F. T. Fridriksson with Award from Mayor of Trenčín

 

Fridrik Thór Fridriksson is one of Iceland's most distinguished directors, and at Art Film Fest he is presenting a survey of his own filmography in the section Iceland According to Fridriksson. At the Monday evening screening of his picture Devil’s Island in Trenčín’s Metro Cinema, he was personally greeted by Trenčín’s major, Branislav Celler, who presented him with a special Mayor of Trenčín Award.

While accepting the award, the director cracked a joke: “I’m more used to bringing bottles home,"  alluding to vase’s bottle-like shape. But in the presence of Trenčín's mayor, he admitted that he himself might end up in a similar post, referring to Icelandic comic Jón Gnarr, who recently became mayor of Reykjavík, and his satirical "Best Party", a political party that began as a reaction to Iceland's major financial crisis, which negatively affected the film industry as well. “If the situation doesn't improve, maybe I'll end up as a mayor too,"  said Fridriksson, who has always strived to support Icelandic cinema through every possible means. 

In the film Devil’s Island (1996), whose screening followed the award ceremony, the director focused on post-war homeless people. The caustically humorous drama won the FIPRESCI Prize at Karlovy Vary, and in it Fridriksson demonstrated his interest in people on the periphery of society. “I’ve always been fascinated by outsiders, because they have to do so much to be able to function in society. That’s why several of my films focus on them in particular."

Photographs can be found at www.artfilmfest.sk in the Press section.

 

The Art Film Fest International Film Festival Trenčianske Teplice/Trenčín is made possible through the financial support of the Audiovisual Fund and the European Union Programme MEDIA.   

Organizers: ART FILM, n. o., Forza, a. s.

Co-organizers: the Town of Trenčianske Teplice, the City of Trenčín, the Trenčianske Teplice Health Spa

General Sponsors: Dôvera Medical Insurance, AquaCity Poprad

Main Sponsors: Tatra banka, Slovnaft, Veolia Voda - Central Slovakian Waterworks, OHL ŽS, Alison Slovakia

Official Transport Provider: Lancia

Logistics Sponsor: DHL; Free student cinepasses provided by: Prvá stavebná sporitelna (First Housing-Construction Savings Bank)

Sponsor of the Slovak Season section: Zlatý Bažant; Sponsors: AVI Studio, Baske Guest House, Park Hotel na Baračke

Official Suppliers: HUBERT J.E., Kláštorná, GS design, Philips, A Briliant

Media Sponsors: Slovak Television, Markíza Television, FilmBox, CSTV, Central Europe Television, Rádio Europa 2, Rádio Hit FM, Pravda, .týždeň, Markíza, Pardon, Cinemax, Kam do mesta, zoznam.sk, Boomerang Media, SITA, euroAWK, superobed.sk