The 1st edition of The Northern Lights - Fantastic Film Festival brought the 1st winner of the festival’s Official Selection and a special mention from the Jury!
The festival had a great number of film submissions from all over the world and the selection committee chose 38 films to be screened and compete in the official selection.
The award for the winning film is 1000 EUR and 1 million ISK in equipment rental from KUKL, Iceland's premier film equipment rental house.
Our fantastic jury, producer Christopher Newman, and writer & directors Inga LÃsa Middleton and Erlingur Óttar Thoroddsen were impressed with the high standard of the films in the competition. Even though several films were discussed as potential winners, the jury came to the unanimous decision of the winning film. The jury also decided to give one film a special mention.
WINNER - Best Fantastic Short
Oldmen Rule by Alexander Gavrilov
The Jury found it to be a good science fiction concept, well written, with detailed world-building and production design, balanced and entertaining. The characters are rounded and believable, the story is easy to follow. The topical issue of aging is tackled in a highly imaginative way. Thought-provoking with the end delivering a great twist.
SPECIAL MENTION
Zyklos, directed by Eva Matz and Jonas Schmieta.
The jury found it an Impactful film about the inevitable monthly cycle all women endure. It uses filmmaking techniques in a raw and visceral way which makes the viewer feel the pain and hits the senses hard. The story doesn’t overstate the message and is perfectly suited to the short film format. Unforgettable.
Congratulations to these fantastic filmmakers and a fantastic thank you to all the filmmakers that participated in the 2023 edition of the Northern Lights - Fantastic Film Festival!