'BOY FROM HEAVEN' OPENS IN DANISH CINEMAS & RECEIVES GREAT REVIEWS

On Thursday January 5 Tarik Saleh’s amazing and exhilarating spy thriller Boy From Heaven, starring Fares Fares and Tawfeek Barhom, opened in cinemas all over Denmark.

And now the first reviews are also in, with the film receiving praise from every corner. We are so happy to read these reviews and can’t wait to show the film here Denmark!

Boy From Heaven is set in an Egyptian university where a ruthless power struggle between Egypt’s religious and political elite unfolds when the university’s highest ranking religious leader suddenly dies and a successor must be found. And the young student Adam, a son of a fisherman and a new student at the prestigious university, finds himself right in the middle of the conflicts that follow.

Boy From Heaven is produced by Kristina Åberg and Fredrik Zander for Atmo (SE) and is coproduced by Monica Hellström and Signe Byrge Sørensen for Final Cut for Real.

Click here to book your tickets

'A HOUSE MADE OF SPLINTERS' AND 'BOY FROM HEAVEN' ADVANCE IN OSCARS RACE

On December 21 it was announced that two FCFR productions were added to the shortlists for the 95th Academy Awards.

A House Made of Splinters is directed by Simon Lereng Wilmont and produced by Monica Hellström for Final Cut for Real, and it is one of 15 films shortlisted in the Feature Documentary category.

Boy From Heaven (US title: Cairo Conspiracy) is directed by Tarik Saleh, and is produced by Kristina Åberg and Fredrik Zander for Atmo (Sweden), and Monica Hellström and Signe Byrge Sørensen are co-producing for Final Cut for Real. Boy From Heaven was chosen as Sweden’s entry for Best International Feature, and is now one of the 15 shortlisted international feature films - a list that also includes Denmark’s entry, Ali Abassi’s Holy Spider.

We are very happy and proud that the films have be added to these shortlists. The final nominations will be announced on Tuesday, January 24, 2023.

Click here to see the full shortlist announcement.

'BOY FROM HEAVEN' NOMINATED FOR 7 GULDBAGGE AWARDS

Yesterday the nominations for the Swedish Guldbagge Awards were announced, and we are delighted that Tarek Saleh’s Boy From Heaven received an impressive total of 7 nominations!

The film is nominated in the following categories:

Best Film
Best Director - Tarik Saleh
Best Actor in a Leading Role - Tawfeek Barhom
Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Fares Fares
Best Script - Tarik Saleh
Best Editing - Theis Schmidt
Best Costume Design - Denise Östholm 

Boy From Heaven is produced by Kristina Åberg and Fredrik Zander for Atmo (SE) and is coproduced by Monica Hellström and Signe Byrge Sørensen for Final Cut for Real.

The Guldbagge Awards are the leading Swedish film awards, and are presented by the Swedish Film Institute for outstanding contributions to Swedish film over the past year. The awards ceremony will take place in Stockholm on January 23.

Click here to see the full list of nominees

'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

'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

'HUSH' WINS BEST VR AT FIRM FILM FESTIVAL

We are delighted that Vibeke Bryld’s VR experience HUSH / Havfolket Kalder Mørknet Vand won the award for Best VR/360 at Firm Film Festival in Mexico!

Hush premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2020 and has since then toured the festival circuit, having been selected for more than 25 festivals and nominated for prestigious awards.

Hush is currently being exhibited in Hirtshals, Denmark, where a beautiful large installation has been created around it. It will be exhibited until March 2023 - more info: https://bibianadanmark.dk/saerudstillingen-havfolket-kalder-moerknet-vand/

'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!