The Hunt wins the Nordic Council Film Prize 2013. The prize was announced at the Nordic Council Prize Gala held in Oslo on October 30th. The Hunt is directed by Thomas Vinterberg who wrote the screenplay with Tobias Lindholm. Sisse Graum Jørgensen and Morten Kaufmann produced the film, which is also the Danish Oscar candidate. The trio Vinterberg, Lindholm and Kaufmann were also behind Submarino that won the Nordic Council Film Prize in 2010.

The Adjudication Committee justifies its choice of the winning film:

“In Thomas Vinterberg’s The Hunt, a man is wrongfully accused of child abuse. At first glance it is a straightforward tale that could have been told in ancient Greece as well as in Hollywood.  But beneath the seemingly simple surface lie many complex themes, forcing the audience to discuss and analyse what they see.  Through the allegory of ‘the hunt’, Vinterberg’s film explores how the individual can be persecuted even in a well-meaning and well-functioning society, when it suddenly turns on one of its own.  This remarkable story is carried by Mads Mikkelsen’s powerful performance, the striking score and haunting and beautiful imagery.”

The five nominees 2013 were:

THE HUNT – Denmark: Director: Thomas Vinterberg – Writers: Tobias Lindholm, Thomas Vinterberg – Producers: Sisse Graum Jørgensen, Morten Kaufmann.

OPEN UP TO ME – Finland: Director: Simo Halinen – Writer: Simo Halinen – Producer: Liisa Penttilä.

THE DEEP – Iceland: Director: Baltasar Kormákur – Writers: Jón Atli Jónasson, Baltasar Kormákur – Producers: Agnes Johansen, Baltasar Kormákur.

I BELONG – Norway: Director: Dag Johan Haugerud – Writer: Dag Johan Haugerud – Producer: Yngve Sæther.

EAT SLEEP DIE – Sweden: Director: Gabriela Pichler – Writer: Gabriela Pichler – Producer: China Åhlander (producer).