From 1-5 November, the 65th edition of the Nordic Film Days unspooled in Lübeck. The German festival is one of the most important events that showcases the newest cinematographic productions from Scandinavia and the Baltic countries. Once again this year, the programme counted around 180 films, which were shown across several sections.

Besides the Honorary Award given to Swedish filmmaker Roy Andersson (see the news), other prizewinners were announced on the last day of the festival. The main awards are worth a total of €65,000. Four of them were given to works in the fiction-feature competition. The NDR Film Prize, endowed with €12,500, went to the tragicomedy Family Time [+leggi anche:
recensione
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intervista: Tia Kouvo
scheda film] by Finnish director Tia Kouvo. The episodic movie set over the Christmas period premiered earlier this year at the Berlinale. Kouvo is not new to the festival, however, as she presented her short film Hollywood at Nordic Film Days in 2022.

The Swedish-Italian-Danish-Finnish co-production Paradise Is Burning [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Mika Gustafson
scheda film] by Mika Gustafson was granted the INTERFILM Church Prize. The coming-of-age drama received prize money of €5,000. A second award was given to the film as well – namely, the Youth Jury Prize, also to the tune of €5,000 and decided upon by a jury made up of local youngsters between the ages of 16 and 19. The Baltic Film Prize, worth the same amount, €5,000, was awarded to The Quiet Migration [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Malene Choi
scheda film] by Danish director Malene Choi, her autobiographically inspired semi-fictional tragicomedy. As for the fourth prize dedicated to a fiction feature, the Lübecker Nachrichten Audience Award was presented to Let the River Flow [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Ole Giæver
scheda film] by Ole Giæver. It is also worth €5,000. The film, a Norwegian-Swedish-Finnish-German co-production, is inspired by Sámi culture.

The documentary film competition also crowned its prizewinner. The DGB District North Award, endowed with €5,000, went to Mrs Hansen & the Bad Companions by Danish director Jella Bethmann. The film paints a portrait of Inger Hansen, an everyday woman who shares her private house with people in need. Another competition gathered together a selection of the newest short films. The CineStar Award, worth €5,000, went to the best short, which was deemed to be *(In)visible Night by the German collective Iwidobo, from Hamburg, composed of filmmakers Naomi Kelechi Odhiambo, Maximilian Mundt and Jasmin Luu. Additionally, an Honourable Mention went to Of Kisses and Capes by Elena Weiss.

Among the other prizes given out by the festival were two granted by the Children's Jury. Both went to Norwegian comedies, the first being Listen Up! by Manish Sharma and the second Dancing Queen [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] by Aurora Gossé, with each receiving prize money of €5,000.

Here is the full list of award winners:

NDR Film Prize
Family Time [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Tia Kouvo
scheda film] – Tia Kouvo (Finland)

Lübecker Nachrichten Audience Award
Let the River Flow [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Ole Giæver
scheda film] – Ole Giæver (Norway/Sweden/Finland)

INTERFILM Church Prize
Paradise Is Burning [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Mika Gustafson
scheda film] - Mika Gustafson (Sweden/Italy/Denmark/Finland)

Baltic Film Prize for a Nordic Film
The Quiet Migration [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Malene Choi
scheda film] - Malene Choi (Denmark)

Documentary Film Prize of the North DGB District
Mrs Hansen & the Bad Companions - Jella Bethmann (Denmark)

CineStar Prize
*(In)visible Night - Iwidobo (Germany, short)
Honourable Mention
Of Kisses and Capes - Elena Weiss (Germany, short)

Baltic Film Prize for a Nordic Short Film
The School by the Sea – Solveig Melkeraaen (Norway)

Children's and Youth Film Award of the Gemeinnützige Sparkassenstiftung
Listen Up! - Manish Sharma (Norway)

Children's Jury Award
Dancing Queen [+leggi anche:
trailer
scheda film] - Aurora Gossé (Norway)

Youth Jury Award
Paradise Is Burning - Mika Gustafson

Baltic Film Prize for a Nordic Short Film
George-Peterland - Christer Wahlberg, Sebastian Rudolph Jensen (Sweden)
Honourable Mention
Fár - Gunnur Martinsdóttir Schlüter (Iceland)

Friends of the Nordic Film Days Lübeck
Practice - Laurens Pérol (Norway/Germany)