19/06/2008

Stian Kristiansen’s feature debut The Man Who Loves Yngve and Bent Hamer’s O'Horten [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] are the frontrunners for this year’s Amanda Awards – Norway’s top film honours – with seven nominations each, including Best Film and Best Director.

Petter Næss’ Gone With the Woman [+see also:
trailer
film profile] is the third film competing for Best Norwegian Film of 2008. The comedy is also nominated for Best Script and Actress (Marian Saastad Ottesen).

Nils Gaup’s epic film The Kautokeino Rebellion [+see also:
trailer
film profile], Norway’s biggest hit of 2008, has been nominated six times (mostly for technical achievements) alongside Varg Veum-Fallen Angels, for which star actor Trond Espen Seim has a chance to win in his category, as well as director Morten Tyldum. The surprise nomination is the 20-minute Summers Past by Ole Giæver, present in the Best Actress category (Maria Bock) and Best Script (Giæver).

The announcement of the 2008 Amanda Nominations was made yesterday in Oslo by filmmaker Harry Guttormsen – head of the four juries who selected 18 Norwegian films released theatrically between July 1, 2007 and June 30, 2008 – and Gunnar Johan Løvvik, head of the Amanda Committee and director of the Norwegian International Film Festival in Haugesund.

For the first time this year, five new categories (Cinematography, Set Design, Sound Design, Music and Editing) have been added to the existing 14 categories. During yesterday’s conference, Guttormsen stressed that half the films selected had reached a wide domestic audience (over 100,000 admissions each).

The Amanda Awards ceremony will be broadcast live on TV2 Norway from Haugesund Concert Hall on Saturday, August 16, and will kick-start the beginning of the Norwegian International Film Festival in Haugesund (August 17-23).