At the Sundance closing ceremony on Saturday, "Teddy Bear" was honoured with the award for best direction in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition. The film is Mads Matthiesen's feature debut.
"Teddy Bear" is the story of a man, bodybuilder Dennis (international champion Kim Kold) who lives alone with his dominating mother and wants desperately to find true love. He decides to try out his luck in Thailand and travels to Pattaya to find his coming bride.
Mads Matthiesen participated at Sundance with his short film "Dennis" in 2008, also with Kim Kold in the lead.
Read interview: A Meek Giant
In the World Cinema Documentary Competition Lise Birk Pedersen's "Putin's Kiss" won the award for best cinematography (Lars Skree, DP on "Armadillo"). "Putin's Kiss" follows a young Russian woman who has risen high in the pro Putin youth organisation Nashi, but slowly comes to doubt the true ideals of the movement.
"Putin's Kiss" enjoyed its world premiere in the feature-length competition at IDFA.
Read interview: A Kiss with a Price Tag
In the US Documentary Competition, Lauren Greenfield's "The Queen of Versailles" won the award for best direction. The film is co-produced by Danish Mette Heide of Plus Pictures.
All three films are supported by the Danish Film Institute.