19/06/2009

Max Manus [+see also:
trailer
film profile], Norway’s top grossing film in decades, received the most nominations for the 2009 Amanda Awards, the country’s most prestigious film prizes, whose 25th edition will be held on August 21.

The WWII drama is nominated in ten categories, including Best Film, Best Director (Espen Sandberg and Joachim Rønning), Best Actor (Aksel Hennie) and Best Screenplay (by the 28 year-old Thomas Nordseth-Tiller, who sadly passed away just a few months ago). The film produced by Filmkameratene has sold a record 1.1m tickets in Norway since December 2008.

Erik Poppe’s drama Troubled Water [+see also:
trailer
film profile] comes second with six nominations, including Best Director and Best Actress (Denmark’s Trine Dyrholm). In third place is Rune Denstad Langlo’s feature debut North [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Rune Denstad Langlo
film profile] with five nominations, including Best Film and Best Screenplay (Erlend Loe).

In the acting categories, Ingrid Bolsø Berdal, winner of the 2008 Best Actress Amanda for the horror movie Cold Prey [+see also:
trailer
interview: Roar Uthaug
film profile] , could this year double her win with the sequel Cold Prey 2 [+see also:
trailer
film profile]. Kristoffer Joner is nominated twice for Best Actor, for Hidden [+see also:
trailer
film profile] and The Last Joint Venture [+see also:
trailer
film profile].

Twenty-four films released in Norway between July 1, 2008 and June 30, 2009 are running for an Amanda in 19 different categories. They will be judged by four professional juries. The awards ceremony will be transmitted live from the 37th Norwegian International Film Festival in Haugesund.

The Festival will open on August 23 with Upperdog [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Sara Johnsen (Kissed by Winter [+see also:
trailer
film profile]) and will close on August 27 with Arild Østi Ommundsen’s financial drama Rottenetter.

The New Nordic Films market will run from August 20-23.