The winner of the Church of Sweden Youth Film Award 2014 at BUFF in Malmö is
Leave to Remain directed by Bruce Goddison, Great Britain, 2013
Jury motivation: Leave to Remain is a film that with a surprisingly accurate tone, sense of humor and warmth dare to portray tearing conflicts and fear within a group that live right in our midst. Without any simplifications the film shows the value of companionship, trust and the courage to pursue reconciliation.
Synopsis: Leave to Remain is the story of Omar, Abdul and Zizidi – three youngsters who have been forced to leave their homes, friends and families. Now they are asylum seekers in a strange land: the United Kingdom. The film depicts their fears, friendship and internal fighting but above all, what it means to be forced to flee and then try to build a new life in another part of the world. (Festival Information)
Members of the jury:
Beatrice Lönnqvist, Rev, Theologian, Jury chariman, Stockholm Annika Nilsson, Parish teacher and Youth Councellor, Malmö Linda-Marie Birbeck, Photographer and filmmaker, Malmö Peter Schildt, Director and actor, Stockholm
The Church of Sweden Youth Film Award was presented by Bishop Antje Jackelén to Leave to Remain actor Noof Ousellam at the BUFF Award Ceremony, held march 14th at the Old Mayors Hall in Malmö, Sweden. The Award carries a prize Money of 100.000 SEK.
Actor Noof Ousellam and Bishop Antje Jackelén Photo: Maria Lundstrom
The Jury of the Swedish Church has chosen as winner of the Church of Sweden Youth Film Award 2013 the film
Broken by Rufus Norris United Kingdom, 2012
The award carries a prize money of 50'000 SK, donated by the Swedish Church.
Motivation: "Why does this chaos happen to me? BROKEN respectfully drops a bomb of questions to which we are left to find the answers on our own. The film deals with the difficulty of being a human in world that actually is unpredictable and where hope also exists."
Synopsis: Shortly after witnessing a brutal beating, Skunk’s home, neighbourhood, and school become treacherous environments, where the happy certainties of childhood give way to danger; her innocence is rapidly worn away and a harsh world fills her future, over which she has no control. When Skunk finally seeks solace in an unspoken friendship with sweet, damaged Rick, she’s faced with the greatest choice of all. (British Film Institute - BFI)
Jury members: Rev. Beatrice Lönnqvist, Stockholm, theologian and priest (jury chairwoman) Annika Nilsson, Malmö, parish youth counsellor and pedagogue Kakan Hermansson, Stockholm, radio and TV show host, writer, artist Martin Högdahl, Göteborg, director
The jury, from left: Annika Nilsson, Kakan Hermansson, Martin Högdahl, Beatrice Lönnqvist
At the Göteborg International Film Festival 2013 the Angelos, the Church of Sweden Film Award, has been given to
Godheten/The Goodness by Stefan Jarl, Sweden 2012
Motivation: With convincing earnestness and sense of humor Stefan Jarl in The Goodness /Godheten depicts our money driven society where the value of man and life is marginalized. The Goodness makes us see what we loose.
Synopsis: Well-renowned Swedish director Stefan Jarl is back, taking the pulse of our time. In this new movie he outlines what he calls “the loss of the shared”—which has been taken over by greed, selfishness, the worship of Mammon, the return of the upper class, bonuses, venture capitalists and privatisation of the public sphere, the emergence of a new class society with growing inequality, exclusion and increasing violence. Is everything for sale? The Goodness is an implacable indictment of today’s social climate. (Festival information)
The Award carries a prize money of 50.000.- SEK, donated by the Church of Sweden.
Members of the Jury: Mikael Ringlander (chair), minister, Göteborg Monika Tunbäck-Hanson, film critic, Göteborg Susanne Wigorts Yngvesson, Dr theol., Stockholm School of Theology
Katso minuun... Film Award of the Finnish Church 2012
At the the 31st Oulu International Children's and Youth Festival, the Media Foundation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland granted the Katso minuun... Award of 1500 € to
Kohta 18 (Almost 18) directed by Maarit Lalli, Finland 2012
The winner was chosen by producer Pirkko Frank Arkimies, board member of the Church Media Foundation. Read more at the news section of the website.
The Interfilm Academy Munich, a member organisation of INTERFILM, has chosen as winner of the One Future Prize 2012
When Pigs Have Wings (Le cochon de Gaza) directed by Sylvain Estibal, France/Belgium/Germany, 2011
Members of the jury: Eckhard Bruchner (chairman of the jury, Germany), Galina Antoschewskaja (Russia), Gatis Lidums (Latvia), Ileana Cosmovici (Italy/Germany), Bhagu T. Chellaney (India), Wang Ai Qun (China) und Christine Weissbarth (Austria).
The Church of Sweden Film Award 2012 has been given to the comedy Flicker (Flimmer, Sweden 2011). The prize money of SEK 50,000 was presented by Lars Eckerdal, former bishop of Gothenburg, at the Dragon Awards gala during Göteborg International Film Festival.
Flicker, a heart-warming comedy about life at a failing telecommunications company, is the film debut of director Patrik Eklund. Its message is that it is helplessness that brings people’s humanity to the fore most clearly. Kjell Bergqvist plays the part of a reluctant managing director in the film, which portrays the struggle of ordinary people against threats to climate, demands for growth, childlessness and arachnophobia.
The reasons given by the jury for presenting the award to Flicker were as follows: “With warmth and ingenuity, Flicker portrays the human comedy. When life is at its darkest, deliverance is close at hand!” It is the first time since 2004 (Four Shades of Brown/Fyra nyanser av brunt) that a comedy is being awarded the prize.
The Church of Sweden Film Award is presented annually to a Swedish feature film that premières during the festival. The film must be of high artistic quality and raise the profile of existential, justice or social issues in its plot and form of expression. Films are nominated by Göteborg International Film Festival.
This year’s Film Award jury was made up of the following: Mikael Ringlander, chairman, priest and project manager of Kultursamverkan, Gothenburg. Ola Sigurdsson, professor of systematic theology at the University of Gothenburg and director of the Centre for Culture and Health. Helle Sihm, actor, film critic and permanent jury member for the Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Denmark’s Gabrielpris film award. Mikael Larsson, officer for cultural issues at the Central Church Office in Uppsala and contact for the Church of Sweden Film Award.
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