Out of a total of 2756 short films submitted from filmmakers from 100 nations, 81 have been selected to compete for the much sought-after OFF prizes. All filmmakers will be notified within this month.

Among the nearly 3000 short films submitted, the jury had to single out the very best to compete in 10 programmes in the Main Competition and six programmes in the Danish Competition. This year, the crop of submitted films has been of an outstanding and international caliber. As a result, reducing their number from 2756 to 81 has been a tough, but highly enjoyable job, overseen not only by a competent pre-jury making the first cut, but also by a final selection jury, whose job it was to further distil the cream of the crop to a 81 choices. The doubly fascinating and nerve-racking work of the selection jury was in the capable hands of Head of Festival Birgitte Weinberger, film consultant Ulrik Breuning and OFF13’s Head of Programme, director Kathrine Windfeld.

Kathrine Windfeld:

“It has been nothing less than an enormous pleasure to select this year’s competing films. The bar has been set incredibly high and the increased international attention which OFF has been subject to in recent years is palpable. I personally am thrilled and inspired to see so many women in starring roles both in front of and behind the camera. Expect the unexpected!”

The closing deliberations took place in a secret, sexy location somewhere in Denmark (i.e. Ringsted) and now all participants in the OFF13 programme have been chosen. The final 81 short films will vie for the prize(s) in the OFF Main Competition (54 films) and in the Danish Competition (26 films).

The selected films

It’s with a great sense of pride and joy, that Odense International Film Festival welcomes film director Kathrine Windfeld, as this year’s program manager for OFF13

Each year Odense International Film Festival invites a new film personality as Head of Programme. This year, the Danish film director Kathrine Windfeld, is going to leave her unmistakable mark on the festival program.

As Head of Programme for OFF13, Kathrine Windfeld proclaims, that this year’s festival will have a female point of view with strong focus on women both in front and behind the camera.

Kathrine Windfeld:

“The short film is a playful and free medium. It often spawns very personal and interesting film stories, and the short film is also the primary starting point for new directors.”

However there is a lack of women in the film business and therefore also a lack of film made by and to women in today’s cinema. So this year there will be a special focus on making female film talents more visible, as well as strengthen and attracting new promising female film talents. I’m really pleased for the opportunity to be contributing to create the platform for upcoming film talents, which OFF embodies. Welcome to Odense International Film Festival from a “female point of view”.

Birgitte Weinberger:

We’re really excited about this new collaboration. Kathrine Windfeld is a major capacity that will add a lot of juice to this year’s film festival. Her position as declared feminist will no doubt form the basis of many interesting focus programs and subsequent discussions both inside and outside the cinema.

Kathrine Windfeld’s biography:

Kathrine Windfeld has directed the motion picture ”Hamilton – I Nationens Interesse” starring Mikael Persbrandt and ”Flugten” starring Iben Hjejle in Denmark. In addition, she also filmed Hanne-Vibeke Holst’s Crown Princess Trilogy for Swedish Television and directed several episodes of various television series including: “The Killing”, “Broen”, “Wallander” and “Rita”.

Windfeld graduated from the National Polish Film School in Lodz. She is part of the Swedish Film Institute’s mentor arrangement, and has participated in DR2′s “Smagsdommerne”.

A very warm welcome

The two short films that wins OFF’s main competition award (Grand Prix – HCA Award) and Best National Short Film award (Best Danish short film) will – besides receiving respectively DKK 100.000, and DKK 25.000 – also be guaranteed to be considered for an Oscar^® nomination by the Academy’s Short Film and Feature Animation Branch.

“We’re so excited and happy. This is extremely important not just for OFF but for short films in general. We are proud to become part of this distinguished company and extremely happy about the great opportunity it is for our participants.” Says Head of Festival, Birgitte Weinberger.

The chance to be considered for an Oscar^® nomination offers itself next year when OFF takes place from August 26th till September 1st 2013. Submission of films opens January 15^th 2013

The Danish Animation Society (ANIS), who’s hosting the Danish Animation Award every year in conjunction with Odense International Film Festival (OFF), have just announced that they will name the main award “The Borge Ring Award”. With the award comes a cash prize of EUR 2,000 plus a bronze statuette designed by the Italian resident British sculptor Joanna Mallin-Davies. The statuette will be inspired from characters from Borge Ring’s Oscar winning short animation “Anna & Belle”, which won the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film in 1985.

“Borge is well-respected in the entire global animation community for his outstanding animations”, says Soren Fleng, Chairman of the The Danish Animation Society, and continues, “we think this is the right time for the Danish animation scene to show Borge our respect. He have inspired so many film makers, and now it’s our time to give him something back”.

Borge Ring, who was recently awarded the Winsor McCay Lifetime Achievement Award by ASIFA at the 2012 Annie Awards in February, was, according to his daughter Anne, “dancing on the table of joy” after receiving the news.

The Borge Ring Award will be the main prize at The Danish Animation Awards and will be handed out for the first time on August 24th 2012 at the Odense Intl’ Film Festival Award Galla.

Submissions for the Danish Animation Awards at Odense International Film Festival is APRIL 1st. Submission is free and can be made from the website: http://filmfestival.dk/en/submission/

]]> http://filmfestival.dk/en/the-danish-animation-society-announces-the-borge-ring-award/feed/ 0 http://filmfestival.dk/en/martin-strange-hansen-as-new-head-of-programme-for-film-festival-in-odense/ http://filmfestival.dk/en/martin-strange-hansen-as-new-head-of-programme-for-film-festival-in-odense/#comments Fri, 02 Mar 2012 09:07:19 +0000 Conny http://filmfestival.dk/en/?p=8027

Odense International Film Festival – OFF12 – is pleased and proud to announce this year’s Head of Programme – director Martin Strange-Hansen. As an esteemed film director, script writer, and with a couple of Academy Awards on the shelf and title as the Chairman of the association Danish Film Directors on his belt, Martin Strange-Hansen possesses all the preconditions for strengthening the festival’s artistic profile.

Martin Strange-Hansen will be taking the lead in the selection of the approximately 100 films that are to compete for the festival’s prizes. With the task of putting together special-programmes, seminars and events he will have ample opportunity to leave his artistic mark on the festival programme.

OFF is Denmark’s short-film festival. The festival celebrates and pays tribute to short-films of all sorts. Every year, a new head of Programme is appointed to accompany the Head of Festival in making sure that the festival remains dynamic, and continues to present new and exciting short-films of high quality.

”You don’t get rich from making short films – but you do from watching them!”

Martin Strange-Hansen says. The audience can expect a variety of exciting short films at this year’s festival that will enrich and surprise.

”Odense Film Festival has always had a special place in my heart. It was here that I, as a newly risen film director with my graduating film under my arm, participated in my very first short-film festival. There have been several film festivals since then – but there’s always something about that first time. That love stays with you. And that’s why that I with excitement and zest said ‘yes please’ to taking on the role as this year’s Head of Programme.”

Submission of film to OFF12 is now open

It is currently pouring in with films from near and far, and out of the expected 1500 submissions, approximately 100 films will make the cut. So the audience can expect the crème de la crème of new short films on a global scale. Submission is open till April 1st 2012.

OFF12 will be taking place August 20th to 25th at Brandts Klædefabrik in the heart of Odense. Come join in on all the fun!

Photo by: Sophie Winqvist

This year’s final nominees for the 84^th Academy Awards have just been released. Among the nominees in the category Short Film (Animated) is ‘Sunday’ by the Canadian animator Patrick Doyon to be found.

The charismatic and humorous short film has a duration of ten minutes and competed in the international programme at OFF11 (22^nd – 27^th of August, 2011). It was screened as a part of the sub-programme called ‘The Piano Tuner’. Additionally, it was screened at both the OFF11 opening event KickOFF and at the award show OFF Awards during the festival week.

Patrick Doyon visited Odense International Film Festival during the entire festival week. Therefore, he was also present at the award show to receive the award for Most Inventive International Film at OFF Awards on August 26^th, 2011.

The OFF11 international jury – which consisted of the Danish film director Nils Malmros, the Spanish Head of Festival at the Huesca International Film Festival Montserrat Guiu Valls, and the Danish sound editor Peter Albrechtsen – had this reason for awarding ‘Sunday’ with an OFF Award:

“Sundays can be so boring. In this year’s Most Inventive International Film, boredom is described with an amazing imagination and whether the focus is on coins, trains or various animal species, the film manages to give everything a very special twist and dimension in this unique universe. A truly animated animation film.”

At the 84^th Academy Awards, ‘Sunday’ is up against ’The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore’ (William Joyce & Brandon Oldenburg, USA), ‘La Luna’ (Enrico Casarosa, USA), ‘A Morning Stroll’ (Grand Orchard & Sue Goffe, UK) and ‘Wild Life’ (Amanda Forbis & Wendy Tilby, CA). The 84^th Academy Show takes place on the 26^th of February, 2012. Learn more about it on http://oscar.go.com.

OFF wishes Patrick Doyon congratulations on the nomination – and all the best of luck on the 26^th of February. On Patrick Doyon’s Facebook page the congratulations keep coming in, too. Trying to describe his own reaction to the nomination, Doyon simply announces; “I screamed!” (Source: Radio Noon Montreal, www.cbc.ca)

National Grand Prix: 13 by Malou Reymann

By unanimous decision, the jury has chosen to award the Grand Prix to a film that is, at the same time, simple and to the point. Moving, surprising and funny. A film that gives us an impressive performance by the leading actor. A film that unpretentiously joins the small and the great drama in an everyday setting.

Most inventive: I Touched Her Legs by Eva Maria Rødbro

This prize goes to an emotionally charged montage that records a group of teenagers in a poor, white suburban neighborhood in the USA. You see friendships, piercings, boozing and pets. Rough snapshots with a distinctive eye for the paradoxical alternation of teenagers between extreme fragility and youthful arrogance.

Most surprising: Fini by Jacob Schulsinger

Can it be surprising that there is no ball, when you’re playing table tennis? Or that the cup is empty, when you thought it was full of tea? Yes. To the senile demented, reality is always surprising. In this subtle portrait, the comical and the tragic are joined to a portrait of a man who has extended, by clowning, his contract with reality.

Special Mention: Thorshammer by Fenar Ahmad

An exciting story about a young man, who involuntarily finds himself in a boundless drama. The film’s beautiful pictures and visually consistent and pure style impressed the jury.

The international jury:

International Grand Prix: Little Children, Big Words by Lisa James-Larsson

Some times it is the tiniest situations that can invoke the strongest emotions. A teacher asks her pupils a simple question and receives an answer that shocks both the teacher and the audience. The acting moves you and with a sensuous language the audience is taken on a journey through every emotion and is touched and overwhelmed again and again.

Special Mention: Fungus by Charlotta Miller

We would like to give a Special Mention to 52 films but must settle for honouring just one. However, it is a film that with a simple set up with a view from a kitchen window succeeds in telling a story of despair but does it so humanely that one is lead to believe it is a comedy.

Most inventive: Sunday by Patrick Doyon

Sundays can be so boring. In this year’s most inventive, international short film, boredom is described with an amazing imagination and whether the focus is on coins, trains or various animal species, the film manages to give everything a very special twist and dimension in this unique universe. A truly animated animation film.

Most surprising: The Screamers by Roberto Pérez Toledo

A young couple enjoy themselves by screaming in turn. But suddenly a slight pause changes everything and reveals to the audience love’s true form and how fragile it is. Film art – it can truly be done this easily.

The animation jury:

Talent Award: Two friends by Paw Charlie Ravn

In spite of a traditional style in many ways, the director manages to make this film personal and real to such a degree that it appears fresh and innovative. Not least due to the untraditional choice of theme. You get sucked into a credible, big and organic world, where both picture and sound supports the longing, the danger and the beautiful in the story – a dark story, which yet leaves us with a faith in humanity. The films show the director’s obvious ability to communicate, not only with animation, but with the film language in general. In other words: we hope to soon se your first feature film in the cinema, Paw Charlie Ravn.

Best animation: Tussilago by Jonas Odell

In the well-timed meeting between voiceover and animation, the story lifts and grows into a larger whole. The acted tableaus are so convincingly directed, that we believe in the characters and their actions. We understand, and despair, the main character and her choice – or lack thereof. The animation shows the contrast between her imagination and the tough, violent reality. For example in the visualization of a planned shooting of two policemen illustrated with the help of humorously animated matchstick men. The director fully succeeds in treating a serious and very current topic with both respect and humour.

The Youth Jury:

Best national film: To all my friends by Behrouz Bigdeli

We have chosen the film because it takes place in a rough environment that is realistic to young people like us and we are able to relate to this environment. The story is incredibly exciting and you are quickly gripped. The story describes a strong friendship between two young men, who both had a difficult past. But when the leading character has a difficult choice, he does not know what to do. He has to choose between his best friend and his girlfriend. The two young men have known each other for a long time, they have built a strong friendship, almost like brothers. They sacrifice themselves and fight for each other and value their friendship above all. The sound is great and brings a tension to the film when you hear the heartbeat and when things disappear around them. The actors are fantastic and you almost believe that everything has happened in real life.

The film is: To all my friends by Behrouz Bigdeli

Best international film: Child’s Play by Lars Kornhoff

The film tells the story about a young boy who has become a father before he was ready and he has never had the choice whether he wants to keep his son or not, because the mother never wanted. It is a very realistic story, that describes the problem of being young parents and for once we see the problem from the perspective of the father. We follow the leading character one day and notice his development as both a boy and a father. We have chosen this film because it is very moving and we can relate to the leading character and put ourselves in his situation. The story is told very beautifully with pictures and music and the actors are playing great. In the end the leading character chooses to renounce his child, as the title says: Children should play.

The film is: Child’s Play by Lars Kornhoff

Pitch Me Baby – One More Time:

Lea Glob: En Fødselshistorie

This year’s Pitch Me is given to a supermotivated storyteller, who we have chosen to award for the personal and brave approach to the difficult art of pitching. The winner is a pitch that bridges the gap between fiction and documentary, and tells a private story with the opportunity of great common identification. The subject is classic: a family feud’s long-lived division of relations. A man breaks out of prison to be at his wife’s birth. By his father-in-law – a leading professor – he is prevented from receiving his own daughter, but why? What really happened that night? There is such great disagreement that the narrator’s family has been torn since 1964.The idea is a drama-documentary investigation of a mystery. As in Kurosawa’s Rashamon, we live through the same event told with very different perspectives. The film reflects on the relationship between reality and storytelling. It is a story about the classes of society, gender roles and love. The jury hopes that the award winner will use herself in the story, as it to us would strengthen the dramatic potential therein.

About the juries:

The international jury: Nils Malmros (Denmark), Montserrat Guiu Valls (Spain) and Peter Albrechtsen (Denmark).

The national jury: Bitte Eskilsson (Sweden), Lone Hørslev (Denmark) and Mads Matthiesen (Denmark)

The animation jury: Michael Hegner (Denmark), Esben Jacobsen (Denmark) and Helena Frank (Denmark).

The Youth Jury is the class of 8A from Højme Skole.

Read more about the juries on filmfestival.dk

The winner of this year’s National Grand Prix (best Danish film) was the film 13 by Malou Reymann, who besides from receiving the statuette ‘The Pearl’ will get a monetary award of 25,000 DKK. The choice of 13 as the best Danish film was by the national jury motivated by:

“By unanimous decision, the jury has chosen to award the Grand Prix to a film that is, at the same time, simple and to the point. Moving, surprising and funny. A film that gives us an impressive performance by the leading actor. A film that unpretentiously joins the small and the great drama in an everyday setting.”

The best international film and winner of International Grand Prix this year was Lisa James-Larsson with Little Children, Big Words. Lisa James-Larsson also wins ‘The Pearl’ as well as 25,000 DKK. the jury said about Little Children, Big Words:

“Some times it is the tiniest situations that can invoke the strongest emotions. A teacher asks her pupils a simple question and receives an answer that shocks both the teacher and the audience. The acting moves you and with a sensuous language the audience is taken on a journey through every emotion and is touched and overwhelmed again and again.”

The audience award, which is handed out in corporation with TV2/Fyn and is chosen by the audience of the festival, this year goes to Signe Markvard and her film Asger.

Additionally, the youth jury, which is the class of 8A from Højme Skole in Odense, has chosen the film To all my friends by Behrouz Bigdeli as this year’s best national children’s and youth film and gave this motivation:

“We have chosen the film because it takes place in a rough environment that is realistic to young people like us and we are able to relate to this environment. The story is incredibly exciting and you are quickly gripped. The story describes a strong friendship between two young men, who both had a difficult past. But when the leading character has a difficult choice, he does not know what to do. He has to choose between his best friend and his girlfriend.”

The winners will be revealed at tonight’s great gala, ‘OFF Awards’, which takes place in Den Fynske Opera in Odense at 7 p.m. and the 11 awards will be handed out. Underneath you can see a list of the night’s winners.

The national jury awards:

National Grand Prix (the best Danish film of the year). Winner 2011: 13 by Malou Reymann (price: the statuette ‘The Pearl’ and 25,000 DKK.

Most surprising Danish film of the year. Winner 2011: Fini by Jacob Schulsinger (price: 15,000 DKK).

Most inventive Danish film of the year. Winner 2011: I Touched Her Legs by Eva Maria Rødbro (price: 15,000 DKK).

Special Mention 2011: Thorshammer by Fenar Ahmad.

The international jury awards:

National Grand Prix (the best international film of the year). Winner 2011: Little Children, Big Words by Lisa James-Larsson (price: the statuette ‘The Pearl’ and 25,000 DKK).

Most surprising international film of the year. Winner 2011: The Screamers by Roberto Pérez Toledo (price: 15,000 DKK).

Most inventive international film of the year. Winner 2011: Sunday by Patrick Donyon (price: 15,000 DKK).

Special Mention 2011: Fungus by Charlotta Miller.

The animation jury awards:

Best animation film of the year. Winner 2011: Tussilago by Jonas Odell (price: 15,000 DKK).

Talent award of the year. Winner 2011: Two friends by Paw Charlie Ravn (price: 10,000 DK ).

The youth jury awards:

Best national children’s and youth film of the year. Winner 2011: To all my friends (price: 15,000 DKK).

Best international children’s and youth film of the year. Winner 2011: Child’s Play by Lars Kornhoff (price: 15,000 DKK).

The audience awards:

Winner of TV2/Fyn’s Audience Award 2011: Asger by Signe Markvard.

PlayOFF:

First place: Reused by Mads Outzen (Denmark) (price: campaign film for Greenpeace).

Second place: The Chair by Joonas Mokkonen (Finland) (price: action-apcked weekend with Greenpeace).

Third place: Rotation by Igor Rado (Denmark) (price: action-apcked weekend with Greenpeace).

Pitch me Baby – One More Time:

Winner 2011: Lea Glob for the idea “En fødselshistorie” (price: 30,000 DKK for the development of a manuscript).