08/01/2016 - Sweden’s national film prize will be awarded at a televised ceremony at Stockholm’s Cirkus on 18 January

Swedish director Hannes Holm’s A Man Called Ove [+see also:
trailer
film profile], which had a record-breaking opening for a Swedish film on 25 December (by 5 January it had exceeded 654,000 admissions), is also a favourite for the Guldbagge, Sweden’s national film prize, which will be announced at an SVT televised ceremony at Stockholm’s Cirkus on 18 January.

According to the Swedish Film Institute, the screen adaptation of Swedish author Fredrik Backman’s bestseller and newcomer Peter Grönlund’s Drifters [+see also:
trailer
film profile] were both nominated in six categories – A Man Called Ove for, among others, Best Film, Best Actor (Rolf Lassgård) and Best Supporting Actress (Bahar Pars), and Drifters for such trophies as Best Director (Peter Grönlund) and Best Actress (Malin Levanon). Two films are considered in five categories: Lisa Aschan's White People [+see also:
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film profile] and Sanna Lenken's Berlin Crystal Bear winner, My Skinny Sister [+see also:
film review
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interview: Sanna Lenken
film profile].

A Man Called Ove follows a grumpy old man (Lassgård) who has given up on everyone, including himself, until his negative approach is put to the test by a new family who move in next door. Danish international sales company TrustNordisk has so far licensed the film to Germany, Austria (Concorde), the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Belgium (September), Switzerland (Praesens), Hungary (Vertigo), Estonia (Estin) and Korea (Sidus).

Also scripted by Grönlund, the director’s feature debut, Drifters – which was awarded at the San Sebastián International Film Festival – is described as a socio-political drama-thriller about the struggle to survive in a society lacking solidarity and responsibility. Malin Levanon plays a street pusher who cheats other criminals in a drug deal and finds refuge at an illegal residence outside of town with a group of people who insist on determining their own living conditions.

The nominations (decided on by the 36 members of the Guldbagge jury) were a triumph for Swedish production company Tre Vänner, which racked up a record number of eight – six for A Man Called Ove, and one each for Alain Darborg’s The Master Plan [+see also:
trailer
film profile] and Walter Söderlund’s JerryMaya's Detective Agency – Stella Nostra. “We see it as a result of our strategy: to produce films that reach out to a broad audience, and at the same time maintain a high quality,” said Fredrik Wikström Nicastro, CEO of Tre Vänner.

Here is the complete list of the Guldbagge 2016 nominees:

Best Film
The Here After [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Magnus von Horn
film profile] – Magnus von Horn
A Man Called Ove [+see also:
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film profile] – Hannes Holm
My Skinny Sister [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Sanna Lenken
film profile] – Sanna Lenken

Best Director
Magnus von Horn – The Here After
Sanna Lenken – My Skinny Sister
Peter Grönlund – Drifters [+see also:
trailer
film profile]

Best Actress in a Leading Role
Shima Niavarani – She’s Wild Again Tonight [+see also:
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film profile]
Malin Levanon – Drifters
Felice Jankell – Young Sophie Bell [+see also:
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film profile]

Best Actor in a Leading Role
Rolf Lassgård – A Man Called Ove
Ulrik Munther – The Here After
Filip Berg – Eternal Summer

Best Supporting Actress
Bahar Pars – A Man Called Ove
Eva Melander – Flocking [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Beata Gårdeler
film profile]
Amy Deasismont – My Skinny Sister

Best Supporting Actor
Issaka Sawadogo – White People [+see also:
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film profile]
Mats Blomgren – The Here After
Henrik Dorsin – Flocking

Best Original Screenplay
Sanna Lenken – My Skinny Sister
Ronnie Sandahl – Underdog [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ronnie Sandahl
film profile]
Peter Grönlund – Drifters

Best Cinematography
Linda Wassberg – White People
Göran Hallberg – A Man Called Ove
Gösta Reilan – Flocking

Best Editing
Hanna Lejonqvist – My Skinny Sister
Anders Teigen – My Life My Lesson
Kristoffer Nordin – Drifters

Best Costume Design
Camilla Thulin – A Holy Mess [+see also:
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film profile]
Stella J Hox – Kim
Mia Andersson – Drifters

Best Sound Design
Andreas Franck – White People
Andreas Franck – The Master Plan [+see also:
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film profile]
Patrik Strömdahl and Jan Alvermark – She’s Wild Again Tonight

Best Make-up
Jenny Fred – The Circle [+see also:
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film profile] and White People
Eva von Bahr and Love Larson – A Man Called Ove

Best Musical Score
Benny Andersson – The Circle
Jon Ekstrand – White People
Lisa Holmqvist – Flocking

Best Set Design
Ulrika Fredriksson – There Ought to Be Rules
Matilda Afzelius – A Holy Mess
Kajsa Severin – Drifters

Best Visual Effects
IXOR – The Circle
Torbjörn Olsson – A Man Called Ove
Torbjörn Olsson, Fredrik Pihl, Robert Södergren and Joel Sundberg – JerryMaya's Detective Agency - Stella Nostra

Best Short Film
Audition – Lovisa Sirén
Kung Fury – David Sandberg
Northern Great Mountain – Amanda Kernell

Best Documentary
Every Face Has a Name [+see also:
trailer
film profile] – Magnus Gertten
Detained – Anna Persson and Shaon Chakraborty
Ingrid Bergman, In Her Own Words – Stig Björkman

Best Foreign-language Film
Carol [+see also:
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film profile] – Todd Haynes (UK/USA)
Leviathan [+see also:
trailer
film profile] - Andrey Zvyagintsev (Russia)
Timbuktu [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] – Abderrahmane Sissako (France/Mauritania)

Audience Award
A Holy Mess – Helena Bergström
A Man Called Ove – Hannes Holm
Heaven on Earth [+see also:
trailer
film profile] – Kay Pollak