have been nominated here.

'A SILENT STORY' AND 'VINTERSAGA' NOMINATED AT NORDISK PANORAMA

We are excited to announce that Anders Skovbjerg Jepsen’s A Silent Story is in competition for ‘The New Nordic Voice Award’ at the film festival Nordisk Panorama in Malmö. 

In A Silent Story film director Anders Skovbjerg Jepsen contacts his seven years older childhood friend, who sexually abused him when they were both children. Together they seek to recollect and understand how and why it happened. We are happy and proud of the attention that this important film is receiving, and we will follow it closely at the festival alongside all the other fantastic films that are nominated.

We are also happy to announce that Carl Olsson's Vintersaga, produced by Ginestra Film in co-production with Final Cut for Real, is competing in the ‘Best Nordic Documentary’ category. In Olsson's distinctive visual language, Vintersaga is essentially an ode to the melancholy of Sweden.

At Final Cut for Real we look forward to the 21st of September, when the 34th edition of Nordisk Panorama will start. You can find out more about the festival here.

‘PATRIMONIUM’ AND ‘DREAMING MURAKAMI’ SELECTED FOR THE 14TH MAKEDOX FESTIVAL

Two Final Cut for Real productions have been selected for this year’s MakeDox film festival: Patrimonium and Dreaming Murakami.

This year Denmark has been chosen as the “country in focus” for the festival. As MakeDox explain on their Instagram, the Danish focus is meant as a way to “cool down in the hot Skopje evenings”. At Final Cut for Real we are thrilled that two of our movies are being represented there.

Starting today the 14th MakeDox festival is taking place in Skopje, North Macedonia. MakeDox is a platform of creativity and documentary films, and their weeklong festival is showing a broad selection of exactly that.

On Saturday evening Carl Olsson’s 2019 Patrimonium will be shown at the festival. The movie examines time by questioning the borders between history and modern world.

The second of our movies selected, Nitesh Anjaan’s 2017 Dreaming Murakami, will be shown on Monday evening. It explores the world of Japanese author Haruki Murakami through the life and works of translator Mette Holm. Anjaan is going to Skopje to experience the festival himself.

You can read more about The MakeDox Festival on their website. We look forward to following the festival from Denmark.

'A HOUSE MADE OF SPLINTERS' NOMINATED FOR FILM INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARD

We are so proud that Simon Lereng Wilmont’s film ‘A House Made of Splinters’ has been nominated at the Independent Spirit Award for Best Documentary.

‘A House Made of Splinters’ is directed by Simon Lereng Wilmont and produced by Monica Hellström.
The film follows three children at a temporary shelter, as war-torn Ukraine leaves devastating and enduring marks on the population. Through the eyes of kids, the film depicts a personal, tender, and simultaneously tragic and hopeful story about lives in limbo. Gorgeous, patient camerawork respects the children's vulnerability but expertly detects the unmistakable normalisation of violence in their desperate play, temporary friendships and fragile family connections.

The 38th annual award ceremony is set to return Saturday, March 4, 2023.

You can find the other nominees in the category here.

'THE KILLING OF A JOURNALIST' WINS PRICE AT BERGEN INTERNATIONAL FILMFESTIVAL

More great festival news! 'The Killing Of A Journalist’ has won the Checkpoint - best human rights documentary price at Bergen International Filmfestival!

‘The Killing Of A Journalist’ is directed by Matt Sarnecki and produced by Signe Byrge Sørensen, editing is by Janus Billeskov Jansen, and music by Kristian Eidness. The film is co-produced with GotFat Productions in Aarhus, Denmark, and Frame Films in Czech Republic, with support from the West Danish Film Fund and Czech Film Fund. The Killing of a Journalist premiered at HotDocs 2022.

The jury’s statement:

“This year's Checkpoints winner captures the importance of speaking truth to power despite government oppression. By focusing on a fledgling democracy, the documentary brings a new perspective and nuance to an often overlooked theme and place. This explosive, well-soured and objective documentary keeps its viewers captivated. The film is beautifully produced and shot. 

At its core the film is about the struggle to save the soul of a nation. The documentary captures the reality of living in a captured mafia state and showcases the bravery of those who oppose a corrupt regime regardless of the consequences. It even shows how corruption's tentacles extend beyond national borders into revered institutions such as the European Union. A red thread that runs throughout the documentary is the importance of the freedom of the press. 

The jury selects this feature documentary not only for the reasons above but also for its potential impact, both in the country and its neighbours who live under similar conditions. 

This year's winner of Checkpoints 2022 is THE KILLING OF A JOURNALIST.”

You can see the full list of jury statements from Bergen International Filmfestival 2022 here

'OUTSIDE' WINS HUMAN RIGHTS FILM FESTIVAL BERLIN COMPETITION

We are very proud to announce that the film ‘Outside’ directed by Olha Zhurba has won the Willy Brandt Documentary Film Prize at Human Rights Film Festival Berlin!
The film is produced by Darya Bassel and Viktoria Khomenko at Moon Man, in co-production with Anne Köhncke and Monica Hellström from Final Cut for Real and Willem Baptist and Nienke Korthof from Tangerine Tree.

The jury’s motivation is as follows:
”This film is bringing someone from the outside of society into the center. The film is also about loneliness, about lostness and about a neglected boy who turns into a young man in Ukraine. His story touched us in a deeply emotional way. His story stayed in our minds; we could not escape it. We were asking ourselves questions, some of them uncomfortable ones. Why are there people and groups of people, who seem to always stay outside the doors of their societies? How personal can a filmmaker’s relationship with her protagonist get? Is there a red line? But isn’t it precious that these films raise such important questions?
We think yes, absolutely.
Moreover, we would like to praise not only the storyline but the whole art of directing of the filmmaker, that lives up to the high standards of documentary filmmaking. The access to the main character and his family members is incredible, the camera is nearly forgotten.”

Click here to see the rest of the award winners.

'DREAMING ARIZONA' WORLD PREMIERE AT IDFA

Festival news: We are so proud to announce that ‘Dreaming Arizona’ by Jon Bang Carlsen will have its world premiere at IDFA, where it has been selected for the main competition!

‘Dreaming Arizona’ takes place in a small town called Winslow. At the town’s high school, we meet five teenagers, each with their own dream of the future. Like all teenagers around the world, they are in a transition where they have to shape their own lives, find a way out of childhood and create a new identity as adults. Their desire for freedom is strong, and there are consequences when parents, society or their own conscience restrict it. Film director, Jon Bang Carlsen, examines the teenagers’ basic need to stage their own lives as the documentary imperceptibly seeps into fiction. Together with the main characters, the director has created some imaginary life paths and thereby our teenagers comment on their own situation, the audiences’ anticipations and the director's vision.

The film is produced by Heidi Elise Christensen and Signe Byrge Sørensen.

Click here to see the full festival program.

'A HOUSE MADE OF SPLINTERS' AND 'THE KILLING OF A JOURNALIST' AT DOCNYC

This years DOCNYC is right around the corner, and we are happy to announce that we have ‘A House Made Of Splinters’ and ‘The Killing Of A Journalist’ screening at the festival.

The Killing of a Journalist is directed by Matt Sarnecki and produced by Signe Byrge Sørensen, editing is by Janus Billeskov Jansen, and music by Kristian Eidness. The film is co-produced with GotFat Productions in Aarhus, Denmark, and Frame Films in Czech Republic, with support from the West Danish Film Fund and Czech Film Fund. The Killing of a Journalist premiered at HotDocs 2022, screened at Karlovy Vary Int FF, and recently won the TRUTH DOX award at DokuFest.

A House Made of Splinters is directed by Simon Lereng Wilmont, and produced by Monica Hellström, edited by Michael Aaglund, sound design by Heikki Kossi, Pietu Korhorhonen, Peter Albrectsen & Sune Kaarsberg, music by Uno Helmersson. The film is co-produced by Story in Sweden, Donkey Hotel in Finland, Moon Man in Ukraine and MDR in collaboration with Arte (GER/FR), with support from The Danish Film Institute, Danish Film Directors, The Swedish Film Institute, The Finnish Film Institute, AVEK, Nordic Film & Tv Fond & Creative Europe: TV Programming. A House Made of Splinters premiered at Sundance 2022, winning the Best Directing Award, and went on to also receive the Dragon Award for Best Nordic Documentary at Gothenburg Film Festival as well as the Politiken:DOX Award at CPH:DOX and two awards at Thessaloniki IFF.

See the full program for DOCNYC here

'THE KILLING OF A JOURNALIST' RECEIVES SPECIAL MENTION AT ZFF

We have some great news to announce. ‘The Killing Of A Journalist’ by Matt Sarnecki received a Special Mention in the Documentary Competition at Zurich Film Festival this past weekend.

‘The Killing Of A Journalist’ is directed by Matt Sarnecki and produced by Signe Byrge Sørensen, editing is by Janus Billeskov Jansen, and music by Kristian Eidness. The film is co-produced with GotFat Productions in Aarhus, Denmark, and Frame Films in Czech Republic, with support from the West Danish Film Fund and Czech Film Fund. The Killing of a Journalist premiered at HotDocs 2022.

Click here to see the full list of the winners of a Golden Eye and Special Mention Awards from the 18th Zurich Film Festival.

'A HOUSE MADE OF SPLINTERS' WINS AUDIENCE AWARD

We are super excited to announce that 'A House Made Of Splinters’ directed by Simon Lereng Wilmont has won the City of Malmö’s Audience Award at Nordisk Panorama Film Festival.

‘A House Made Of Splinters’ follows three children at a temporary shelter where a small group of strong-willed social workers work tirelessly to create an almost magical safe space for the kids to live in, as war-torn Ukraine leaves devastating and enduring marks on the population. Through the eyes of kids, the movie depicts a personal, tender, and simultaneously tragic and hopeful story about lives in limbo.

The film is produced by Monica Hellström for Final Cut for Real, and co-produced by Tobias Janson (STORY, Sweden), Sami Jahnukainen (Donkey Hotel, Finland) and Darya Bassel & Viktoriia Khomenko (Moon Man, Ukraine).

You can see the full list of winning films at Nordisk Panorama Film Festival, if you click on the link right here.

'THE KILLING OF A JOURNALIST' AT ZURICH FILM FESTIVAL

We are happy to announce that Matt Sarnecki’s 'The Killing Of A Journalist' will be screened at Zurich Film Festival and is one out of 14 films in ZFF’s Documentary strand for a Golden Eye.

‘The Killing Of A Journalist’ explores the brutal murder of a young Slovakian investigative journalist and his fiancée. Their deaths inspire the biggest protests in Slovakia since the fall of communism. The story takes an unexpected turn when a source leaks the secret murder case file to the murdered journalist’s colleagues which includes the computers and encrypted communications of the assassination’s alleged mastermind, a businessman closely connected to the country’s ruling party. Trawling these encrypted messages, journalists discover that their country has been captured by corrupt oligarchs, judges and law enforcement officials. A reckoning awaits.

The film is directed by Matt Sarnecki and produced by Signe Byrge Sørensen, editing is by Janus Billeskov Jansen, and music by Kristian Eidness. The film is co-produced with GotFat Productions in Aarhus, Denmark, and Frame Films in Czech Republic, with support from the West Danish Film Fund and Czech Film Fund. The Killing of a Journalist premiered at HotDocs 2022, screened at Karlovy Vary Int FF, and recently won the TRUTH DOX award at DokuFest.

Click here to see the rest of the films in the documentary competition

'BOY FROM HEAVEN' IS SWEDEN'S OSCAR SUBMISSION

We are very proud to announce that Tarik Saleh’s film 'Boy From Heaven' has been chosen as Sweden’s submission for the 2022-23 Academy Awards Best International Feature Film category.

The political thriller won the best screenplay award at Cannes earlier this year, as well as the François Chalais Prize.

‘Boy From Heaven’ is produced by Kristina Åberg at Atmo Sweden, in co-production with Monica Hellström and Signe Byrge Sørensen from Final Cut for Real, Memento Film, Bufo, Arte France and Film i Väst.
The film is supported in Denmark by The Danish Film Institute and DR.

Click here to see the full list of contenders in the category.

PRESIDENT NOMINATED FOR THE GRIERSON AWARDS ‘22

We are proud and thrilled to announce that ‘President’ directed by Camilla Nielsson, has been nominated for the Grierson Awards 2022!

The Grierson Awards, also known at the British Documentary Awards, commemorate the pioneering Scottish documentary filmmaker John Grierson (1898 – 1972), famous for ‘Drifters’ and ‘Night Mail’ and widely regarded as the father of the documentary.

The awards ceremony takes place in London on November 10, 2022 where a winner from the strong list of nominees will be announced!

FLEE SHORTLISTED FOR PRIX ITALIA 2022

Click here to see the other shortlisted films!

FLEE IN FRENCH CINEMAS

Over the last few weeks our animated documentary ‘Flee’ has been screening in more than 100 cinemas across France!

The above photo of the happy audience is form Cinéma ARVOR in Rennes, where the director, Jonas Poher Rasmussen attended the screening and answered the questions of the approx. 100 teenagers who are studying cinema. We had such an interesting debate and enjoyed the dedicated audience!

We are very happy that ‘Flee’ will continue to run in French cinemas until the end of the year!