SPARROWS wins Grand Prix at Lessinia Film Festival
Sparrows, the new feature from writer/director Rúnar Rúnarsson, won the Grand Prix for Best Film at the Lessinia Film Festival in Bosco Chiesanuova, Italy.
Composer Kjartan Sveinsson attended the festival and accepted the award on the filmmakers behalf at the closing ceremony.
Sparrows is in the middle of a strong festival run. The film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September and shortly thereafter won the Golden Shell award for Best Film at the San Sebastián International Film Festival in Spain. It has also won for Best Film in the 1-2 Competition at the Warsaw International Film Festival. In total, the film has won 20 international awards.
Sparrows is among the 50 films the European Film Academy that are recommended for nominations for the European Film Awards 2016. Among them is Rúnar Rúnarsson‘s Sparrows.
Sparrows is also Iceland‘s contribution to the Nordic Council Film Prize 2016.
Sparrows is Rúnarsson's second feature. His first, Volcano, premiered in the Director's Fortnight section of the Cannes Film Festival in 2011. His short film 2 Birds (2008) also premiered at Cannes, and his earlier short The Last Farm (2004) was nominated for an Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film.
In Sparrows, sixteen-year-old Ari, who has been living in Reykjavík with his mother, is suddenly sent back to the remote West Fjords to live with his father. His relationship with his father has become difficult, and his childhood friends have changed. In these seemingly hopeless surroundings, Ari must step up and find his way.
Sparrows stars Atli Óskar Fjalarsson, Ingvar E. Sigurdsson, Rakel Björk Björnsdóttir and Kristbjörg Kjeld. It‘s score was composed by Kjartan Sveinsson and the film was produced by Nimbus Iceland and Pegasus Pictures.
For more information about Sparrows and its festival wins, visit the Icelandic Film Database.