Award winners 2020!

The Golden Chair for Best Norwegian Short Film

SOUL OF THE SEA (LIREMU BARANA)
Director: Caj Cojoc

The jury would like to award The Golden Chair to a film that honors the short format with its quiet poetry and its concerns for relevant, contemporary issues. The jury was moved by the series of vivid images that the film unveils, as it powerfully explores and expresses themes of oppression through movement and song. The result is a subtle and urgent call for liberation. 

The Golden Chair goes to SOUL OF THE SEA (LIREMU BARANA)by Caj Cojoc.

Honourable mention:

THE AFFECTED
Director: Rikke Gregersen

The jury is very happy to give an honorable mention to a film that impressed us with its keen intelligence and sharp execution. The director skillfully uses humor to present a serious ethical dilemma that we believe viewers will find both timely and perhaps uncomfortably familiar. 

We would very much like to give an honorable mention to THE AFFECTED THE AFFECTEDby Rikke Gregersen.

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The Terje Vigen Award

THE MANILA LOVER
Regi: Johanna Pyykkö

In this film, the jury was pulled in by its play of assumptions and the reversal that leads its main character to spiral out of control, being no longer at the centre of the kind of self-built narratives that so often fuels our delusions. The film deftly explores and subverts notions of racial and sexual hierarchy through a precise piece of storytelling that initially seems to portray a torrid love affair before careening into a comedy of misplaced ego and threatened masculinity. 

The jury is very pleased to award this year’s Terje Vigen Award to The Manila Loverby Johanna Pyykkö.

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The Golden Chair for Best Short Documentary

MY OWN LANDSCAPES
Director: Antoine Chapon

Illusion and reality are no longer opposites in a film that takes us on a trip through an uncanny valley of technology, trauma and industrialized warfare. An inner landscape of perfect beaches and infinite potential, designed to contain the chaos of a fractured mind. But surfaces and appearances are more than they seem in a singular film, where image technologies originally developed by the military, are re-purposed to describe a future that is already here. 

For an artistically challenging work equally at home in the cinema, the gallery and on the small screen, the Golden Chair Award for Best Documentary goes to MY OWN LANDSCAPES, directed by Antoine Chapon.

Honourable mention:

With Abu Jamal (Hos Abu Jamal)
Director: Siri Nerbø  

Observational shots that linger within a single setting speaks volumes of the world surrounding a small shop in a city under occupation and threat. An elderly store owner clinging to his make-shift tables selling single cigarettes and other snacks, chatting with his regular customers and getting updated on the local news reveal levels of humanity that are further enhanced through the small interactions between the store owner and director, separated by culture, language and the camera lens. 

The International Short Film Jury is pleased to award an honourable mention to With Abu Jamal (Hos Abu Jamal)directed by Siri Nærbø.

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The Golden Chair for Best International Short Film

EXAM (Emtehan)
Director: Sonia K. Hadad

In an extremely strong competition of international shorts, one film stood out for us. Precise details, confident writing and directing, and outstanding performances from the entire cast all work in tandem to tell a bold and brave story. The camera closely connects us to the point of view of the young protagonist for a tension-filled experience that subverts expectations, and we were deeply impressed and moved. 

It has not been an easy decision to choose just one film in a selection that includes everything from strong narratives to the fully abstract and experimental, but we all agree that this year’s Golden Chair for Best International Short Film should go to EXAM, directed by Sonia Hadad.

Honourable mention 1:

The Devil’s Harmony
Director: Dylan Holmes Williams

We wanted to acknowledge this film whose creativity and originality takes the audience into its own universe, with its own rules. Its timeless aesthetic takes elements of the music video and melds it into a modern and universal story of youth, identity, and the desire to be acknowledged and seen. 

The International Short Film Jury is pleased to award an honourable mention to The Devil’s HarmonyTHE DEVIL’S HARMONY, directed by Dylan Holmes Williams.

Honourable mention 2:

Progressive Touch
Director: Michael Portnoy

The jury wanted to also give special mention to a film that is the rare combination of playful and explicit. It explores gender, power and freedom in an inclusive and humorous way as it creates a refreshing new space between art and pornography. Progressive TouchThe jury is pleased to award an honorable mention to PROGRESSIVE TOUCH, directed by Michael Portnoy.

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The Golden Chair for Best Music Video

SASSY 009: MAYBE IN THE SUMMER
Director: Kenneth Karlstad

From the moment we meet the main character, we are drawn into her psyche. We witness her sweat, her anxiety, her disheartened and lonely worldview. This music video takes us into another world: Set in a familiar and typical arena, it quickly transforms into a darker and erotically charged environment as the music builds.

Here is an original and progressive take on a classical music video trope, exploring a particular sociological environment, but flipping what we expect to see in it. The video succeeds in combining themes, narratives, craft, aesthetics and musicality, all the while playing with gender roles and stereotypes from a sophisticated viewpoint

The Golden Chair for Best Music Video goes to SASSY 009’s MAYBE IN THE SUMMER, directed by Kenneth Karlstad. Maybe in the Summer, regissert av Kenneth Karlstad.

Honourable mention:

Ane Brun: Don’t Run and Hide
Director: Stian Andersen

This music video impressed us with its inclusive collective of characters, avoiding stereotypes. The video has a very high production value, particularly in its cinematography and lighting. This melancholic atmosphere, combined with the artist’s music, fills us with hope for better things.

Honorable Mention goes to Ane Brun’s DON’T RUN AND HIDE, directed by Stian Andersen.

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The Norwegian Film Critics' Award

Given by the Norwegian Film Critics' Association

The Night Tram (Nattrikken)
Director: Eirik Tveiten

In barely 16 minutes a complete story is told, or rather two stories coming together. The film has a characteristic calm in its execution, giving us time to reflect on several funny and surprising events. All the technical crew functions are well crafted. The film has high entertainment value at the same time as it addresses the challenges of being slightly different than the majority. 

The Norwegian Film Critics’ Award goes to THE NIGHT TRAM, directed by Eirik Tveiten.

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The Hourglass Award

Given by The Writer’s Guild of Norway

Rikke Gregersen and Trond Arntzen
For the screenplay of THE AFFECTED by Rikke Gregersen

This year’s Hourglass award winner brings forth a moral dilemma through a good and original basic situation with a political backdrop. At the story’s center lies an event we’re not a witness to, but it is the reactions and various attempts to solve the problem we get to see. This film is delightfully unpredictable and funny, with surprising characters and easily recognizable perspectives. It exposes us as viewers, in our self-involved attempts to make the right choice in a pressing situation. 

The 2020 Hourglass Award goes to screenwriters Rikke Gregersen and Trond Arntzen for THE AFFECTED.

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The Norwegian Film Workers Association’s Technical Award

Given by The Norwegian Film Workers Association.

Editor Brynjar Lien Aune
For editing in Silence directed by Brwa Vahabpour.

The winning film impresses us with its precision. With several crews delivering strong results in their fields, the editor does not waste a single moment or second, elevating the film as a whole and making us engage completely in this beautiful tale.

The Norwegian Film Makers Association’s Technical Award goes to editor Brynjar Lien Aune for Silence, regissert av Brwa Vahabpour.

Honourable mention 1: 

Sverre Fredriksen and Zaou Vaughan
for design, dolls and scenography in Human Nature by Sverre Fredriksen

The dolls’ universe is soaked in fabrics and textures, giving the design an extra dimension and making their universe seem lived in, believable, and completely relatable. Honorable mention goes to Sverre Fredriksen & Zaou Vaughan for design, dolls and set design on Human NatureHUMAN NATURE, directed by Sverre Fredriksen.

Honourable mention 2: 

Cinematographer Torjus Thesen
for THE AFFECTED by Rikke Gregersen

This is an aesthetic and emotionally powerful short film. With a clear visual concept that creates a claustrophobic setting, exploring the human in a political situation with a nerve-wracking and comical viewpoint, we wish to give an honorable mention to photographer Torjus Thesen for THE AFFECTEDby Rikke Gregersen.

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The Spark Award

Cramps
Director: Thea Hvistendahl

The Spark Award goes to a director who shows passion, playfulness and courage in the creation of film. The winning film is one with a current topic, and the director is not afraid of testing different formats and styles, while remaining true to their strong vision and strong will to reach a young audience. This is proven in this film, but also in previous work. There is a display of willfulness and awareness in the power of filmmaking, and we are very much looking forward to follow this director in the future.

The Spark Award goes to CRAMPS, directed by Thea Hvistendahl. Cramps.

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