'FLEE' AND 'SONGS OF REPRESSION' WIN AT DOCS AGAINST GRAVITY

This week, the awards for the 18th edition of Millenium Docs Against Gravity, Poland’s largest film event, were handed out and we are extremely grateful that Flee, by Jonas Poher Rasmussen, received 3 awards, the Grand Prix Millennium Award, Best Film on Psychology and the Lower Silesia Grand Prix, and that the directors of Songs of Repression, Marianne Hougen-Moraga and Estephan Wagner, received the Amnesty International Poland Award.

The jury statements for the awards were as follows:

Flee - Grand Prix Millenium Award 2021
“Our unanimous winner is „Flee” by Jonas Poher Rasmussen. This film speaks about a real, extremely important subject in an artistically powerful, compelling, and complex way. The original form, the sincerity of the main character, the lack of sentimentality and its strong emotional content make it not only an attractive movie for the wider audience, but also an important statement about the real situation of today’s refugees, helping us to understand their destiny and choices and evoking deep empathy. Far beyond the usual limits of documentary storytelling, this powerful film speaks about the importance of being allowed to live in truth.”

Flee - The “Zwierciadło” Magazine Award for the Best Film on Psychology 2021
“There are many reasons why „Flee” deserves an award. Now this dramatic story resound sin a particularly shocking context, with the Taliban regaining full power in Afghanistan. We decided to select this film mainly because of its excellent portrayal of the birth of shame: being ashamed of who you are. The protagonist begins this story as a regular kid running around the yards of Kabul with his Walkman--and then suddenly the old Kabul is gone and he begins running away, goes into hiding, pretends to be someone else. Shame is not an innate emotion--it's acquired, born of how others treat us. Flee forces us to consider whether we could be these "others" too.”

Flee - The Lower Silesia Grand Prix, 2021
The film which receives the Lower Silesia Grand Prix is also a reflection of the most topical matters and the message which we noticed in many of the competition masterpieces. We are awarding the documentary we have chosen for high sensitivity and evocative nature of the narrative, oscillating on a broad emotional scale, its psychological aspect, taking up a tough subject in a remarkable way and last but not least – for not allowing us to lose hope.
It is also a film which shows the great broadness of documentary. At the same time, it is a universal tale about human memory and trauma. This masterpiece builds bridges and provides a way for a wider audience to understand the issues which polarize every day. The film is “Flee” by Jonas Poher Rasmussen.

Songs of Repression - The Amnesty International Poland Award 2021
“For its important lesson about the complexities of social mechanisms governing the world, the darkness in the depths of human nature, and the vagaries of our psyche, imparted through the tale of a small community. The directors employed simple formal means to capture universal truths about mechanisms of control, dependence, evil, manipulation, and the consequences of violent upbringing (as well as upbringing for violence) in their story of a seemingly Utopian, isolated German community in Chile. The ease with which evil takes over individuals and entangles societies is as terrifying as the permanence of its influence. This film doesn’t limit itself to portraying the community—it goes further, delving into the consequences of living alongside evil and depicting the complexity of the reality we live in. The tale of the German community in Chile becomes a mirror of human history—one that’s worth looking into ourselves.”

Click here to read the full list of awards

'SONGS OF REPRESSION' NOMINATED FOR BODIL PRIZE

Estephan Wagner and Marianne Hougen-Moraga’s Songs of Repression has been nominated for a Bodil prize in the 'Best documentary' category.

The prestigious Bodil statuettes have been given out yearly by the Association of Danish Film Critics since the first Bodil award ceremony in 1948.

To see the full list of nominees for this year's Bodil, visit: www.bodilprisen.dk (in Danish)

'SONGS OF REPRESSION' NOMINATED FOR DANISH FILM ACADEMY AWARD

We are so happy to announce that Marianne Hougen-Moraga & Estephan Wagner’s critically acclaimed and awardwinning documentary ‘Songs of Repression’ has been nominated for the Danish Film Academy Award, also known as the Robert Award. The film is produced by Signe Byrge Sørensen & Heidi Elise Christensen.

This year the awards show will take place online, like pretty much everything else, but that also means that everyone is invited - the awards show will take place on February 6, at 7 pm.

Click here to see the full list of nominees

FINAL CUT FOR REAL JOINS DIGITAL VERSION OF CPH:DOX 2020

Final Cut for Real is delighted to join the digital version of CPH:DOX this year with a collection of compelling titles!

The following three works will be presented both in and out of competition.

 
SONGS OF REPRESSION by Estephan Wagner & Marianne Hougen-Moraga

The film follows a small German colony in Chile that was once founded as a sectarian settlement and now operates as a beautiful tourist resort. It explores how the inhabitants have developed different narratives in order to cope with the grim and traumatic past.

See online here.

The film is selected for CPH:DOX main competition and Politikens competition for Best Danish Documentary. 

MEANWHILE ON EARTH  by Carl Olsson

When we die, there are still practicalities that need to be taken care of before our time among the living is finally over. The film is a patient and heartfelt portrayal of the Swedish funerary industry, filled with peculiar yet wholehearted rituals.

See online here.

 
LITTLE GIRL by Sébastien Lifshitz

A common myth is that trans identity manifests itself quite late, when in fact it starts to appear at a very early stage of life. Little Girl tells a story of a little boy, who refuses to be a little boy – to conform to what the sex he was born as expects from him. 

See online here.

Don’t miss this chance – witness the world / hear from the filmmakers / get engaged with us!

Looking forward to sharing this with you!

FILMS AVAILABLE FOR SCREENING AT DRTV

We are happy to announce that a selection of films produced by Final Cut for Real are now available for screening at DRTV. The films are listed below and accompanied by a link to DR’s website. Enjoy!

Content on DRTV can only be accessed in Denmark.

The Distant Barking of Dogs

The Distant Barking of Dogs is director Simon Lereng Wilmont's first feature. It is set in Eastern Ukraine on the frontline of the war. The film follows the life of 10-year-old Ukrainian boy Oleg throughout a year, witnessing the gradual erosion of his innocence beneath the pressures of war. Through Oleg’s perspective, the film examines what it means to grow up in a war zone. It portrays how a child’s universal struggle to discover what the world is about grows interlaced with all the dangers and challenges the war presents.

The Act of Killing

Joshua Oppenheimer's Oscar nominated documentary The Act of Killing, explores the massive genocide that took place in Indonesia in the 1960s from the perspective of the perpetrators. The government of Indonesia was overthrown by the military in 1965, and more than a million people - communists, people of Chinese descent and intellectuals were executed. The movie is set in the city Medan on the island Sumatra. Here the filmmakers challenge the death squad leaders to dramatize how they participated in the genocide. The result is a surreal cinematic journey into the mass murderers ideas and fantasies about themselves and their victims. Simultaneously the movie presents us to a frightening and extremely corrupt regime, where the murderers have faced no judgement but instead are celebrated as heroes.

The Look of Silence

The Look of Silence, is a companion piece to The Act of Killing, The film follows a young optometrist as he attempts to bring the past into focus. The family discovers how their son was murdered during the Indonesian genocide - as well as the identity of the men who murdered him. The film documents the confrontation in the absence of any truth and reconciliation process, while the murderers remain in power.

Pervert Park

Pervert Park by Frida and Lasse Barkfors, is a film about the people no one wants as a neighbour. It follows the every day life of the sex offenders in a Florida trailer park as they struggle to reintegrate into society, and gives us a chance to understand who they are and how the destructive cycle of sexual abuse and silence can be broken.

Death of a Child

Death of a Child is Frida and Lasse Barkfors’ second film in a trilogy exploring social stigma. Pervert Park was the first. It is an exploration of the lives of parents who have caused their own children’s deaths. The film encompasses many different situations in life where tragedy hits and where someone is at fault, because of mistakes, accidents, neglect or mental illness. There is however something with what these parents have done that seem to trigger a specific social rage and condemnation. Because what kind of parent forgets a baby in a car?

Land of the Free

Land of the Free, directed by Camilla Magid, is a moving portrayal of life after prison in the US. In South Central, Los Angeles, we follow Brian, a 42-year-old man, just released after having spent his whole adult life in prison. On his own, he must adapt to a modernised and changed society. He has to tackle the challenges of the Internet, getting a driver's license, and finding love. The film tackles hard hitting cultural issues and works to show the humanity in a deeply troubling environment where the prison industrial system often targets and holds back people of color.

Håbet bag hegnet / Les Sauteurs

Les Sauteurs, a film directed by Estephan Wagner and Moritz Siebert in collaboration with the film's protagonist Abou Bakar Sidibé, is ultimately a film about making a film. It is Abou's portrayal of the human struggle for dignity and freedom on one of the World's most militarised frontiers. In northern Morocco lies the Spanish enclave of Melilla: Europe on African Land. On the mountain above live over a thousand hopeful African migrants, watching the land border, a fence system separating Morocco and Spain. Abou from Mali is one of them - the protagonist in front of the camera, as well as the person behind it. For over a year, he has ceaselessly persisted in attempting to jump the fence.

FINAL CUT FOR REAL AT IDFA 2019

Once again Final Cut for Real will be well represented at IDFA – the following Final Cut for Real productions and co-productions can be found at IDFA 2019:

SCREENINGS
A Comedian in A Syrian Tragedy by Rami Farah will have its world premiere at this year’s IDFA and will have four screenings in total. It is an intimate portrait of the Syrian film and television actor Fares Helou, who is forced into exile after standing by the pro-democracy protestors in Syria, 2011. With his family he starts a new chapter in France full of questions, disappointments and alienation, but also of hope and cultural confusion that calls for laughter. The film is produced by Lyana Saleh for OSOR (France) and Signe Byrge Sørensen for Final Cut for Real (Denmark) in co-production with Cindy Le Templier for SHASHAT Multimedia Productions (Jordan) and Anita Rehoff Larsen for Sant & Usant (Norway).

SCREENING TIMES AND LOCATIONS
23/11 – 18:30 – at Munt 13 - w/ Q&A
25/11 – 17:30 – at De Balie - Grote Zaal - w/ Q&A
26/11 – 22:00 – at Brakke Grond Grote Zaal - w/ Q&A
30/11 – 10:00 – at Tuschinski 6

Purchase tickets here.

Furthermore, this year two Final Cut for Real productions are selected for Rough Cut Screenings at IDFA Sunday November 24.

The Art of Repression by Estephan Wagner & Marianne Hougen-Moraga focuses on a small German colony in Chile that has transformed a grim, sectarian past into a beautiful tourist resort. The filmmakers explore how the inhabitants have developed different narratives in order to survive 45 years of traumas. The film is produced by Heidi Elise Christensen and Signe Byrge Sørensen for Final Cut for Real.

I See for You by Cille Hannibal & co-director Christine Hanberg describes the challenges of being without all of your senses. Most people have five senses, but Peter only has three. Having lost both his sight and hearing as a newborn, his family must see and hear the world for him. The film is produced by Monica Hellström for Final Cut for Real.

ROUGH CUT SCREENINGS TAKE PLACE 24/11 AT TUSCHINSKI 5
The Art of Repression – 11:00-11:45
I See for You – 16:45-17:25

PLEASE NOTE: Only access with IDFA Forum pass

Final Cut for Real will be represented at IDFA by producers Signe Byrge Sørensen, Heidi Elise Christensen and Monica Hellström.