22/03/2023 - Other big victors at this year’s edition were Ása Hjörleifsdóttir’s A Letter from Helga, Gudmundur Arnar Guðmundsson’s Beautiful Beings and Hlynur Pálmason’s Godland

On Sunday 19 March, the Reykjavik-based Háskólabíó cinema hosted the 2023 gala ceremony for the Edda Awards. The Eddas, established in 1999, honour the biggest national film and TV successes of the season, and are the most prominent awards in the Icelandic audiovisual industry.

On this occasion, Gudmundur Arnar Guðmundsson’s Beautiful Beings [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson
film profile] (Iceland/Denmark/Sweden/Netherlands/Czech Republic) was crowned Best Feature Film. In detail, the picture follows Addi, a boy raised by a clairvoyant mother, who decides to adopt a bullied misfit into his gang of outsiders. Left to their own devices, the boys explore aggression and violence, but also learn about loyalty and love. As the group’s behaviour escalates and leads them into life-threatening situations, Addi begins to experience a series of dreamlike visions.

Despite the huge success racked up by Beautiful Beings, this year’s Eddas were dominated by the Icelandic miniseries Blackport [+see also:
interview: Olivier Wotling
series profile], which scooped nine statuettes (Best Screenplay, Best Leading Actor, Best Leading Actress, Best Fiction Series, Best Make-up, Best Costume Design, Best Original Score, Best Editing and Best Production Design). Created by Nína Dögg Filippusdóttir, Gísli Örn Garðarsson and Björn Hlynur Haraldsson, the show is set between 1983 and 1991, and centres on a married couple, Harpa (Dögg Filippusdóttir) and Grimur (Hlynur Haraldsson), who buy an old trawler with their childhood friends and build a small fishing empire in a village in the Westfjords of Iceland. All goes well until the Icelandic government starts enforcing restrictive new fishing quotas, which turn their lives upside down and result in a feud of jealousy, greed and betrayal.

Meanwhile, Björn Thors and Anita Briem, who both starred in Ása Helga Hjörleifsdóttir’s A Letter from Helga [+see also:
trailer
interview: Thorvaldur Kristjánsson
film profile] (Iceland/Netherlands/Estonia), scooped the gongs for Best Supporting Actor and Supporting Actress, respectively. Set in a remote fjord in 1940s Iceland, the drama zooms in on young farmer Bjarni and aspiring poet Helga as they begin a passionate, forbidden affair.

Finally, Hlynur Pálmason’s Cannes-screened hit Godland [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Elliott Crosset Hove
interview: Hlynur Pálmason
film profile] (Denmark/Iceland/France/Sweden) was awarded with the statuettes for Best Director and Best Cinematography. Moreover, Pálmason’s latest short, Nest (Denmark/Iceland), was crowned Best Short.

Here is the list of this year’s award winners:

Best Feature Film
Beautiful Beings [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson
film profile] - Gudmundur Arnar Guðmundsson (Iceland/Denmark/ Sweden/Netherlands/Czech Republic)

Best Director
Hlynur Pálmason – Godland [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Elliott Crosset Hove
interview: Hlynur Pálmason
film profile] (Denmark/Iceland/France/Sweden)

Best Screenplay
Gisli Örn Garðarsson, Björn Haraldsson, Mikael Torfason – Blackport [+see also:
interview: Olivier Wotling
series profile]

Best Leading Actor
Gísli Örn Garðarsson – Blackport

Best Leading Actress
Nína Dögg Filippusdóttir – Blackport

Best Supporting Actor
Björn Thors - A Letter from Helga [+see also:
trailer
interview: Thorvaldur Kristjánsson
film profile] (Iceland/Netherlands/Estonia)

Best Supporting Actress
Anita Briem - A Letter from Helga

Best Fiction Series
Blackport

Best Documentary
Welcome Árni - Viktoría Hermannsdóttir, Allan Sigurðsson

Best Short Film
Nest - Hlynur Pálmason (Denmark/Iceland)

Best Children and Youth Show
Randalín and Mundi: Days in December - Silja Hauksdóttir

Best Special Effects
Guðjón Jónsson – Against the Ice [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Peter Flinth
film profile] (Iceland/USA/Denmark)

Best Costume Design
Margrét Einarsdóttir and Rebekka Jónsdóttir - Blackport

Best Make-up
Kristín Júlla Kristjánsdóttir – Blackport

Best Original Score
Herdís Stefánsdóttir and Kjartan Dagur Holm - Blackport

Best Sound
Gunnar Árnason – Quake

Best Editing
Kristján Loðmfjörð – Blackport

Best Cinematography
Maria von Hausswolff – Godland

Best Production Design
Atli Geir Grétarsson and Ólafur Jónasson – Blackport

Medal of Honour
Ágúst Guðmundsson