25/01/2013 - Three features-documentaries and eight shorts compete for two of the main prizes at Sweden's Göteborg International Film Festival, which both come with production services

Opening tonight, Sweden’s 36rd Göteborg International Film Festival (January 25-February 4) boasts one of the film world’s largest film prizes, the SEK 1 million (€117,000) Dragon Award for Best Nordic Feature. But it is not all about trophies and money – two of the main prizes come mainly with production services.

Named after Swedish legendary producer Lorens Marmstedt (1908-1966), the Lorens Prize will be awarded for the sixth time by Stockholm Postproduction(Stopp), including free development of the winner’s next film, worth around €57,600.

Three producer/producer teams will compete for the prize, including China Åhlander (for Gabriela Pichler’s Eat Sleep Die [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: China Ahlander
interview: Gabriela Pichler
interview: Nermina Lukac
film profile]), Fredrik Heinig-Matthias Nohrborg (Kristina Lindström-Maud Nycander’s Palme), Malik Bendjelloul (his own Searching for Sugar Man [+see also:
trailer
film profile]). Heinig won last year for Johan Kling’s Darling [+see also:
trailer
film profile].

Startsladden – the festival’s competition for Best Swedish Short – celebrates its 10^th anniversary, “so we are delighted to present some of the best films ever,” said programme manager Tobias Åkesson, of the Nordic film section.

The winner, which will receive €81,000 cash, will be found among eight entries, including Sanna Lenken’s Eating Lunch, Stefan Constantinescu’s 6 Big Fish, Jenifer Malmqvist’s On Suffocation, Babak Najafi’s The Day My Dad Was Shot, Katja Wik’s Victim-Mentality Rhetoric, Johannes Stjärne Nilsson and Ola Simonsson’s Coastal Forecast, Anders Jedenfors’ This Is Now and Peter Modestij’s Couple Fucking.

The winner will screen at the Draken Cinema followed by a gala on January 27. The 2012 Startsladden went to Johan Jonason, for Dance Music Now.