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The winners of the Nordic Jury Award 2024

After a fantastic line-up of short and feature-length films at this year’s BUSTER Film Festival, we are very excited to announce the winners of both the Best Nordic Short Film and Best Nordic Feature Film Awards, in collaboration with Norden i Skolen and supported by A.P. Møller Fonden. The winners are ‘Felt Cute’, dir. Anna Karín Lárusdóttir (Iceland) and ‘Once Upon A Time in a Forest’, dir. Virpi Suutari (Finland).

The winning films were chosen by a jury of three film professionals with a keen interest in children and youth media. The jury in 2024 was made up of the following:

  • Aka Hansen – Director/Producer, Greenland
  • Rikke Tambo Andersen – Producer, Denmark
  • Maria Tórgarð – Director, Faroe Islands

The nominees for the awards 

Best Nordic Short Film

  • Brouillarta, Ingvild Søderlind / Norway / 2023 / 14 min
  • Splittet, Jahfar Muataz / Denmark, Sweden & Jordan / 2022 / 25 mi
  • Vent, Martin Jenefeldt / Sweden / 2023 / 12 min
  • Felt Cute, Anna Karín Lárusdóttir / Iceland / 2023 / 15 min (Winner)
  • Vandpyt, Maria-May Backhaus Brown & Mads Theodor Bonde / Denmark / 2024 / 8 min

Juy statement:“This years short film was chosen because of the wholesome story, beautiful scenery and authentic felt performances. In a sublime way we witness the main characters inner fear of wanting to be accepted as they are. The aspect of gender exploration and expression is beautifully intertwined into the story of a sibling relationship, and the struggles of growing up. What the jury really loved was the joyful narrative and the choice of acceptance no matter how you choose to express yourself.”

About ‘Felt Cute’
11-year-old Breki is always in conflict with her older sister. They argue and get on each other’s nerves, constantly. One day, when she is alone at home, Breki sneaks into her sister’s room and gives herself a full makeover with her sister’s clothes and make-up. The room turns into a big mess and Breki into a completely different person. When the rest of the family suddenly shows up unexpectedly, the long-awaited showdown between the two siblings is inevitable.

Best Nordic Feature Film

  • Victoria skal dø, Gunnbjörg Gunnarsdóttir / Norway / 2024 / 85 min
  • Forever, Anders Hazelius / Sweden / 2023 / 103 min
  • Once Upon a Time in a Forest, Virpi Suutari / Finland / 2024 / 93 min (Winner)
  • Børnene fra Sølvgade, Mehdi Avaz / Denmark / 2024 / 102 min
  • Paradiset Brænder, Mika Gustafson / Sweden / 2023 / 108 min

Jury statement:
“It was hard to pick a winner amidst all of the amazing feature films competing this year. But the jury has chosen a film which made us remember the feeling of fighting for somethingimportant. This year’s winner had captivating cinematography, giving new perspectives on our role in preserving our planet. Along with heartfelt stories and truly admirable characters, we felt that this films’ strength lies in showing us the interconnectedness between humans and nature, and our role in helping to preserve it.

About ‘Once Upon A Time In a Forest’
Biodiversity and generational gaps cross paths in a beautiful and thoughtful film about two young activists’ fight to save the vast Finnish coniferous forests. The two young climate activists Ida and Minka want to save forests. They think that nature should be allowed to take care of itself. They are both very happy living an outdoor life, being close to nature and experiencing the change of seasons. The film follows their life in the big forests and their encounter with those who run forestry and industry and make money from nature. The two young people try to argue against deforestation and gradually win a place at the table with the powerful giants of the timber industry. But the industry is one thing, convincing one’s own grandfather is another. The gaps between the generations are deep, and this is shown with humor and intelligence in the film, a beautiful and thoughtful tribute to nature.

We want to say congratulations to all the nominated films. It really was an impressive line-up in both categories, making the jury decisions far from simple. So: Congratulations! / Tillykke! / Gratulerer! / Grattis! / Onnittelut / Tillukku / Til Hamingju! / Pilluaritsi!

BUSTER Film Festival and Norden i Skolen wish to thank the jury for their hard work and devotion to choosing the winners of this year’s prizes, as well as all the films and film teams for sharing their work with us all.

We hope to see you for next year’s BUSTER Festival!