Amanda (award)

Infobox award
name = Amanda Award


imagesize = 145px
caption =
current_awards =
description = Excellence in Norwegian film.
presenter = Norwegian International Film Festival
country = Norway
year = 1985
website = http://www.filmweb.no/filmfestivalen2007/english/amanda/article130702.ece?language=english

The Amanda Award ( _no. Amandaprisen) 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.

History

The Amanda Award was instituted in 1985 as part of the Norwegian International Film Festival "to increase the quality of and further the interest for Norwegian films".cite web | url = http://www.filmweb.no/filmfestivalen2007/english/amanda/article130702.ece?language=english | title = Amanda Award | publisher = The Norwegian International Film Festival | author = | date = | accessdate = 2008-01-16] The year 1993 marked an exception to the norm, when the so-called "Nordic Amanda" included contribution from all the Nordic countries.cite web | url = http://www.filmweb.no/filmfestivalen2007/english/amanda/article130703.ece?language=english | title = The history of Amanda | publisher = The Norwegian International Film Festival | author = | date = | accessdate = 2008-01-16] [cite web | url = http://imdb.com/Sections/Awards/Amanda_Awards_Norway/1993 | title = Amanda Awards, Norway: 1993 | publisher = IMDb | author = | date = | accessdate = 2008-01-16] 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.no icon cite web | url = http://www.aftenposten.no/kul_und/film/article1065830.ece | title = Amanda blir ren filmpris | publisher = Aftenposten | author = Lars Ditlev Hansen | date = 2005-06-23 | accessdate = 2008-01-16] 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. [no icon cite web | url = http://www.nrk.no/underholdning/4997807.html | title = NRK bryter med Amanda | publisher = Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation | author = Leif Gjerstad | date = 2005-08-26 | accessdate = 2008-01-16] no icon cite web | url = http://pub.tv2.no/dyn-TV2/tv2/article1278677.ece | title = Amandaklar Giertsen | publisher = TV 2 (Norway) | author = Bjarne Laastad | date = 2007-08-09 | accessdate = 2008-01-16]

In the year 2007, a "People's Amanda" ("Folket's Amanda") was awarded for the first time, where the winner was arrived at by popular vote. [no icon cite web | url = http://www.side2.no/film/article1153268.ece | title = Her er Amanda-nominasjonene | publisher = TV 2 (Norway) | author = | date = 2007-06-26 | accessdate = 2008-01-16] The first winner of the award was the horror movie "Fritt Vilt", directed by Roar Uthaug. [no icon cite web | url = http://www.dagbladet.no/kultur/2007/08/17/509226.html | title = Tre priser til "Reprise" | publisher = Dagbladet | author = Ralf Lofstad | date = 2007-08-17 | accessdate = 2008-01-16]

culpture

The name "Amanda" is derived from a song, or sea shanty, titled "Amanda fra" [from] "Haugesund". [no icon cite web | url = http://www.haugesund.kommune.no/cgi-bin/haugesund/imaker?id=20984 | title = Amanda fra Haugesund (lyrics) | publisher = Haugesund municipality | author = Lars Raknes | date = | accessdate = 2008-01-16] 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. [no icon cite web | url = http://www.dagbladet.no/kultur/2005/12/15/452360.html | title = Fikk Amandaen tilbake etter 16 år | publisher = Dagbladet | author = John Rasmussen | date = 2005-12-15 | accessdate = 2008-01-16]

how

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 Moore, 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. [no icon cite web | url = http://www.dagbladet.no/tekstarkiv/artikkel.php?id=5001990051522&tag=item&words=amanda%3Bdiana%3Bross | title = Diana Ross (55) arrestert etter puppekrangel på Heathrow flyplass | publisher = Dagbladet | author = Tom Stalsberg | date = 1999-09-23 | accessdate = 2008-01-16]

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. [no icon cite web | url = http://www.nfi.no/nyenorske/_nyheter/vis.html?id=670 | title = Mye norsk under årets Haugesund-festival | publisher = Norsk Filminstitutt | author = | date = 2003-08-11 | accessdate = 2008-01-16] 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. [no icon cite web | url = http://www.dagbladet.no/kultur/2005/08/26/441539.html | title = Valgerd fikk Amanda-kysset | publisher = Dagbladet | author = | date = 2005-08-26 | accessdate = 2008-01-16]

Awards and winners

The only actor ever to have won four Amanda Awards is Bjørn Sundquist. 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, Nils Ole Oftebro, Espen Skjønberg, Anneke von der Lippe, and Kjersti Holmen have all been honoured twice each – Oftebro, Skjønberg and Holmen 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. [Solum's second win came after the award for best director was created in 2005. Nesheim won once for best children's film as well as once in the "Best Film" category.] 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. The only film to have won the three main awards – best film, best actor and best actress – is "Budbringeren" in 1997.cite web|url=http://www.filmweb.no/filmfestivalen2007/multimedia/archive/00115/Amandavinnere_1985__115375a.pdf|title=AMANDA-VINNERE 1985-2006|publisher=Filmweb.no|author=|date=|accessdate=2008-03-02]

As of 2008, the categories awarded were:
* People's Amanda (popular vote)
* Best Film (Norwegian)
* Best Director
* Best Actor
* Best Actress
* Best Actor in a Supporting Role
* Best Actress in a Supporting Role
* Best Children's Film
* Best Original Screenplay
* Best Short Film
* Best Documentary
* Best Film (International)
* The Amanda Committee's Golden Clapper (technical award)
* The Amanda Committee's Honorary Award

References

External links

* [http://www.filmweb.no/filmfestivalen2007/english/amanda/article130702.ece?language=english Official site.]
* [http://www.filmweb.no/filmfestivalen2007/multimedia/archive/00115/Amandavinnere_1985__115375a.pdf Full list of winners.]
* [http://imdb.com/Sections/Awards/Amanda_Awards_Norway/ The Amanda Awards] on IMDb.
* [http://www.haugesund.net/hfoto/fototurer/statuer/1.htm Statue of the Amanda sculpture] outside of Haugesunds Avis.