LATEST NEWS:
Beyond wins Nordic Council Film Prize - Beyond received today (Oct 17) the Nordic Council Film Prize - Scandinavia’s largest film award, which will be shared by Pernilla August, her co-scriptwriter Lolita Ray, producers Helena Danielsson and Ralf Karlsson.
The announcement was made by UK actress Helen Mirren, honorary chair of the jury, during a press conference this morning in Copenhagen, organized by the Nordisk Film & TV Fond, which administrates the prize, and streamed live on ScreenDaily. The award will be presented during the Nordic Council’s session in Copenhagen on Nov. 2.
Beyond rewarded at the Swedish Academy Awards (Guldbaggen) - Beyond was nominated for eight awards in seven categories: Best film, Best script (Pernilla August & Lolita Ray), Best director (Pernilla August), Best cinematography (Erik Mollberg-Hansen), Best leading actress (Noomi Rapace), Best supporting actress (Outi Mäenpää & Tehilla Blad), Best supporting actor (Ville Virtanen).
Pernilla August won the directorial award and Outi Mäenpää was rewarded as best supporting actress. The editor, Åsa Mossberg, was also rewarded in the special achievements category for her work on the film.
'Beyond' wins Venice Critics' Week
Pernilla August nabs directorial debut prize
http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=print_story&articleid=VR1118023993&categoryid=4076
Venice sidebar winners include Beyond
Press Quotes from 25th Critics' Week Venice Film Festival 2010:
The Hollywood Reporter - Toni Morrison once said that regardless of how many beautiful, sappy or tired lines we've heard about the moon, the moment a master writer finds a new way of describing it, we are moved to tears. This holds true for much-lauded actress Pernilla August's treatment of domestic violence and alcoholism in "Beyond," a simultaneously restrained, gut-wrenching, but hopeful feature debut. Natasha Senjanovic
Screen International - This story of a grown-up daughter who is forced to confront the alcoholic mother that she had cut all ties with is such a powerful drama, so grittily and convincingly carried by its faultless cast, that it’s a piece of Scandinavian miserablism we need to make a place for. Lee Marshall
The Daily Telegraph - The distinguished Swedish actress Pernilla August makes a noteworthy directing debut. It’s harrowing but finely observed, and Rapace is a commanding lead. David Gritten
ll corriere della sera - strappa consensi senza riserve - Valerio Cappelli
IndieWire - The storytelling seemed less restrained, in that Scandinavian way, than clenched tight with grief and anger; I spent most of its 95 minutes either fighting back or succumbing to tears. It set out to shake and, to move - and it did. Shane Danielsen
San Francisco Examiner - Swedish actor/director Pernilla August presented her film Beyond at International Critics Week at the 67th Venice Film Festival today, and received the longest and warmest standing ovation I've encountered at this festival. Moira Sullivan
AFP - Noomi Rapace, 31 ans, a été ovationnée par la presse pour son rôle de jeune mère résiliente, rescapée d'une enfance maltraitée, dans "Beyond" (Au-delà), un premier film de l'actrice suédoise Pernilla August. Anne Chaon
Tip, Berlin - ein emotionales Mutter-Tochter-Drama.
Check out Anne Thompson's interview with Noomi Rapace on Indiewire:
Rome 22 July 2010
Pernilla August’s directing debut ”Beyond”, starring Noomi Rapace, to compete in Critics’ Week at the Venice film festival
Palme-d’or winning actress Pernilla August will present her directorial debut in a world premiere at the 67th Venice Film Festival. Swedish film “Beyond” is the only Nordic feature film among the seven titles in the prestigious Critics’ Week line-up, unveiled Thursday at a press-conference in Rome. “Beyond”competes for the Luigi de Laurentiis Debut Award consisting of 100.000USD and International Film Critics’ Week –Regione del Veneto Award of 5000 Euros.
Pernilla August, highly acclaimed for her work with Ingmar Bergman, Bille August, Liv Ullmann, George Lucas, Per Fly, Bo Widerberg , among others, makes her debut as a feature film director with “Beyond”. The film is based on the best-selling Swedish novel Svinalängorna by Susanna Alakoski and tells the story of a young woman’s confrontation with her dramatic childhood, of her grief and the struggle to move on.
-I am moved and deeply honoured to have been selected by the Critics’ Week at the Venice Film Festival, I can hardly believe it! One thing I know for certain; we would never have made it without the enormous support that I received, and the collective effort that went into making this production. I feel proud, happy and deeply honoured! says Pernilla August.
Nineteen years ago I played "Nora" in "A Doll’s House" directed by Ingmar Bergman in Venice... It’s going to be incredibly exciting to return to that wonderful city as a first-time director.
“Beyond” is produced by Helena Danielsson (Hepp film), and Ralf Karlsson (Drakfilm). Helena Danielsson also produced “A rational solution” selected for Critic’s week 2009, starring Pernilla August.
Co-producers: Helle Ulsteen/Kamoli Films (DK), Tero Kaukomaa/Blind SpotPictures (FI), Lone Korslund, Mikael Frisell/Nordisk Film, Ralf Ivarsson/Film i Skåne, Gunnar Carlsson/SVT, Nordsvensk Filmunderhållning/Lars Nilsson
Supported by: SFI/Peter “Piodor” Gustafsson, DFI/Molly Malene Stensgaard, FFF/Kaisu Isto, YLE/Erkki Astala, NFTF/Hanne Palmquist, MEDIA Programme
International sales: Trust Nordisk
The 67th Venice Film Festival will be held from September 1-11.
Web-tv Interview with Pernilla August - Dagens Nyheter - Swedish national major newspaper.
Screen International - article about Beyond
Variety - article about Beyond
Corriere della Sera - major Italian national news paper
Repubblica – major national Italian national newspaper
Ansa (Italy’s major news agency)
Cinecorriere – Italian high-profile cinemag
Cineuropa – international film business site
Coming soon – Italian Cinema TV-Channel/Sky
La gazetta del mezzogiorno – major newapaper in South Italy
Il Tempo - Italian national newspaper
L'Unita - Italian national newspaper
Punto di vista - Italian culture magazine
SYNOPSIS:
A poignant story, told with sincerity and humor, about a young woman´s dramatic childhood and about her grief and the struggle to move on.
Noomi Rapace plays the main character in her first feature after the success with the Millennium trilogy and she plays opposite her husband, actor Ola Rapace.
Award winning actress Pernilla August makes her directorial debut with her take on the bestselling novel Svinalängorna by Susanna Alakoski.
In other main roles we see rising star Tehilla Blad and the Finnish acclaimed actors, Ville Virtanen and Outi Mäenpää.
A morning just before Christmas, Leena, 34, receives a phone call from a hospital in her childhood hometown telling her that her mother is dying. This news takes her on a journey to face her mother for the first time in her adult life. Leena has fought all her life to let go of her grief over her lost and dark childhood. She is now forced to deal with her past to be able to move on.
DIRECTOR`S NOTES:
Our past will always catch up with us.
When I started working with this film I thought that the obvious theme was ”growing up in an abusive family”. A story about how terribly difficult it can be to be poor, from another country and unable to master the language. But as I got deeper into the story it struck me that it would be more interesting to combine the childhood story with a contemporary about the adult Leena. Together they tell the story about self-deception, to lie to yourself and the people around you. It is this story I want to tell and how you reach your resolution and how you can move on in life despite your past.
In the film the adult Leena’s memories are almost physical, as in the film Dolores Claiborne (Taylor Hackford), where neither we, the audience, nor the mother (Kathy Bates) can protect herself from her memories, the past. When I slowly, digged my way deeper into the story I was struck by the connections to Ibsen whom I love and have played much. I thought of Mrs Alving in Gengangere with her self-deception, of Greger Werle in Vildanden, where the lie becomes visible, destroys the family and takes Hedwig’s life. I realized that Svinalängorna/Beyond for me is about living in and with a lie. Unlike Ibsen’s characters, Leena’s journey takes her from the darkness and to the truth and to her resolution.
The narrative form is affected by intimacy. I aim for the details and the mood of the film, using a subjective camera in the point of view from Leena- grown up and as a child. So we can feel and remember the fragrances from our childhood street.
FESTIVAL AND SCREENINGS:
Official Selection 25th Critics' Week Venice Film Festival 2010 www.sicvenezia.it
Filmfest Hamburg 30/9-9/10 2010 www.filmfest-hamburg.de
Sao Paolo International Film Festival 22/10-4/11 2010 www.mostra.org
Valladolid International Film Festival 23/10-30/10 2010 www.semici.es
Nordic Film Days Lübeck 3/11-7/11 2010 www.luebeck.de/filmtage
Oslo Interantional Film Festival 18-28/11 2010
Cuenca Women 22-27/11 2010
Tallinn Black Nights 24/11-5/12 1010
Days of Northern films, Dresden 2-8/12 2010
New Voices/New Visions competition, Palm Springs 6-17/1 2011
In competition, Annonay 28/1-7/2 2011
Glasgow Film Festival 17-27/2 2011
Dublin International Film Festival17-27/2 2011
Lightbox Reel talk, Toronto International Film Festival 20/2 2011
Miami International Film Festival 4-13/3
Cine Nordica Paris 4-8/3 2011
Art Club New York 7-10/3 2011
Hong Kong International Film Festival 20/3-5/4 2011
Febiofest Prag 24/3-1/4 2011
Mumbai Swedish love 26-31/3 2011
Würzburg Filmwochenende 7-10/4 2011
Warszawa skandinavfest 7-9/4 2011
Incontri Cinematografici di Stresa 1-6/6 2011
Transilvania Cluj 3-12/6 2011
In competition, Festroia Portugal 3-12/6 2011
In competition, Taipei Film Festival 24/6-14/7 2011
AWARDS:
25. International Film Critics Week
“Regione del Veneto per il cinema di qualità” Award www. sicvenezia.it
The Cristipher D. Smithers Foundation's Ambassador of Hope Award (supported by UNESCO, OCCAM - affiliated to the United Nations)
Foreign Press Awards, Filmfest Hamburg
Special Jury Award, São Paulo International Film Festival
Best Actress: Noomi Rapace, São Paulo International Film Festival
NDR Award for Best Film, Nordic Film Days Lübeck
Best Director Award: Pernilla August, Swedish Academy Awards (Guldbaggen)
Best Supporting Actress Award: Outi Mäenpää, Swedish Academy Awards (Guldbaggen)
Special Achievements Award: Åsa Mossberg, Swedish Academy Awards (Guldbaggen)
Best Film Nomination, Swedish Academy Awards (Guldbaggen)
Best Script Nomination, Swedish Academy Awards (Guldbaggen)
Best Cinematography Nomination: Erik Mollberg-Hansen
Best Leading Actress Nomination: Noomi Rapace, Swedish Academy Awards (Guldbaggen)
Best Supporting Actress Nomination: Tehilla Blad, Swedish Academy Awards (Guldbaggen)
Best Supporting Actor Nomination: Ville Virtanen, Swedish Academy Awards (Guldbaggen)
CONTACT:
Contacts for international publicity:
Italian and International press:
claudia tomassini + associates international film publicity
Ann-Louice Dahlgren Email: annlouice@claudiatomassini.com or annlouice@yahoo.com
Italian cell: +39 333 7447944 Swedish cell: +46 708 433119
Claudia Tomassini Email: claudia@claudiatomassini.com
Italian cell: +39 334 3075056
www.claudiatomassini.com
DOWNLOADS:
Venice sidebar winners include Beyond, The Clink Of Ice | News | Screen.pdf
Beyond wins Venice Critics' Week - Variety.com.pdf
Beyond wins the Prix Smithers Foundation 2010.pdf
Tehilla Blad, Ville Virtanen and Outi Mäenpää. Still photo: Rolf Konow
Noomi Rapace. Still photo: Rolf Konow
Noomi Rapace and Ola Rapace. Still photo: Rolf Konow
Pernilla August. Still photo: Charlie Drevstam
Tehilla Blad, Pernilla August, Noomi Rapace. Still photo: Rolf Konow
IMAGES:
Tehilla Blad, Ville Virtanen and Outi Mäenpää
Still photo: Rolf Konow
Noomi Rapace
Still photo: Rolf Konow
Noomi Rapace and Ola Rapace
Still photo: Rolf Konow
Pernilla August
Still photo: Charlie Drevstam
CAST:
NOOMI RAPACE/LEENA
OLA RAPACE/JOHAN
OUTI MÄENPÄÄ/AILI
VILLE VIRTANEN/KIMMO
TEHILLA BLAD/LEENA (AS CHILD)
JUNIOR BLAD/SAKARI
CAST:
BEYOND
freely based on the bestselling novel by Susanna Alakoski
Directed by
Pernilla August
Written by
Lolita Ray
Pernilla August
Produced by
Helena Danielsson
Ralf Karlsson
Photography
Erik Molberg Hansen DFF
Production Design
Anna Asp
Editor
Åsa Mossberg
Music
Magnus Jarlbo
Sebastian Öberg
Sound
Bo Persson
Owe Svensson
John Nilsson
Sound design
Aleksander Karshikoff
Sound Mix
Gabor Pasztor
Costume Designer
Kicki Ilander
Hair & Make-up designer
Elizabeth Bukkehave
Co-producers
Helle Ulsteen/Kamoli Films (DK)
Tero Kaukomaa/Blind SpotPictures (FI)
Lone Korslund
Mikael Frisell/Nordisk Film
Ralf Ivarsson/Film i Skåne
Gunnar Carlsson/SVT
Nordsvensk Filmunderhållning/Lars Nilsson
Supported by
SFI/Peter “Piodor” Gustafsson
DFI/Molly Malene Stensgaard
FFF/Kaisu Isto
YLE/Erkki Astala
NFTF/Hanne Palmquist
MEDIA Programme
International sales
Trust Nordisk
BEYOND
SVINALÄNGORNA
A FILM BY PERNILLA AUGUST
