Norwegian film HEADHUNTERS, a part of this year’s HIFF programme, has been a huge success in its native country. With over half a million sold tickets HEADHUNTERS is the second most popular Norwegian film in the last ten years. In addition to doing well locally, the film has also sold 120 000 tickets in neighbouring Denmark. HEADHUNTERS is based on Jo Nesbø’s novel, Hodejegerne.

Swedish film BEYOND has won this year’s Nordic Council Film Prize. Pernilla August’s dark debut feature is a tale of the effects of parental alcoholism on children. Outi Mäenpää plays a dying alcoholic mother, Ville Virtanen the father and Noomi Rapace is faultless as their adult daughter. The film is based on Susanna Alakoski’s prize-winning novel Svinalängorna.

BEYOND has also been chosen to represent Sweden in this year’s Foreign Language Oscar race.

The National Council for Cinema has awarded director Jalmari Helander and producer Petri Jokiranta the State Prize for Cinema for their work on RARE EXPORTS. The award was handed out by Minister of Culture Paavo Arhinmäki on September 27th. The internationally successful dark action comedy was the HIFF Surprise Film in 2010. This year Helander directed the HIFF trailer.

MISS BALA has been chosen to represent Mexico in this year’s Foreign Language Oscar race. Gerardo Naranjo’s film, seen in HIFF’s Politics! series, sets a young woman in the middle of a full scale war between drug cartels, the police and the Mexican Army.

Read more here: Screen Daily

PHOTO FROM THIS IS NOT A FILM

Mojtaba Mirtahmasb, co-director of THIS IS NOT A FILM (HIFF Spotlight Selection 2011), has been arrested in Iran. Mirtahmasb and five other filmmakers were arrested for illegally working for the BBC, which has been banned in Iran since 2010.  The French association of writers, directors and producers (ARP) is among a number of bodies to have condemned the arrests.

The Closing Film of this year’s HIFF is Iranian director Asghar Farhadi’s A SEPARATION.

Read more here: Screen Daily

Representing Iceland in the 2012 Foreign Language Oscar race is Rúnar Rúnarsson’s debut feature VOLCANO. A part of this year’s festival’s Nordic Exports series, VOLCANO is a coming-of-age tale revolving around a recently retired man.

Read more here: Screen Daily

Michaël R. Roskam’s BULLHEAD is Belgium’s Foreign Language Oscar submission. A part of this year’s festival programme, BULLHEAD is a dark drama about cattle mafiosos, hormones and a solitary man on a testosterone trip.

Read more here: Screen Daily

Nadine Labaki’s WHERE DO WE GO NOW? has been voted as winner of the People’s Choice Award at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival. Labaki’s musical comedy focuses on a group of women from different religions who join forces to protect their small village from violence.

Asghar Farhadi’s A SEPARATION, the Closing Film of this year’s HIFF, was voted second in Toronto. Ken Scott’s STARBUCK came in third.

WHERE DO WE GO NOW on Tuesday, September 20 at 4pm at Maxim 1.

Read more here: Variety

The European Film Academy has revealed a list of 45 films that have been selected for the 2011 European Film Awards. 13 films on the list can be seen at this year’s HIFF. Included in this year’s programme are ATTENBERG, BULLHEAD, ELENA, ESSENTIAL KILLING, EVEN THE RAIN, NEDS, PLAY, THE SKIN I LIVE IN, TILVA ROŠ, TOMBOY, VOLCANO, WHITE WHITE WORLD and OSLO, AUGUST 31ST.

11 films on the European Film Academy’s list are French. Germany (7 nominations) and Spain (4 nominations) are also well represented. Bringing some Finnish flavor onto the list is Aki Kaurismäki’s LE HAVRE.

The list can be seen here: Screen Daily

Paddy Considine's depiction of loneliness, TYRANNOSAUR, and John M. McDonagh's police comedy THE GUARD will compete for this year’s Hitchcock D’Or Award at the 22nd Dinard Film Festival, which runs October 5-9. David Mackenzie’s YOU INSTEAD and Jim Loach’s ORANGES AND SUNSHINE are also nominated. A further two films to be selected for competition will be announced shortly.

THE GUARD

The jury will be led by French actress Nathalie Baye, whilst singer and actress Petula Clark will be this year’s “Godmother of the Festival.”

The Dinard Film Festival suffered a set back in 2010, when it lost its funding from the UKFC and British Council, but French audiences continued to flock to last year’s event, which aims to promote British films in France and attracts a strong show of UK producers and talent.

HIFF films BOY A (2008), HALLAM FOE (2007) and LONDON TO BRIGHTON (2006) have previously won the Hitchcock D'Or prize.

More information: www.screendaily.com