The Reunion wins top Swedish film award

Anna Odell’s feature debut The Reunion (Återträffen) received two top prizes at the 50th Guldbagge Awards in Sweden last night. The depiction of a class reunion after 20 years won Best Film and Best Screenplay.

Odell, who wrote the screenplay, said on stage: “I usually say things how they are, but I’m really bewildered. Long live art, life and liberty! And culture and everything.”

It marks the third consecutive year that a debut female filmmaker collected the Best Film statuette after Lisa Aschan’s She Monkeys (Apflickorna) and Gabriela Pichler’s East Sleep Die (Äta sova dö).

Produced by Mathilde Dedye, for French Quarter Film, The Reunion previously picked up the FIPRESCI prize for Best First Feature in Venice last August and is set to screen at the Rotterdam Film Festival (Jan 22 - Feb 2).

The night’s other big winner was Per Fly’s Waltz for Monica (Monica Z), the biopic of legendary Swedish singer-actress Monica Zetterlund, which last year exceeded 520,000 admissions domestically.

Nominated in 11 categories, the Danish director’s Swedish production was awarded in four, including Best Director and Best Actress for Edda Magnason in her first film.

The award ceremony was held at Cirkus in Stockholm. Swedish Television (SVT) broadcasted the event live. Actress Sissela Kyle was this year’s master of ceremonies.

Awarded annually since 1964, the Guldbagge (“Golden Beetle”) is the name of the Swedish Film Institute’s award for achievements during the previous year. The award itself, in the form of a fantastical beetle, was designed by the artist Karl Axel Pehrson.

Guldbagge Awards 2014 winners

Best Film
The Reunion / Återträffen
Producer: Mathilde Dedye

Best Short Film
On Suffocation
Director: Jenifer Malmqvist

Best Documentary Film
Belleville Baby
Director: Mia Engberg

Best Director
Per Fly
for Waltz for Monica / Monica Z

Best Actress in a Leading Role
Edda Magnason
for her role as Monica Zetterlund in Waltz for Monica / Monica Z

Best Actor in a Leading Role
Mikael Persbrandt
for his role as Hasse in Nobody Owns Me / Mig äger ingen

Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Anna Bjelkerud
for her role as Pernilla in Hotell

Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Sverrir Gudnason
for his role as Sture Åkerberg in Waltz for Monica / Monica Z

Best Screenplay
Anna Odell
for her script for The Reunion / Återträffen

Best Cinematography
Petrus Sjövik
for his cinematography in Broken Hill Blues / Ömheten

Best Editing
Håkan Wärn
for editing Shed No Tears / Känn ingen sorg

Best Costume
Kicki Ilander
for the costumes in Waltz for Monica / Monica Z

Best Sound
Mattias Eklund
for the sound in Shed No Tears / Känn ingen sorg

Best Makeup
Lisa Mustafa
for the make up in We Are the Best! / Vi är bäst!

Best Music
Matti Bye
for the music in Sanctuary / Faro

Best Set Design
Paola Holmér och Linda Janson
for the set design in We Are the Best! / Vi är bäst!

Best Foreign Language Film
Blue Is the Warmest Color / La vie d’Adèle : Chapitres 1 et 2
Director: Abdellatif Kechiche

Best Achievement
Owe Svensson, sound mixing

Gullspira (Award for extraordinary contributions in films for children
Lukas Moodysson, director

Lifetime Achievement Award
Kalle Boman, producer

The Audience Award
The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared (Hundraåringen som klev ut genom fönstret och försvann)