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The European Film Academy and EFA Productions have announced the nominations for the award category European short film 2019 – and we are over the moon excited!

At OFF, we are proud to be a part of the nomination process, seeing as OFF is an EFA qualifiying festival, along with a group of other great international festivals around the world. Our festival leader at OFF, Birgitte Weinberger, is also a part of the respective international jury at EFA and has voted for her favourite shorts among the selection of qualified shortfilms. Birgitte Weinberger will also be attending the 32. European Film Awards in Berlin on the 7th of December, where the winner of the short film award will be presented (among others).

The participating festivals, including OFF, have nominated the following five short films:

• DOGS BARKING AT BIRDS (Portugal, Fiction)
• RECONSTRUCTION (Czech Republic, Fiction)
• THE CHRISTMAS GIFT (Romania, Spain, Fiction)
• THE MARVELOUS MISADVENTURES OF THE STONE LADY (France, Portugal, Animation)
• WATERMELON JUICE (Spain, Fiction)

Tonight OFF – Odense International Film Festival culminated in a spectacular award show and this year’s winners of four Oscar-qualifying categories, an EFA-nominee and final Robert nominees were found. It has been a wonderful week of film, love and community. Congratulations to all the winners!

Find the list of winning films in all categories below:

• Grand Prix – HCA Award: “Bache Khor” (“Child Eater”) by Mohammad Kart
• OFF Storyteller Award: “Fun Factory” by Lisa Brooke Hansen and Even Hafnor
• OFF Artist Award: “Nursery Rhymes” by Tom Noakes
• OFF Short Film Candidate for the European Film Awards 2019 (EFA): “Oslo” by Shady Srour
• Best Danish Short Film: “Mount Everest” by Rasmus Nyholm Schmidt
• FilmFyn Talent Award: ”Draget” (”Drawn”) by Christian Bengtson
• Børge Ring Award: “Lidérc Úr” (“Mr. Mare”) by Luca Tóth
• Animation Talent Award: “Animals” by Tue Sanggaard
• Best Short Documentary: “Après Le Silence” (“After the Silence”) by Sonam Larcin
• The Soapbox Award: “Where Chaos Reigns” by Braulio Jatar and Anaïs Michel
• Youth Award: “Ingen siger farvel men alle forsvinder” (“We Are All Leaving”) by Jonas Risvig
• Publikumsprisen: “Ikki Illa Meint” by Andrias Høgenni
• Pitch Me Baby, 1. præmie: “First Night” by Darshika Karunahara
• Pitch Me Baby, 2. præmie: “No Family Photo” by Christian Einshøj
• Robert Prisen Shortlist: “Draget” (“Drawn”) by Christian Bengtson, “Ikki Illa Meint” by Andrias Høgenni, ”Knæler” (”Mantis”) by Roberta Reichhardt, ”Savnet” (”Missing”) by Mads Reuther and ”Under bølgerne, over skyerne” (”Below the Waves, Above the Clouds”) by Katrine Brocks

OFF19 might be over, but there is still a chance to watch all the award-winning films as they are screened from morning to evening on Sunday 1/9 in Odense at Cafe biografen. Find the full schedule here.

Join us for four fantastic film screenings when OFF illuminates the big screen at Amfiscenen (Brandts Klædefabrik) with delectable film treats open for all. Pack a blanket and your picnic basket and enjoy a cozy evening under the stars.

’Hamlet’ (1921): Wednesday. 21.00. Amfiscenen

‘Austin Powers in Goldmember’ (2002): Thursday. 21.00. Amfiscenen

‘Mamma Mia!’ (2008): Friday. 21.00. Amfiscenen

‘The Great Gatsby’ (2013): Saturday. 21.00. Amfiscenen

OFF19 is here! And our six amazing juries are ready to award 13 lucky films at the award ceremony Saturday during the festival. The jury members’ collective resume stretches across all fields of filmmaking and art – meet them all right here!

MAIN COMPETITION JURY

ZINNINI ELKINGTON

Director Zinnini Elkington has been emphasized by film magazines EKKO and Soundvenue as the talent to keep an eye on. In 2017 her pastel-punk teen-comedy Rainbow Girls was shortlisted for a Danish Robert Award, in 2018 she premiered the ambitious eco sci-fi Gaia and won the annual pitching competition at OFF with the dark fantasy short The Changeling, which is now in development.

KIM FUPZ AAKESON

Kim Fupz Aakeson, born 1958, is an author and screenwriter, known for his children’s books, novels and films. His most recent work includes the screenplay for Young Astrid (2018) in collaboration with director Pernille Fischer Christensen.

WAHID SUI MAHMOUD

Wahid Sui Mahmoud is an actor, screenwriter and graduate of The Danish National School of Performing Arts. In 2010 he had his on-stage debut at the Royal Danish Theatre and has since appeared in major Danish theatre and television productions such as Udvandrerne (2018) and Bedrag III (2019).

DANISH COMPETITION JURY

GABE VAN AMBURGH

Gabe Van Amburgh is a Film Programmer and the Film Exhibition Manager for SXSW in Austin, Texas. Since 2011 he has directed all aspects of exhibition including film print traffic, theatre build outs, the transition to 100% digital DCP exhibition. Previously, Van Amburgh worked for seven years in technical roles at the Alamo Drafthouse, SXSW and Fantastic Film Fest.

CARSTEN BJØRNLUND

Carsten Bjørnlund is an actor and graduate of The Danish National School of Performing Arts. He made his debut in the stage version of Thomas Vinterberg’s Festen and has since appeared in major Danish television series such as Forbrydelsen II, Rita, Arvingerne, and Liberty and recently starred in sci-fi drama QEDA (2017).

LOTTE SVENDSEN

Lotte Svendsen is a screenwriter, actor and director and a 1995 graduate from The National Film School of Denmark. Her breakthrough came in 1997 with the award-winning short film Royal Blues and she went on to create the critically acclaimed children’s television series Max, now an international film franchise. Lotte Svendsen is currently a film consultant at the Danish Film Institute.

ANIMATION COMPETITION JURY

CHRISTEN BACH

Christen Bach is a Danish animation director and artist currently living in Berlin, Germany. Working in both analogue and digital media, his personal work mainly focuses on human relations – often told through experimental or stylistic animation – using the absurd or the surreal to highlight emotional expression.

MARIANNE ESKEBÆK LARSEN

Marianne Eskebæk Larsen is a professor in Modern Culture and Cultural Communication at KP, teaching and supervising in the intersecting fields of language, children’s literature and digital culture. She is also the author of several textbooks.

AMID AMIDI

Amid Amidi is the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of CartoonBrew.com, a leading animation industry news resource that recently marked its 15th year of publication. He is the author of numerous books including Cartoon Modern: Style and Design in Fifties Animation, winner of the 2007 Theatre Library Association Award, and The Art of Pixar Short Films. He lives in Montréal.

DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION JURY

ANDREAS KOFOED

Andreas Kofoed, born 1979, is a documentary filmmaker and 2009 graduate of The National Film School of Denmark. He has directed several internationally distributed and award-winning documentaries, including Ballroom Dancer (2011) and Et Hjem I Verden (2015).

METTE HOFFMANN MEYER

Mette Hoffmann Meyer is the CEO and co-founder of THE WHY Foundation; a non-profit organization that produces and distributes documentaries about human rights and sustainable development, reaching hundreds of millions of people across the globe. Selected works: Why Women? (2016), Why Slavery? (2018).

MAYA ALBANA

Maya Albana is a 2007 graduate of The National Film School of Denmark in Television directing. She has been the screenwriter, director and/or director of photography for several screen and television documentaries, most recently Det Sorte Kapitel (2018) and Balletskolen (2019).

YOUTH COMPETITION JURY

8.A. From Munkebjergskolen in Odense would like you all to know that they are thrilled and full of anticipation as they face the important task of judging the films in this year’s Youth Competition. They look forward to their shared responsibility and promise to be fair, constructive – and to have a wonderful time!

PITCH ME BABY JURY

SARA KOPPEL

Award-winning animator Sara Koppel has more than 30 years of experience in feature and short films, commercials, storyboard and character design. In 2002 she founded her own animation studio, Koppel Animation, where she makes hand-drawn animations with complete creative freedom.

CHRISTIAN TAFDRUP

Christian Tafdrup studied acting at The Danish National School of Performing Arts and graduated in 2003. Since then, he has appeared in numerous film and television productions in addition to directing his own short films. In 2016, Christian Tafdrup made his debut as a feature film director with Parents.

LOTTE ANDERSEN

Director, actor and screenwriter Lotte Andersen had her breakthrough as an actor in the original Nightwatch by Ole Bornedal in 1994. Andersen made her own feature debut as director with Oh Happy Day in 2004 and documentary debut with Songs from Ilulissat in 2010.

KIM MAGNUSSON

Since co-founding M&M Productions in 1995, Kim Magnusson is a four-time winner of the ultimate award: An Oscar. Among other things, Kim Magnusson has served as president for the Danish Film Academy and The Danish Producers Association.

ADAM AUGUST

Screenwriter Adam August is a graduate of The National Film School of Denmark and John Trubys Writing Studio in LA. He won a Robert, a “Danish Oscar”, for his script for Fenar Ahmad’s Darkland in 2017 and among his upcoming projects is Valhalla, which will premiere in the fall of 2019.

The Danish Film Academy is now revealing the 10 shortlisted short films that are a part of the process of being nominated for the Robert Prize 2020 for the Short Film of the Year: Fiction / Animation.

This is the fifth time the Film Academy is collaborating with OFF – Odense International Film Festival to raise the highest possible awareness of the fabulous foundation of Danish film found in the production of short films in Denmark. The Film Academy Robert 2020 will kickstart by the announcement of the 10 shortlisted film.

From August 6, Film Academy members can vote among the 10 shortlisted Danish short films. All the films will also appear in the cinema during OFF. The five nominees will be revealed at OFF’s festive award ceremony on Saturday, August 31st.

“There are 10 exciting and versatile films that represent the best in this year’s productions, and we could not wish for a more competent partner to help find the ten shortlisted films,” says the President of the Danish Film Academy, Jacob Neiiendam, about OFF, and continues, “we are excited that the audience at the festival will have the opportunity to see the films on the big canvas, they deserve it.”

Who is going to win the ROBERT PRIZE for Short Film of the Year: Fiction / Animation

will only be revealed at the ROBERT award ceremony in January 2020.

Press Contact:

Danish Film Academy, Per Damgaard Hansen, Per@masterplanpictures.com, 40562903

Danish Film Academy, Mette Bubandt Aagaard, metbub@hotmail.com, 25380350

Odense International Film Festival, Birgitte Weinberger, bsw@odense.dk, 65512837

www.filmakademiet.dk // #robertprisen

HERE IS THE LIST OF THE 10 SHORTLISTED FILMS

Shortlist In the category Short Film of the Year: Fiction/Animation:

• Bølger / Producers: Ann-Sofie Grøndal & Thomas Elley, Instruktør: Thomas Elley
• Draget / Hyæne Film, Producers: Robin Hounisen & Anna Cold Winge Leisner, Instruktør: Christian Bengtson
• Hvis der var krig i Norden / Regner Grasten Film Production A/S, Producer: Regner Grasten, Instruktør: Puk Grasten
• Ikki illa meint / Meta Film, Producer: Johannes Rothaus Nørregaard, Instruktør: Andrias Høgenni
• Knæler / Fifty Fifty Entertainment & Den danske scenekunstskole, Producer: Alma Dyekjær Giese, Instruktør: Roberta Reichhardt
• Mellem sten og et hårdt sted / Mellow, Producers: Christopher Jermiin Anker & Martin Rasmussen, Instruktør: Mads Koudal
• Mount Everest / Bacon & Raptus, Producer: Laura Valentiner-Bohse, Instruktør: Rasmus Nyholm Schmidt
• Savnet / Hyæne Film, Producer: Daniel Mühlendorph & Robin Hounisen, Instruktør: Mads Reuther
• Tre brødre / Jalabert Production, Producers: Anders Niels Berg & Christian Norlyk, Instruktør: Lasse Ulvedal Tolbøll
• Under Bølgerne, Over Skyerne / Den danske filmskole, Producer: Pernille Tornøe, Instruktør: Katrine Brocks

For the 10th year in a row, OFF – Odense International Film Festival presents the competition Pitch Me Baby in collaboration with Danish Film Directors and Danish Dramatics.

By the registration deadline of August 1, OFF had received 94 short film ideas; now our selection jury (screenwriter Jenny Lund Madsen, director Rasmus Kloster Bro and festival manager Birgitte Weinberger) has looked at all the ideas. Only 8 of the 94 submitted pitches have been qualified – Find out right here who are selected to compete (live!) on stage on Thursday, August 29, when we host the Pitch Me Baby competition during the festival:

Jesper Vestergaard Larsen: “Dræberklovnen Kevin” (fiction)
Jeanett Brahe: “En rigtig kvinde” (animation)
Darshika Karunahara: “First Night” (fiction)
Andreas Roland Jensen: “Knubs, kast og kærlighed” (documentary)
Christian Einshøj: “No Family Photo” (documentary)
Carina Kamper: “Saunaklubben” (fiction)
Kristian Halken: “Thor” (fiction)
Julie Baltzer: “Women in War – Svetlana” (animation)

Big congratulations to the participants – and thank you to everyone who sent us ideas this year!

Pitch Me Baby is a live show of compelling pitches; the competition is a part of OFF19, where the best pre-submitted short film ideas are allowed to compete directly on stage in front of a competent jury and a large audience. This year, actor and director Christian Tafdrup, actor and director Lotte Andersen, producer Kim Magnusson, screenwriter Adam August and animator Sara Koppel will be the jury.

In five minutes the pitchers must present their vision and convince the jury that their idea deserves to come a major step closer to realization: the two best short film ideas are awarded with work grants for a total of 50,000 DKK.

Experienced filmmakers, primarily directors and screenwriters, but also brand new and untested talents can submit suggestions, and all contributions are more than welcome. On average, OFF receives about 100 short film ideas across all genres.

Each year, OFF enters a creative collaboration with one or more artists, filmmakers or industry experts; a collaboration that helps form the artistic direction for this year’s festival. In 2019, the title as artistic profile, actor and director belongs to Marijana Jankovic.

For the theme ‘courage’, Marijana Jankovic draws the line for a personal program with cultural roots and love for diversity as central head points.

The motivation for accepting the collaboration with OFF is particularly evident in her love for diversity, Marijana herself says:

I sincerely want my role as artistic profile to inspire others with the same background as me to dream big and use their voice. This is what the world needs. People come in all shapes and colors, nothing is right or wrong, no skin color is right or wrong, no story is useless, if it comes from the right place.

You can meet Marijana as she explores the theme ‘courage’ during the festival in a series of talks with internationally acclaimed filmmakers:

1. About FARNESS – with the award-winning war correspondent, documentary director and author NAGIEB KHAJA. And about the driving force of his work at the world’s hotspots. MONDAY 26/8 KL. 13.00 IN THEATER MOMENTUM BIO
2. About WOMEN WITHOUT FILTER – with satirists and actors DITTE HANSEN and LOUISE MIERITZ about being “Ditte & Louise” on the big screen and in reality. TUESDAY 27/8 CONVERSATION CL. 19.00 & FILM KL. 9 PM AT THE MAGAZINE
3. About UNCURRENCY – with one of Denmark’s film queens, super producers and Lars von Trier’s long-standing partner at Zentropa VIBEKE WINDELØV about having an all-is-possible-attitude to life and the industry. WEDNESDAY 26/8 KL. 16.00 I THEATER95B
4. About THE TOUGHEST STORIES – with documentary director ANDREAS KOEFOED about the need to portray the weak and vulnerable fates of society as he himself has done with refugee children on film. THURSDAY 29/8 CALL AND MOVIE CL. 18.30 IN THEATER MOMENTUM SAL
5. About THE ARTIST’S RESPONSIBILITY – with Irish VINCENT LAMBE, Romanian ADRIAN SILISTEANU and Danish ANDERS WALTER; three award-winning short film directors on the artist’s commitment to using his voice in the world. FRIDAY 30/8 KL. 4.30pm THEATER MOMENTUM SAL
6. About FACING REALITY – with the leader of the Danish Film School’s documentary line for more than 25 years ARNE BRO on how to use yourself and your own memories in the stories you tell on film. SATURDAY CL. 2 PM IN THEATER MOMENTUM SAL

We are so proud to present the full programme for OFF19. A week full of short film, talks, open air cinema, debates and concerts; week 35 will be an injection of film, great atmosphere and love!

Check out the programme and book your tickets now <3