'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 HOUSE MADE OF SPLINTERS' AT THE OSCARS

We will be forever grateful that the team behind A House Made of Splinters last week suddenly found themselves in Hollywood for the 95th Academy Awards, celebrating the film’s nomination for Best Feature Documentary.

Although we did not take home the little golden statue, just being there was the greatest experience and also meant that this very international team were able to spend some lovely days together - we were especially grateful that our lovely protagonists Margarita and Olga joined us, and were celebrated as the stars that they are.

The film continues to screen around the world and to change lives and hearts forever.

'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.

'DREAMING ARIZONA' & 'A HOUSE MADE OF SPLINTERS' SCREENING AT IDFA 2022

At this year’s IDFA (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam) we are proud and happy to have two of our latest films screening.

Jon Bang Carlsen’s Dreaming Arizona is selected for the Main Competition where it will be having its World Premiere. The film has the following screening times:

13 Nov 09:00 - 10:19 - Pathé City 1 press & Industry​ only​
13 Nov 18:30 - 20:01 - Munt 12 official world premiere, film team present​
14 Nov 15:15 - 16:51 - Tuschinski 6 Q&A with the director​
17 Nov 15:45 - 17:21 - Tuschinski 5
19 Nov 10:00 - 11:19 - Munt 13

Simon Lereng Wilmon’s A House Made of Splinters is screening in the Best of Fests section, and has the following screening times:

11 Nov 20:30 - 22:17​ - Munt 11 Q&A after the screening
12 Nov 21:30 - 23:17​ - Rialto De Pijp: Bovenzaal Q&A after the screening
17 Nov 14:45 - 16:15​ - Ketelhuis: Zaal 1
18 Nov 18:30 - 20:00​ - DeLaMar: Wim Sonneveld Zaal

For the screenings of A House Made of Splinters we are teaming up with ShareDoc, a new platform that enables audiences to donate directly to the participants of documentary films.

To buy tickets or read more about the festival, please click here.

'THE KILLING OF A JOURNALIST' & 'A HOUSE MADE OF SPLINTERS' SCREENING AT DOCNYC

We are so happy that next week two of our films are screening at DOCNYC - America’s largest documentary film festival.

A House Made of Splinters by Simon Lereng Wilmont is in the Winners Circle section, and has two in-person screenings:
Wednesday, November 16, 2022 7:15 PM​ - Cinépolis Chelsea, Theater 2 (with director Q&A)
Thursday, November 17, 2022 2:15 PM​ - Cinépolis Chelsea

Director Simon Lereng Wilmont will be present for the screening on November 16.

The Killing of a Journalist by Matt Sarnecki is in the Investigations section, and has two in-person screenings:
Saturday, November 12, 2022 9:20 PM - Cinépolis Chelsea, Theater 1
Monday, November 14, 2022 11:45 AM - Cinépolis Chelsea

Both films also have online screenings for the duration of the festival.

For more info about tickets and passes, click here

'A HOUSE MADE OF SPLINTERS' NOMINATED FOR EUROPEAN FILM AWARD

We are so immensely proud that Simon Lereng Wilmont’s beautiful and touching documentary film A House Made of Splinters has been nominated for at European Film Award for Best European Documentary.

A House Made of Splinters is a follow-up to Wilmont’s debut feature The Distant Barking of Dogs, both films showing the lives of children in war-torn Eastern Ukraine. The film from 2017 won a string of awards, including for best first film at IDFA. A House Made of Splinters follows a small group of strong-willed social workers close to the frontlines in Eastern Ukraine, who strive tirelessly in a special kind of orphanage to create an almost magical safe space for kids to live in while the state authorities and courts decide the future fate of the children and families.

The European Film Awards have been presented annually since 1988 and are given by the European Film Academy in recognition of excellence in European cinematic achievements.

The awards ceremony is on December 10 in Reykjavik, Iceland.

Click here to see the full list of nominees

'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

'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.

FOUR FILMS PRESENTED IN HOTDOCS' NORDIC PROGRAMME

It is our great pleasure to announce that we have four films screening at the HotDocs film festival, all of which will be part of the Nordic Bridges programme. These include: “A House Made of Splinters” directed by Simon Lereng Wilmont; “The Killing of a Journalist” directed by Matt Sarnecki; “Our Memory Belongs to Us” directed by Rami Farah; and “Outside” directed by Olha Zhurba. You can read more about each of them, including tickets and streaming info, below:

‘A House Made of Splinters,’ directed by Simon Lereng Wilmont and produced by Monica Hellström, 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 Killing of a Journalist’, directed by Matt Sarnecki and produced by Signe Byrge Sørensen, explores the brutal murder of the Slovakian investigative journalist Ján Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kušnírova. Their deaths inspire the biggest protests in Slovakia since the fall of communism. When prosecution efforts turn up honey-pot schemes, paid assassins and dubious political appointees instead of delivering justice, democracy itself may not survive in one of the European Union's most jaw-dropping corruption scandals

“Our Memory Belongs to Us” directed by Syrian filmmaker Rami Farah and produced by Signe Byrge Sørensen, Liana Saleh and Anne Köhncke, reunites citizen journalists Yadan, Odai and Rani in an empty theatre to watch smuggled footage on the big screen nearly 10 years after the beginning of the Syrian revolution. Together, they revisit the events, people and places that changed the trajectory of their lives. How does one survive - by forgetting or by remembering? Building to a shattering crescendo, this collective memory exercise provides a corrective history and chronology for the revolution that was reframed as a civil war by a dictator who preferred to displace over six million people rather than be deposed — and is confirmation that people must tell their own stories.

“Outside” directed by Olha Zhurba, produced by Darya Bassell and Viktoria Khomenko for Moon Man and co-produced by Anne Köhncke and Monica Hellström for Final Cut for Real, follows 13-year old Roma, an abandoned street kid adopted by random soldiers in Kyiv’s Independence Square during Ukraine’s Maidan Uprising. But when the media and military encampments cleared out, he was again discarded, this time to an orphanage. At 18, with just a knife and a lighter in his pocket, can he possibly take control of his life? Security footage, heartbreaking phone calls and chance meetings populate this expertly layered study of a lost soul who belongs to no one and has nowhere to go.

The Nordic Bridges programme is a year-long initiative led by Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre fostering cultural exchange between the Nordic Region and Canada. Working with partners across Canada, Nordic Bridges presents multidisciplinary contemporary art, culture and ideas throughout the year. 

To read more about the HotDocs film festival, online streaming or how to secure a ticket, click here.

'A HOUSE MADE OF SPLINTERS' WINS POLITIKEN: DOX AWARD

We are very happy and proud to announce that ‘A House Made of Splinters’ by Simon Lereng Wilmont and produced by Monica Hellström has receives the Politiken: DOX Award! The prize is awarded by Politiken's film critics, who choose a winner among the nominated films from this year's festival programme and the ceremony was held on April 1st 2022.

‘A House Made of Splinters’ 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 movie depicts a personal, tender, and simultaneously tragic and hopeful story about lives in limbo.

To read more about the other winners and nominees of this year’s CPH: DOX click here.

'A HOUSE MADE OF SPLINTERS' WINS GOLDEN ALEXANDER AND FIprESCI AWARD AT THESSALONIKI DOCUMENTARY FESTIVAL

We are very happy to announce that ‘A House Made of Splinters’ directed by Simon Lereng Wilmont has won the grand prize for Best Documentary of the International Competition as well as the FIPRESCI award at Thessaloniki Documentary Festival! The award for Best Documentary was one among two under the International Competition awards - A joint jury reasoning for the selection was thus given for ‘A House Made of Splinters’ and ‘Young Plato’ by Declan McGrath & Neasa Ní Chianáin:

“There are two films that stood out for us. Two profoundly moving and intricate films that, in many ways, struck us as companion pieces, and that deserve to be seen together. The Special Jury Award goes to a film that can only give us hope in future generations and their capacity to make the world a better place. The award goes to Young Plato. The Golden Alexander Award goes to an unforgettable film that shines a light on the burden carried by children for the horrors and mistakes perpetrated by the world of the adults who should be caring for them. The Golden Alexander Award goes to A House Made of Splinters”.

‘A House Made of Splinters’ 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 movie depicts a personal, tender, and simultaneously tragic and hopeful story about lives in limbo.

To read more about the 24th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, click here.

‘OUTSIDE’ AND 'A HOUSE MADE OF SPLINTERS' AT CPH:DOX

Final Cut for Real is proud to have two films at this year’s CPH:DOX - two films with a very special connection. ‘OUTSIDE’ by Olha Zhurba is nominated for the DOX:AWARD and has its world premiere at CPH:DOX. ‘A House Made of Splinters’ by Simon Lereng Wilmont won Best Director at Sundance and for best Nordic Dox at Göteborg Film Festival, and is selected for HIGHLIGHTS.

‘OUTSIDE’ is produced by Darya Bassel and Viktoriia Khomenko from Moon Man, Ukraine, in co-production with Final Cut for Real and Tangerine Films (NL), while ‘A House Made of Splinters’ is produced by Monica Hellström at Final Cut for Real, in co-production with Moon Man, Story (SE) and Donkey Hotel (FI). Both films are stories from Ukraine about vulnerable children and youth. ‘A House Made of Splinters’ follows three children at a temporary shelter, as war-torn Ukraine leaves devastating and enduring marks on the population. ’OUTSIDE’ follows Roma, a 13-year-old street boy neglected by his family and the state from his days as a poster boy for the Ukrainian Revolution in 2014, through 7 years in the streets of Kyiv until he is a young man. Both films are also supported by the Ukrainian State Film Agency, Danish Film Institute and International Media Support (in addition to funders that are not involved in both films, please see each film’s page for further info).

The screening times for ‘Outside’ are as follows:

• March 25th, 19:45 – Empire Cinema

• March 31st, 18:15 – Cinemateket Carl

• April 2nd, 12:00. – Nordisk Film Dagmar

Read more and buy tickets for ‘Outside’ by clicking here.

The screening times for ‘A House Made of Splinters’ are as follows:

• March 4th, 19:00 – The Grand Theatre

• March 24th, 21:30 – The Grand Theatre

• March 29th, 17:15 – Empire Cinema

• March 30th, 19:30 – Politikens Hus

• April 2nd, 19:15 – The Grand Theatre

Read more and buy tickets for ‘A House Made of Splinters’ by clicking here.

Press: Freddy Neumann, neumann@mail.dk

SCREENING OF 'A HOUSE MADE OF SPLINTERS' AT CPH:DOX LAUNCH

Come on Friday March 4 for the CPH:DOX launch and be among the first in Denmark to watch 'A House Made of Splinters' by Simon Lereng Wilmont, who just won awards in Göteborg and at Sundance Festival

‘A House Made of Splinters’ 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 movie depicts a personal, tender, and simultaneously tragic and hopeful story about lives in limbo

Click here for more information about the event.

'A HOUSE MADE OF SPLINTERS' WINS BEST NORDIC DOCUMENTARY AT GOTEBORG FILM FESTIVAL

We are very proud to announce that the Dragon Award Best Nordic Documentary at Göteborg Film Festival went to director Simon Lereng Wilmont for ‘House Made of Splinters’.

In the statement of motivation, the jury expressed their considerations in selecting Wilmont’s film:

The jury has been challenged by a wonderful selection of documentaries that have surprised us, made us cry and provoked us with a wide range of stories and ways of storytelling that truly has made us proud of the filmmakers of the Nordic region. 

The award goes to an exceptionally beautiful film. A film that with its presence and despair is more urgently burning than ever possible. With poetically unforgettable images, it gives a voice to the children’s heartbreaking stories, with a brutal war in the background. The story and the images that carry so much weight, sometimes feel light, like a soap bubble floating carefree in a room. In its total darkness, there is a little shimmer, a spirit of warmth and hope. 

The award ceremony was held 28th January and lasted until 6th February.
To see the full list of nominees, go to goteborgfilmfestival.se.