“Life in a Fishbowl” (“Vonarstræti”) directed by Iceland’s Baldvin Z is the big winner at the 56th Nordic Film Days Lübeck. On behalf of the director, the film’s lead actor, Thorsteinn Bachmann, accepted the NDR Film Prize. Life in a Fishbowl, a multiple-narrative drama that follows three people — a struggling single mother, a former athlete trying to scale the corporate ladder, and a once-acclaimed author turned full-time drunk — whose lives intersect in surprising ways, premiered internationally at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, and is Iceland’s entry for the 2015 Best Foreign Language Oscar selection.
The Baltic Film Award for best Nordic feature went to Swedish director Ronnie Sandahl for his debut “Underdog” (“Svenskjævel”) and the director was at the gala ceremony to accept his award. The winner of the Documentary Film Prize went to the Finnish film “Once I Dreamt of Life” (“Näin Unta Elämästä”) by Jukka Kärkkäinen and Sini Liimatainen. The Interfilm Church Prize, went to the opening film, “1001 Grams” by Bent Hamer, and the CineStar Prize for best short film in the Film Forum section went to German director Paul Spengemann for his film “Blue Beneath” (“Unter uns das Blau”).
Winners and Honorable Mentions:
NDR Film Prize:
LIFE IN A FISHBOWL (VONARSTRÆTI), Dir: Baldvin Z., Iceland
Honourable Mention to:
LETTER TO THE KING (BREV TIL KONGEN), Dir: Hisham Zaman, Norway
THEY HAVE ESCAPED (HE OVAT PAENNEET), Dir: J-P Valkeapää, Finland
Audience Prize of the “Lübecker Nachrichten”:
HELLOHELLO (HALLÅHALLÅ), Dir: Maria Blom, Sweden
Baltic Film Prize:
UNDERDOG (SVENSKJÆVEL) Dir: Ronnie Sandahl, Sweden
Interfilm Church Prize:
1001 GRAMS (1001 GRAM), Dir: Bent Hamer, Norway
Documentary Film Prize:
ONCE I DREAMT OF LIFE (NÄIN UNTA ELÄMÄSTÄ) Dir: Jukka Kärkkäinen / Sini Liimatainen, Finland
Children’s jury prize:
THE BOY WITH THE GOLDEN PANTS (POJKEN MED GULDBYXORNA) Dir: Ella Lemhagen, Sweden
Honourable Mention to:
KICK IT! (KULE KIDZ GRÅTER IKKE), Dir: Katarina Launing, Norway
THE CHRISTMAS OF SOLAN & LUDVIG (SOLAN OG LUDVIG – JUL I FLÅKLYPA), Dir: Rasmus A. Sivertsen, Norway
Children’s and Youth jury prize:
THE DISCIPLE (OPPIPOIKA), Dir: Ulrika Bengts, Finland
Honourable Mention to:
THE CHRISTMAS OF SOLAN & LUDVIG (SOLAN OG LUDVIG – JUL I FLÅKLYPA), Dir: Rasmus A. Sivertsen, Norway
CineStar Prize:
BLUE BENEATH (UNTER UNS DAS BLAU), Dir: Paul Spengemann, Germany