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Amanda (award)
Encyclopedia
The Amanda Award is an award given annually at the Norwegian International Film Festival
in Haugesund
, Norway
, to promote and improve Norwegian film
. The award originated in 1985, and has since 2005 been exclusively a film award (not television
). Winners are awarded a trophy by the Norwegian sculptor
Kristian Kvakland
, and the name—and theme—of the sculpture comes from a legendary local woman from the 1920s. The award ceremony is marked every year by a major, nationally televised, event.
"to increase the quality of and further the interest for Norwegian films". The year 1993 marked an exception to the norm, when the so-called "Nordic Amanda" included contribution from all the Nordic countries. From 2005 onwards, TV-drama
was no longer included among the categories honoured, as the TV-specific award "Gullruten
" had taken over this function. Instead the award became exclusively for films. Around the same time another change occurred also. Since the beginning, the award ceremony had been produced in cooperation with the Norwegian state broadcasting corporation Norsk rikskringkasting (NRK). In 2006, however, NRK ended the partnership, and the show has since that time been the responsibility of the private broadcasting company TV 2
.
In the year 2007, a "People's Amanda" ("Folkets Amanda") was awarded for the first time, where the winner was arrived at by popular vote. The first winner of the award was the horror movie Fritt Vilt
, directed by Roar Uthaug
.
, titled "Amanda fra [from] Haugesund". Supposedly the song in turn refers to a real woman from the 1920s – a lone mother who made a living from selling liquor to sailors during the prohibition period.
The figurine that is awarded to prize winners originated from a competition held by the local newspaper Haugesunds Avis
in 1985, to create a sculpture of the legendary Amanda. The competition was won by Kristian Kvakland
from Nesodden
in Akershus
. The full-size sculpture now stands outside the newspaper's office, but a miniature version was adopted as a trophy for the Amanda Award. The figurine is 30 cm (11.81 in) tall, with a skirt measuring 14 cm (5.51 in) in diameter. While the current sculpture is hollow and weighs 2.5 kg (5.51 lbs), for the first few years it was made of solid metal. Weighing in at 4.5 kg (9.92 lbs) it was difficult to hoist for many winners.
It was one of these prizes that, in the year 1986, was won by director Anja Breien
, who decided to sell it through a newspaper advert, as a protest against that year's budget cuts for Norwegian film. The Swedish Film Institute
, which had experienced similar cuts and sympathized, bought the sculpture. In 2005, as Breien was presented with an honorary award, she was also given back the original sculpture by former Minister of Culture
and director of the Swedish Film Institute, Åse Kleveland
.
, who was a special guest at the very first ceremony in 1985, and Diana Ross
in 1987, then married to Norwegian entrepreneur Arne Næss, Jr. Other international names appearing in the show as presenters have included Ned Beatty
, Lauren Bacall
, Jon Voight
, Brian Cox, Jeremy Irons
, Ben Kingsley
and Pierce Brosnan
.
The show has in recent years been hosted by prominent Norwegian comedians. Jon Almaas
, known from the TV-show "Nytt på nytt
", played host for several years in the early 2000s. Thomas Giertsen
, known as a stand-up
comedian and from several TV-shows, has hosted the show in recent years. An episode that received some media attention in 2005 was when host Marit Åslein and Minister of Culture and Church Affairs
from the Christian conservative party KrF, Valgerd Svarstad Haugland
, kissed on stage as part of a humorous routine.
. These were awarded for the movies Over grensen (1987), Søndagsengler
(1996) and Sejer - se deg ikke tilbake (2000), as well as an Honorary Award in 2000. Also Ane Dahl Torp
has won three awards for specific acting roles; she won Best Actress for her roles in Svarte penger - hvite løgner (2004) and Gymnaslærer Pedersen (2006), and was the first ever to receive the newly created award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her effort in Lønsj in 2008. Sverre Anker Ousdal
has also been named Best Actor twice, for Kreditorene in 1990 and Blodsbånd in 1998, and won the Honorary Award in 2009. Nils Ole Oftebro, Espen Skjønberg
and Anneke von der Lippe
have all been honoured twice each – Oftebro and Skjønberg once as lead actors and once as supporting actors. Among the directors, Ola Solum
, Nils Gaup
, Berit Nesheim
and Bent Hamer
have each received two awards. Erik Gustavson has the rare distinction of having won in three different categories: for best film and best documentary, in addition to winning the special "Nordic Amanda" in 1993. This is an accomplishment also Kjersti Holmen
can claim, for winning the Best Actress award in 2000, Best Supporting Role in 1993, and the Honorary Award in 2009. The only film to have won the three main awards – best film, best actor and best actress – is Budbringeren
in 1997.
As of 2010, the categories awarded are:
Norwegian International Film Festival
The Norwegian International Film Festival is a film festival held annually in Haugesund, Norway. The festival goes back to 1973.In 1985, the Amanda award was instituted. The Amanda is awarded every year at the festival in different movie categories...
in Haugesund
Haugesund
is a town and municipality in the county of Rogaland, Norway.-Location:Haugesund was separated from Torvastad as a town and municipality of its own in 1855. The rural municipality of Skåre was merged with Haugesund on January 1, 1958. Haugesund is a small municipality, only 73 km²...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, to promote and improve Norwegian film
Cinema of Norway
Norway has had a notable cinema industry for some time. In the early 21st century a few Norwegian film directors have had the opportunity to go to Hollywood to direct various independent films.-1940s:*Tante Pose *Bastard *Tørres Snørtevold...
. The award originated in 1985, and has since 2005 been exclusively a film award (not television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
). Winners are awarded a trophy by the Norwegian sculptor
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
Kristian Kvakland
Kristian Kvakland
Kristian Kvakland is a Norwegian sculptor and artist. Among his most famous works is the bronze Amanda-statue of the annual Amanda awards. The statuette originally weighed 4.5 kg, but has since been slimmed down to 2.5 kg. His works are also represented in a number of public art...
, and the name—and theme—of the sculpture comes from a legendary local woman from the 1920s. The award ceremony is marked every year by a major, nationally televised, event.
History
The Amanda Award was instituted in 1985 as part of the Norwegian International Film FestivalNorwegian International Film Festival
The Norwegian International Film Festival is a film festival held annually in Haugesund, Norway. The festival goes back to 1973.In 1985, the Amanda award was instituted. The Amanda is awarded every year at the festival in different movie categories...
"to increase the quality of and further the interest for Norwegian films". The year 1993 marked an exception to the norm, when the so-called "Nordic Amanda" included contribution from all the Nordic countries. From 2005 onwards, TV-drama
Dramatic programming
Dramatic programming in the UK, or television drama and television drama series in the US, is television program content that is scripted and fictional along the lines of √a traditional drama. This excludes, for example, sports television, television news, reality show and game shows, stand-up...
was no longer included among the categories honoured, as the TV-specific award "Gullruten
Gullruten
Gullruten is an annual award for the Norwegian TV business, founded in 1998 by Norske Film- og TV-produsenters forening. The awarding committee has representatives from the major national TV companies, NRK, TV2, TV3 and TVNorge...
" had taken over this function. Instead the award became exclusively for films. Around the same time another change occurred also. Since the beginning, the award ceremony had been produced in cooperation with the Norwegian state broadcasting corporation Norsk rikskringkasting (NRK). In 2006, however, NRK ended the partnership, and the show has since that time been the responsibility of the private broadcasting company TV 2
TV 2 (Norway)
TV 2 is the largest commercial television station in Norway. Over 30% of the time Norwegians spend watching TV is spent watching TV 2. The station has 65% of the market for TV commercials in Norway....
.
In the year 2007, a "People's Amanda" ("Folkets Amanda") was awarded for the first time, where the winner was arrived at by popular vote. The first winner of the award was the horror movie Fritt Vilt
Fritt Vilt
Cold Prey |Open Season]]") is a 2006 Norwegian horror film, directed by Roar Uthaug. It premiered in Norway on October 13, 2006 and received mostly positive reviews and was hailed as one of the best modern Norwegian horror movies.-Plot:...
, directed by Roar Uthaug
Roar Uthaug
Roar Uthaug is a Norwegian film director. He graduated from The Norwegian Filmschool in 2002.- Career :...
.
Sculpture
The name "Amanda" is derived from a song, or sea shantySea shanty
A shanty is a type of work song that was once commonly sung to accompany labor on board large merchant sailing vessels. Shanties became ubiquitous in the 19th century era of the wind-driven packet and clipper ships...
, titled "Amanda fra [from] Haugesund". Supposedly the song in turn refers to a real woman from the 1920s – a lone mother who made a living from selling liquor to sailors during the prohibition period.
The figurine that is awarded to prize winners originated from a competition held by the local newspaper Haugesunds Avis
Haugesunds Avis
Haugesunds Avis is a daily newspaper published in Haugesund, Norway, but with branches in Bømlo, Kopervik, Odda, Sauda and Stord.Founded in 1895, it is today owned by the investment group Mecom Group, and is as such part of the media group Edda Media. In 2006, Haugesunds Avis had a circulation of...
in 1985, to create a sculpture of the legendary Amanda. The competition was won by Kristian Kvakland
Kristian Kvakland
Kristian Kvakland is a Norwegian sculptor and artist. Among his most famous works is the bronze Amanda-statue of the annual Amanda awards. The statuette originally weighed 4.5 kg, but has since been slimmed down to 2.5 kg. His works are also represented in a number of public art...
from Nesodden
Nesodden
Nesodden is a municipality in Akershus county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Follo. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Nesoddtangen. The parish of Næsodden was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838...
in Akershus
Akershus
- Geography :The county is conventionally divided into the traditional districts Follo and Romerike, which fill the vast part of the county, as well as the small exclave west of Oslo that consists of Asker and Bærum...
. The full-size sculpture now stands outside the newspaper's office, but a miniature version was adopted as a trophy for the Amanda Award. The figurine is 30 cm (11.81 in) tall, with a skirt measuring 14 cm (5.51 in) in diameter. While the current sculpture is hollow and weighs 2.5 kg (5.51 lbs), for the first few years it was made of solid metal. Weighing in at 4.5 kg (9.92 lbs) it was difficult to hoist for many winners.
It was one of these prizes that, in the year 1986, was won by director Anja Breien
Anja Breien
Anja Breien is a Norwegian film director and screenwriter. She directed 14 films between 1969 and 2005. Her film Arven was entered into the 1979 Cannes Film Festival.-Filmography:* Uten tittel...
, who decided to sell it through a newspaper advert, as a protest against that year's budget cuts for Norwegian film. The Swedish Film Institute
Swedish Film Institute
The Swedish Film Institute was founded in 1963 to support and develop the Swedish film industry. The institute is housed in the Filmhuset building located in Gärdet, Östermalm in Stockholm...
, which had experienced similar cuts and sympathized, bought the sculpture. In 2005, as Breien was presented with an honorary award, she was also given back the original sculpture by former Minister of Culture
Minister of Culture and Church Affairs (Norway)
The Norwegian Minister of Culture and Church Affairs is the head of the Royal Norwegian Ministry of Culture and Church Affairs.-Minister of Culture and Science:-Minister of Culture and Church Affairs:-Minister of Culture:...
and director of the Swedish Film Institute, Åse Kleveland
Åse Kleveland
Åse Maria Kleveland is a Swedish-Norwegian singer and politician.A well-known folk singer and traditional guitarist in Norway, she was appointed Minister of Culture in Norway from 1990 to 1996, representing the Labour Party under the Gro Harlem Brundtland administration...
.
Show
The award show has long been a central point of the film festival, as well as a major television event for the whole of Norway. Particularly in earlier years, international stars were sometimes brought in to enhance the prestige of the event. Examples of this are Roger MooreRoger Moore
Sir Roger George Moore KBE , is an English actor, perhaps best known for portraying British secret agent James Bond in seven films from 1973 to 1985. He also portrayed Simon Templar in the long-running British television series The Saint.-Early life:Moore was born in Stockwell, London...
, who was a special guest at the very first ceremony in 1985, and Diana Ross
Diana Ross
Diana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, record producer, and actress. Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that included successful ventures into film and Broadway...
in 1987, then married to Norwegian entrepreneur Arne Næss, Jr. Other international names appearing in the show as presenters have included Ned Beatty
Ned Beatty
Ned Thomas Beatty is an American actor who has appeared in more than 100 films and has been nominated for an Academy Award, two Emmy Awards, an MTV Movie Award for Best Villain and a Golden Globe Award; won a Drama Desk Award....
, Lauren Bacall
Lauren Bacall
Lauren Bacall is an American film and stage actress and model, known for her distinctive husky voice and sultry looks.She first emerged as leading lady in the Humphrey Bogart film To Have And Have Not and continued on in the film noir genre, with appearances in The Big Sleep and Dark Passage ,...
, Jon Voight
Jon Voight
Jonathan Vincent "Jon" Voight is an American actor. He has received an Academy Award, out of four nominations, and three Golden Globe Awards, out of nine nominations. Voight is the father of actress Angelina Jolie....
, Brian Cox, Jeremy Irons
Jeremy Irons
Jeremy John Irons is an English actor. After receiving classical training at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, Irons began his acting career on stage in 1969, and has since appeared in many London theatre productions including The Winter's Tale, Macbeth, Much Ado About Nothing, The Taming of the...
, Ben Kingsley
Ben Kingsley
Sir Ben Kingsley, CBE is a British actor. He has won an Oscar, BAFTA, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild awards in his career. He is known for starring as Mohandas Gandhi in the film Gandhi in 1982, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor...
and Pierce Brosnan
Pierce Brosnan
Pierce Brendan Brosnan, OBE is an Irish actor, film producer and environmentalist. After leaving school at 16, Brosnan began training in commercial illustration, but trained at the Drama Centre in London for three years...
.
The show has in recent years been hosted by prominent Norwegian comedians. Jon Almaas
Jon Almaas
Jon Almaas is a Norwegian TV-host, best known from the weekly comedy Nytt på nytt, which he has presented from the beginning of 1999....
, known from the TV-show "Nytt på nytt
Nytt på nytt
Nytt på nytt is a Norwegian version of the British comedy programme Have I Got News for You, by the production company Hat Trick Productions. The programme is aired weekly on Friday nights. The show is a competition between two panels, where one panelist is permanent, and the other is a guest. The...
", played host for several years in the early 2000s. Thomas Giertsen
Thomas Giertsen
Thomas Giertsen is a Norwegian producer, stand-up comedian and actor from Oslo.He runs a production company named Feelgood Scene, Film & TV...
, known as a stand-up
Stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy is a comedic art form. Usually, a comedian performs in front of a live audience, speaking directly to them. Their performances are sometimes filmed for later release via DVD, the internet, and television...
comedian and from several TV-shows, has hosted the show in recent years. An episode that received some media attention in 2005 was when host Marit Åslein and Minister of Culture and Church Affairs
Minister of Culture and Church Affairs (Norway)
The Norwegian Minister of Culture and Church Affairs is the head of the Royal Norwegian Ministry of Culture and Church Affairs.-Minister of Culture and Science:-Minister of Culture and Church Affairs:-Minister of Culture:...
from the Christian conservative party KrF, Valgerd Svarstad Haugland
Valgerd Svarstad Haugland
Valgerd Svarstad Haugland is a former Minister of Culture and Church Affairs and former leader of the Christian Democratic Party in Norway between 1995 and 2004, to which also former Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik belongs....
, kissed on stage as part of a humorous routine.
Awards and winners
The only actor ever to have won four Amanda Awards is Bjørn SundquistBjørn Sundquist
Bjørn Richard Sundquist is a Norwegian actor, famous for TV, theatre, and movie roles.For many years he worked at Det Norske Teatret and Nationaltheateret in Oslo, and he is especially famous for the roles as Merlin and Hamlet....
. These were awarded for the movies Over grensen (1987), Søndagsengler
The Other Side of Sunday
The Other Side of Sunday is a Norwegian film from 1996 directed by Berit Nesheim, starring Marie Theisen and Bjørn Sundquist....
(1996) and Sejer - se deg ikke tilbake (2000), as well as an Honorary Award in 2000. Also Ane Dahl Torp
Ane Dahl Torp
Ane Dahl Torp is a Norwegian actress. Her first film appearance was in The Woman of My Life . She has received an Amanda award for her roles both as Trude Eriksen in Svarte penger, hvite løgner , and as Nina Skåtøy in the film Gymnaslærer Pedersen .Torp was named a "Shooting Star" at the Berlin...
has won three awards for specific acting roles; she won Best Actress for her roles in Svarte penger - hvite løgner (2004) and Gymnaslærer Pedersen (2006), and was the first ever to receive the newly created award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her effort in Lønsj in 2008. Sverre Anker Ousdal
Sverre Anker Ousdal
Sverre Anker Ousdal is a Norwegian actor born in Flekkefjord, Norway.-Biography:Ousdal made his debut in 1965 at Den Nationale Scene in Bergen...
has also been named Best Actor twice, for Kreditorene in 1990 and Blodsbånd in 1998, and won the Honorary Award in 2009. Nils Ole Oftebro, Espen Skjønberg
Espen Skjønberg
Espen Skjønberg is an actor of stage, screen and television.He made his first movie appearance as a child in the 1937 Norwegian classic Fant. His stage debut came reciting poetry at the Norwegian theatre Chat Noir in 1945...
and Anneke von der Lippe
Anneke von der Lippe
Anneke von der Lippe is a Norwegian actress.She graduated from the Norwegian National Academy of Theatre in 1988, and has since acted both at Det Norske Teatret and at Nationaltheatret , in roles such as "Nora" in Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House, "Masja" in Anton Chekhov's Three Sisters, and...
have all been honoured twice each – Oftebro and Skjønberg once as lead actors and once as supporting actors. Among the directors, Ola Solum
Ola Solum
Ola Solum was a Norwegian film director. In 1983 he directed the documentary Camera Goes. He was known for directing the film...
, Nils Gaup
Nils Gaup
-Career:Gaup was born in Kautokeino, Finnmark County in Northern Norway. He first intended to become an athlete but from 1974 to 1978 he went to drama school and studied at the Beaivváš Sámi Theatre in Kautokeino...
, Berit Nesheim
Berit Nesheim
Berit Nesheim is Norwegian film director. Nesheim graduated from the University of Oslo in foreign languages, literature and psychology to go on to a career as a director of television films. Her first feature-film was Frida - Straight from the Heart in 1991, which was the Norwegian entry to the...
and Bent Hamer
Bent Hamer
Bent Hamer is a film director, writer and producer, born in Sandefjord, Norway in 1956.-Biography:Hamer studied film theory and literature at the University of Stockholm and the Stockholm Film School. In addition to his feature films, he has written and directed a number of short films and...
have each received two awards. Erik Gustavson has the rare distinction of having won in three different categories: for best film and best documentary, in addition to winning the special "Nordic Amanda" in 1993. This is an accomplishment also Kjersti Holmen
Kjersti Holmen
Kjersti Holmen is a Norwegian actress.She was born on Nøtterøy, and later moved to Alnabru, where she grew up with her parents and two sisters. She graduated from the Norwegian National Academy of Theatre in 1980, and has been employed at the National Theatre since 1981 – permanently since...
can claim, for winning the Best Actress award in 2000, Best Supporting Role in 1993, and the Honorary Award in 2009. The only film to have won the three main awards – best film, best actor and best actress – is Budbringeren
Junk Mail (film)
Junk Mail is a Norwegian film made in 1997. The film won many awards including Best Actress for Eli Anne Linnestad, Best Actor for Robert Skjærstad and Best Film for Pål Sletaune at the Amanda Awards in Norway and the Mercedes-Benz award at the Cannes Film Festival.The film makes evocative use of...
in 1997.
- Best Norwegian FilmFilmA film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
in Theatrical Release - Best DirectorFilm directorA film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
(for films in theatrical release) - The People’s Amanda (audience vote)
- Best ActorActorAn actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
- Best Actress
- Best Actor in a Supporting Role
- Best Actress in a Supporting Role
- Best Children’s and Youth FilmChildren's filmA children's film is a film aimed for children as its audience. As opposed to a family film, no special effort is made to make the film attractive for other audiences. The film may or may not be about children. In Unshrinking the Kids: Children's Cinema and the Family Film which is a chapter in In...
- Best Original ScreenplayScreenplayA screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated...
- Best Cinematography
- Best Sound Design
- Best Music
- Best Editing
- Best Production Design / Scenography
- Best Visual Effects
- Best Short Film
- Best DocumentaryDocumentary filmDocumentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
- The foreign film of the year in Theatrical Release
- The Amanda Committee's Golden ClapperClapperboardA clapperboard is a device used in filmmaking and video production to assist in the synchronizing of picture and sound, and to designate and mark particular scenes and takes recorded during a production...
(technical award) - The Amanda Committee's Honorary Award
External links
- Official site.
- Full list of winners.
- The Amanda Awards on IMDb.
- Statue of the Amanda sculpture outside of Haugesunds AvisHaugesunds AvisHaugesunds Avis is a daily newspaper published in Haugesund, Norway, but with branches in Bømlo, Kopervik, Odda, Sauda and Stord.Founded in 1895, it is today owned by the investment group Mecom Group, and is as such part of the media group Edda Media. In 2006, Haugesunds Avis had a circulation of...
.