Editor

The Ingmar Bergman International Debut Award is the film award which is discovering new talent. The award was inaugurated during the Göteborg International Film Festival 2007 and the winner was Andrea Arnold for Red Road. Now the time has come to discover a brand new director.

Ingmar Bergman was the honourary president of the Göteborg International Film Festival during 1994-2007 and blessed the festival’s Bergman award with the words ”The award is a way of encouraging young filmmakers to deal with really important issues at a time when the film industry has more and more assumed the shape and form of a butchery and fornication business!"

The award goes to: "a director making his or her debut with a film dealing with existential issues in a broad sense and displaying a dynamic or experimental awareness of the cinematic means of expression".The prize consists of one week's stay at the Bergman Week on Fårö during the summer of 2008, a box of Bergman DVDs from the Bergman foundation and a beautiful engraved stone from Ingmar Bergman's Fårö.

Andrea Arnold commented her award like this: ”In amongst an industry that makes so much noise I was delighted that Red Road was nominated for an award with a such a strong but quiet philosophy. To have the film recognized in this way gives me a such a thrill.”

The nominees for TIBIDA 2008 are:

Ilmar Raag, Estonia, for The Class
Ilmar Raag delivers an almost chocking film with an important content similar to the one in Elephant. The film is Estonias contribution to the Oscars. The Class is Raag’s first film.
Contact: Judith Toth, NonStop Sales, +46 8 673 99 80, Judith.Toth@millenniumgroup.se

Jaime Rosales, Spain, for Solitary Fragments
Jaime Rosales does not only deliver every day realism – but hyper realism. The slowness in his film contributes to making the characteres alive. Rosales made his debut in 2003 with The Hours Of The Day, which was screened Cannes was awarded the FIPRESCI award. Solitary Fragments is his second film which also was screened in Cannes.
Contact: Brigitte Suarez, The Match Factory, +49 89 2000 120-30, brigitte.suarez@matchfactory.de

Céline Sciamma, France, for Water Lilies
A right on the spot and often surprisingly funny film about the torture of the first (sexual) love. Water Lilies is Céline Sciammas first film.
Contact: Martin Caraux, Films Distibution, +33 1 53 103399, caraux@filmsdistribution.com

Ann-Kristin Reyels, Germany, for Hounds
Christmas dinner turns into a hilaroius and painful story in this low key and beautiful version of The Ice Storm. The film was awarded the prize of the inernational film critics in Berlin last year. Hounds is Ann-Kristin reyel’s first film.
Contact: Artur Brzozowski, MDC International, +49 30 26 49 79 00, festivals@mdc-int.de

Stéphane Lafleur, Canada, for Continental, a Film Without Guns
Stephane Lafleurs strangely uplifting and very funny story about loneliness has already been compared to Roy Andersson as well as Aki Kaurismäki, Continental, a Film Without Guns is his second film.
Contact: Marie-Alice Couret, Christal Films, +1 514 3369696, macouret@christalfilms.com

In the TIBIDA jury we find: Margarethe von Trotta, director, Germany/France, Pen-ek Ratanaruang, director, Thailand, István Szabó, director, Hungary, and Kim Rossi Stuart, actor and director, Italy.

”I always excuse myself from a jury duty for personal reasons. But when Göteborg International Film Festival asked me to be a jury, I accepted with honour and delight just because the name of the award was ‘The Ingmar Bergman International Debut Award’. Good luck and happy competing!”, Ratanaruang says about his jury assignment.

Pen-ek Ratanaruang will also screen his new film Ploy during the festival.

The award ceremony will take place Saturday February 2.