16/04/2010

Copenhagen’s largest film festival, CPH: PIX, opened Wednesday with the screening of Gainsbourg (Vie Héroïque) [+see also:
trailer
Interview with Joann Sfar, director of…
interview: Kacey Mottet Klein
film profile] and the presentation of the Nordisk Film Prize to Michael Noer and Tobias Lindholm, co-directors of the Danish film R.

Up until now, the Nordisk Film Prize has always been awarded to established Danish names. However, this year, the Scandinavian group Nordisk Film sponsoring the DKK104,000 (€14,000) award decided to focus on new Danish talent and therefore to collaborate with CPH:PIX, whose mission is to support highly promising new filmmakers.

The Festival’s main competition programme focuses on first-time filmmakers, all of whom vie for the €50,000 New Talent Grand PIX.

“We decided to concentrate our money into one single award instead of spreading it across several, to give the winning director a proper chance to make a second film,” said festival director Jacob Neiiendam. “Last year, Katalin Varga [+see also:
film review
trailer
Interview Peter Strickland - Director …
film profile] won the top award. The film went on to win the Discovery Prize at the European Film Awards and the director, Peter Strickland, is now making his second film, which proved us right”.

This year’s competition line-up comprises 13 feature films, including Amer [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (Belgium), The Angel [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (Norway), The Invisible Woman (France), Hold Me Tight (Denmark) and Last Cowboy Standing [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (Finland).

A total of 180 films will screen through April 25. The 25 sidebars focus on world-renowned filmmakers (Werner Herzog, Abel Ferrara and Bong Joon-ho); European Voices; and French, German, Eastern European and Mexican cinema, among others.

The festival’s other ambition is to help its films secure local distribution. Last year, 15 such films found a Danish distributor, according to Neiiendam. A DKK 100,000 (€13,000) cash prize will also be given to one of ten films competing for the Politiken Audience Award. Titles include Ajami [+see also:
trailer
film profile], Dogtooth [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Yorgos Lanthimos
film profile], Eastern Plays [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Kamen Kalev
film profile] and Nothing Personal [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Urszula Antoniak
interview: Urszula Antoniak
film profile].