'Twilight Portrait,' 'Volcano' Honored at Reykjavik Worldwide Film Festival

REYKJAVIK, Iceland -- Russian director Angelina Nikonova's film Twilight Portrait and Iceland's expect the foreign-language Oscar race, Volcano, by Runar Runarsson, won key honours in the eighth Reykjavik Worldwide Film Festival on Saturday evening.our editor recommendsBela Tarr: 'I Don't wish to Be Considered A Stupid Filmmaker Who's Just Repeating Himself'Iceland's First-Ever Animated Feature Gears Up for Theatrical RunAki Kaurismaki's 'Le Havre' Finland's Official Oscar Entry The festival jury, brought by Danish actor Ulrich Thomsen, selected the Russian film from a area of 12 features from first- and 2nd-time filmmakers and honored it using the Golden Puffin Discovery Award. The winning film informs a tale of revenge from a social worker along with a militia guy from the backdrop nowadays's Russia ridden with social conflict. Special jury mentions within the primary competition visited Italian director Andrea Segre's Shun Li and also the Poet, which handles the problem of immigration, and Norwegian director Joachim Trier's Oslo, 31. August. Family drama Volcano, which explores questions of aging with dignity, was honored using the Worldwide Experts' Award and also the Chapel of Iceland award. The Lick Audience Award for that festival's most widely used film visited Finnish pointing legend Aki Kaurismaki for Le Havre, his country's admission to the area of possible foreign-language film Oscar nominees. The film is all about a youthful African illegal immigrant who passes with the port city on his method to London. The Lick Environment Award visited Irish director's Risteard O Domhnaill's The Pipe in regards to a small Irish community divided through the prospect of the oil pipeline and it is expected economic gains. Borkur Sigthorsson's Skadi (Arrived At Harm) won the brand new Lick recognition for top Icelandic video clip. Festival director Hronn Marinosdottir told The Hollywood Reporter that ticketed attendance only at that year's festival, occur the main city from the Northern European island nation, is anticipated to achieve a brand new a lot of near to 27,000, in comparison with around 24,000 this past year. Iceland has only a population close to 320,000. "The festival has already established the very best turnout ever," the festival director stated. "8 percent of the nation's human population is attending. We'd many offered-out tests. This began being an audience fest, to ensure that's what it really could it have been about.Inch The main focus would continue being on "youthful films and rising company directors," in addition to documentaries which make people discuss social issues, she stressed. "Reykjavik should never be Cannes," the festival director stated. "We now have our very own focus that's good cultural means of Reykjavik, which concentrates on standing on the leading edge.Inch The Golden Puffin statue is definitely an expression of methods Lick differs. "Other festivals also frequently use creatures within their honours, however the puffin is really a funny and strange [seabird], so when we began, we wanted different things and humorous," described Marinosdottir. Past the honours ceremony on Saturday evening, the 2011 edition from the Reykjavik festival also honored Hungarian filmmaker Bela Tarr having a lifetime achievement award earlier within the week. Its Creative Excellence Award -- Women in Cinema famous up-and-coming Danish director Lone Scherfig. Lick also featured a James Marsh retrospective and honored Romanian filmmaker Adrian Sitaru being an emerging master. Lick systems on Sunday. The coming year's ninth edition from the festival will occur Sept. 27-March. 7. Email: Georg.Szalai@thr.com Twitter: @georgszalai Related Subjects Worldwide