The Swedish Guldbaggen 2014
Guldbaggen (The Golden Beetle), the yearly Swedish cinema award ceremony, took place yesterday and again documentaries played an important role – as last year where two films stood out: Palme by Kristina Lindström and Maud Nycander and Searching for Sugarman by Malik Bendjelloul.
Awarded as the best film this year was ¨The Reunion” (Återträffen) by Anna Odell, a hybrid film to use a modern terminology, or a docufiction, that Mikkel Stolt reviewed for filmkommentaren.dk
Danish director Per Fly got the beetle as best director for ”Monica Z” about legendary singer Monica Zetterlund.
Best documentary went to Mia Engberg for her ”Belleville Baby”, a very fine choice. I saw it in connection with the Nordisk Panorama festival in Malmø and wrote:
…it has a feeling, an atmosphere, a personal tone (the director’s own voice and her text is excellent) and a well told story from the past, where the director fell in love in Paris, lived with him for some time, experienced him becoming a criminal, because of his immigrant background, an honest film that also includes reflections on the fimmaker wanting to convey the good story, whatever the subject of the story thinks… it is so well made with a mix af material – super 8 blurred images, photos, newsreels and tv-reports from riots in France, home video from the director with her small son, all framed by the myth of Orpheus and Eurydike. An essay film on remembering, and remembering different moments and events, maybe they never took place. Impressive work…