Finnishfeature Frozen Land (Paha Maa) by director Aku Louhimies has won the top prize inthe Nordic competition at the 28th Gothenburg Film Festival.

Thefilm - an alternative and dark look at Finnish society - premiered lastmonth in Finland, taking the top spot at the box office for two weeks.

FrozenLand is thestory of a teacher who is fired from his job and then transfers the weight ofhis depression onto his family. In typical Scandinavian style, the downwardsspiral is then never ending. Louhimies was presented with the Gothenburg FilmFestival Nordic Award worth Euros 11, 000 (SEK 100.000).

FrozenLand facedstiff competition in the Nordic section from other features including SusanneBiers award-winning Brothers.

However,it took most of the prizes including The Kodak Nordic Vision Award forcinematographer Rauno Ronkainen, the FIPRESCI Award and The Church of SwedenAward.

Thejury of the latter prize described its reasons for giving the award as follows:"A brave film that portrays a frozen society where the borders betweensuccess and failure is subtle. With sharp clarity the film exposes ourresponsibility to each other, as individuals as well as in a much widerperspective".

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