Sundance Film Festival: Three awards for Swiss coproduction HIVE
03.02.2021
The feature-film debut HIVE garnered no less than three awards at the prestigious US Sundance Film Festival on Wednesday evening: the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic / Audience Award: World Cinema Dramatic / Directing Award: World Cinema Dramatic
HIVE was one of the 10 films selected for screening in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition. The film is a coproduction by Alva Film Production (Britta Rindelaub) and RTS, together with Kosovo (Ikonë Studio, Industria Film), North Macedonia (Black Cat Production) and Albania (Albasky Film).
SWISS FILMS supported World Sales LevelK ApS - Film & TV Distribution from Denmark with the online campaign at the Sundance Film Festival as part of the Film Sales Support measure.
In HIVE Director Blerta Basholli tells the story of Fahrije (Yllka Gashi), who struggles against the patriarchal village structures to keep her family afloat with a small farm since her husband disappeared in the Kosovo War.
Geneva-based Alva Film Production is well known for its auteur films and promotes the work of up-and-coming directors with its productions. Their documentary film WAKE UP ON MARS was selected for screening at the Tribeca Film Festival last year.
Last year the Swiss coproduction YALDA, A NIGHT FOR FORGIVENESS, coproduced by Geneva-based Close Up Films, won the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize in the same section of the Sundance Film Festival. In 2018 Christian Frei‘s documentary film GENESIS was honoured with the World Cinema Documentary Award for Cinematography.
The Sundance Film Festival is considered the most important North American platform for independent American and international productions. This year the festival was held mainly virtually or decentralized in select arthouse cinemas in the USA.
SWISS FILMS, February 3, 2021