By MCN Editor editor@moviecitynews.com
JENS ASSUR WINS 2012 SUNDANCE/NHK INTERNATIONAL FILMMAKER AWARD
MEDIA ALERT
WHAT:
Sundance Institute and NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) have announced Jens Assur, director of the upcoming film, Close Far Away, as winner of the 2012 Sundance/NHK International Filmmaker Award.
Created in 1996 to celebrate 100 years of cinema, the annual award recognizes and supports a visionary filmmaker on his or her next film. Sundance Institute staff works closely with the winner throughout the year, providing creative and strategic support through the development, financing and production of their films.
Two films previously supported by this award are screening at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival: Beasts of the Southern Wild, by Benh Zeitlin, and Elena, by Russian filmmaker Andrei Zvyagintsev.
WHO:
Jens Assur is a renowned photographic artist. His latest project, “Hunger,” consisting of five unique photographic books, created great attention in Sweden when it was released in 2010. His writing and directing debut, The Last Dog in Rwanda, won numerous awards all over the world, including First Prize or Grand Prix at Clermont-Ferrand, Tribeca, Sydney, Rome and Palm Springs. His short film Killing the Chickens to Save the Monkeys, is currently playing at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival.
Close Far Away is a compelling contemporary drama thriller of individuals in Africa and Europe who are put in vulnerable situations and whose actions carry personal and global consequences. Five interlocking stories converge and reveal a complex and unique story of the lives of seemingly random people around the world, showing just how connected we really are.
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