Editor

The Nordic Film Award was inaugurated in 1989. Last year’s winner was the Swedish film Darling by Johan Kling. All eight competing films will be screened at the main festival cinema Draken (Dragon), starting Friday January 25 with Jens Jonsson’s The Ping Pong King. The award consists of SEK 100 000 and artist Ernst Billgren's The Film Dragon.

The Nordic jury members are: chairman Monika Tunbäck-Hanson, film critic, Sweden, actress Sonja Richter, Denmark, producer Anna Anthony, Sweden and directors Ragnar Bragason, Iceland and Aku Louhimies, Finland. One more member will be added.

The competing eight films are:

The Ping Pong King – Jens Jonsson (Sweden)
About family secrets, brothers and ping pong. In his longed for feature debut Jens Jonsson is not afraid of seriousness and combines it with the humour and visual fantasy we recognize from his shorts and tv series.
Press: Annmari Bergmark, + 46 8-587 82285 annmari.bergmark@nordiskfilm.com

Let the Right One In – Tomas Alfredson (Sweden)
Four years after Four Shades of Brown had its world premiere in the Nordic Competition, director Tomas Alfredson is back with a poetic vampire saga, based on the novel of John Ajvide Lindqvist.
Press: Pelle Strandberg, + 46 709-662833, pelle@strandberghaage.se

Fighter – Natasha Arty (Denmark)
Natasha Arty (Miracle, GIFF-01, Old, New, Borrowed and Blue, GIFF-03) has made an engageing version of Bend it Like Beckham, but with kung fu instead of football.
Press: Lizette Gram Mygind, + 45 3374 3506, lizetteg@dfi.dk

Gone With the Woman – Petter Naess (Norway)
Based on a novel by Erlend Loe wee meet actor Trond Fausa Aurvåg (The Bothersome Man, GIFF-07) as Him, a nameless man who gets invaded by a woman. Norways contribution to the Oscars.
Press: Stine Oppegaard, +47 22 47 45 75, stine@nfi.no

The Quiet Storm – Gudny Halldorsdottir (Iceland)
A story about the generation of -68 and their self centered revolution. The director, who earlier filmed her father Halldór Laxness’ stories (Honour of the House, GIFF-00), has also written the script, based on her own experiences.
Press: Christof Wehmeier, +354 562 3580, christof@icelandicfilmcentre.is

An Extraordinary Study in Human Degradation – Patrik Eriksson (Sweden)
When film maker Patrik Eriksson had a crisis, as a result of a bad relationship, his colleagues started to film their therapeutic conversations with their cell phones. This documentary has a straightforwardness and dynamic editing which makes it a story about modern human beings and their search for meaning and context.
Press: Erik Hemmendorff , + 46 31-7116660, erik@plattformproduktion.se

Go With Peace Jamil – Omar Shargawi (Denmark)
The Danish Film Institute’s support of new young talent continues to be successful. The latest proof is this claustrophobic revenge story about conflicts between shia and sunni muslims in Copenhagen.
Press: Lizette Gram Mygind, + 45 3374 3506, lizetteg@dfi.dk

Just Another Love Story– Ole Bornedal (Denmark),
A man causes an accident and goes to see the victim pretending to be her boyfriend. She is in a coma and he is pulled in to a chain of events resulting in lies and drama.
Press: Lizette Gram Mygind, + 45 3374 3506, lizetteg@dfi.dk

As usual we present a number of Swedish world premieres, so far eight. They are:
Iskariot, by Miko Lazic
The festival closing film.
Press: Camilla Naisell, +46 8 661 90 98, cnasiell@memes.se

Persona non grata, by Mats Arehn
Press: Anne-Helene Sommarström, + 46 70-823 04 40,
ah.sommarstrom@telia.com

Preludium, by Johan Melin
Press: Anja Jensen. +45-24 86 01 83, anja.jensen@have.dk

The Regicide, by Kathrine Windfeld
Press: Magnus Telander, +46 31-83 73 51, magnus.telander@svt.se

May I Have the Last Dance?, by Joakim Jalin
Press: Annika Hellström, + 46 70-786 64 16, annika-hellstrom@swipnet.se

The Tree Lover, by Jonas Selberg Augustsén
Press: Freddy Olsson, +46 8-19 49 99, freddy.olsson@bokomotiv.se

Maggie in Wonderland, by Mark Hammarberg, Ester Martin Bergsmark
Press: Katrina Mathsson, + 46 8-545 275 22, katrina@folketsbio.se

Bang and world history, by Maj Wechselmann
Press: Maj Wechselmann, + 46 70-416 39 30, maj.prod@telia.com