VERDICT: This is the third year that The Film Verdict has teamed up with European Film Promotion (EFP) to support European films premiering at the Sundance Film Festival. Here is a flashback to some of last year’s participating films.
This is the third year that The Film Verdict has teamed up with European Film Promotion (EFP) to support European films premiering at the Sundance Film Festival. Here is a flashback to some of last year’s European films. Many of them went on to become multiple award-winners, and some are currently available for streaming in the United States.
“Ibelin,” directed by Benjamin Ree (Norway), took home both the Audience Award and the Directing Award for World Cinema Documentary at Sundance 2023. Additionally, the film won the Young Audience Award at the European Film Awards and was shortlisted for Best Documentary. The film won Outstanding Performance in Original Music Score at the Cinema Eye Honors Awards, the COFCA Award at the Critic’s Association of Florida Awards; also Best Film and Best Editing at the Amanda Awards, a Dragon Award for Best Documentary at Göteborg Film Festival; and the Freedom Prize at Millennium Docs Against Gravity; and the Audience Awards at Tromsø International Film Festival. Netflix picked up the film with the title renamed ‘The Remarkable Life of Ibelin’ and is available for streaming now.
“Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat”, directed by Johan Grimonprez (Belgium, France, Norway), was awarded the Special Jury Award for Cinematic Innovation at Sundance. It is currently nominated for Best Documentary Academy Award.®. The film won Cinema Eye honors for outstanding editing and sound design achievement at the Cinema Eye Honors and Documentaire Extraordinaire at the Bergen International Film Festival. It also won the Silver Star at El Gouna’s Film Festival in the Feature Documentary Competition and the jury award for best Belgian Documentary at Docville. Best Editing awards were received from (the International Documentary Awards (IDA) and the Mirage Film Festival. More accolades were received from Montclair, Sofia, Thessaloniki, and The Hague Movies that Matter Festival. The film was acquired in the US by Eternal & Kanopy. The film is currently streaming on Prime Video and other platforms, and available on Blu-Ray at Kino Lorber.
“Handling the Undead,” directed by Thea Hvistendahl (Norway), won the World Cinema Drama Special Jury Prize at Sundance as well as four awards at Amanda (Norway), including Best Score, Best Make-up, Best Cinematography, and Best Production Design. The film was acquired by Neon -and had a limited release in NY and LA, on May 31, 2024. The film is currently available on Prime Video and other platforms in the US.
“A New Kind of Wilderness”, directed by Evensmo Jacobsen (Norway), won the 2023 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize World Cinema.- Documentary as well as the Documentary Amanda Award at Amanda (Norway); Bronze Star at El Gouna; A Different Tomorrow at Reykjavik, Documentary Competition Award at Seattle, plus a Special Jury Award at ZagrebDox. The film is currently seeking US Distribution
“Sujo,” directed by Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez (Mexico, USA, France), won the Grand Jury prize at Sundance, and went on to win 14 other festival awards, such as Grand Prix at the Toulouse Latin America Festival, Grand Prix at the Sofia International Film Festival, Cooperación Española Award at San Sebastian & Best Mexican Feature Film, Best Director and Best Screenplay at Morelia, to name a few. The film was the Mexican selection for the 2025 Oscars.
“Veni Vidi Vici”, directed by Daniel Hoesl & Julia Niemann (Austria), was Nominated for the Sundance Grand Jury Prize. It was also nominated for the CineRebels award at the Munich Film Festival. Magnify (formerly Magnolia Pictures) acquired the title before Sundance 2023. It was the first film acquired under their new moniker. The film was sold in many territories worldwide but is not currently available in the US
Reinas (Queens)”, directed by Klaudia Reynicke(Switzerland, Peru, Spain) was the first Swiss film to play at the Sundance Film Festival, where it was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, The film won the Grand Prix of the Generation Kplus International Jury in Berlin; Best Screenplay at Lima Latin America Festival, Audience Award @ Locarno film festivals. “Reinas” was Switzerland’s official selection for the Academy Awards. The film was released in Germany on June 20, 2024, and in Limited release” on Nov. 29 in US and Puerto Rico by Outsider Distribution and by Outsider Distribution and in Canada by Films we like
“Kneecap,” directed by Rich Peppiatt (Ireland, UK), was the first ever Irish language film to play at Sundance. The film won 5 British Independent Film Awards, including Best British Independent Film, Best Casting, Best Music Supervision, Best Editing, and Best Original Music. It was nominated for 6 BAFTA awards, including Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director, or Producer, Best Screenplay (Original), Outstanding British Film of the Year, Best Casting, and Best Film Not in the English Language. It won multiple film festival awards and was Ireland’s official selection for the International Academy Award. The film was released in the US by Sony Pictures Classics on Aug 2, 2024, and is currently playing on Netflix.
“Eternal You,” directed by Moritz Riesewieck & Hans Block (Germany, US) was nominated for several festival awards including the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance. The film won the National Lottery Prize, Best Science Documentary. Film Movement and Kanopy acquired the film. Eternal You is streaming on Kanopy
After premiering at Sundance, “Sebastian,” by Mikko Mäkelä (Finland) was the winner of the Image + Nation Festival Cinema LGBT Montreal Film Festival and Pylon Awards at Qcinema International Film Festival. The film is currently streaming on Prime Video and other platforms.
