Danish director Susanne Bier was awarded the Golden Alexander in her absence for the entire body of her work at a special honorary ceremony held on Friday, December 10th at Olympion Theater, in the presence of the Festival Director, Mr. Dimitri Eipides, within the framework of the 51st Thessaloniki International Film Festival.
“The New Horizons section of this Festival brought the audience in contact with the work of Susanne Bier for the first time. She is a director endowed with a genuine sensitivity, who always focuses on human relations in her films. Sudden twists, unexpected factors, changes in human life run through her work”, pointed out Mr. Eipides and welcomed the audience to the event.
The director did not manage to attend the ceremony, as severe snowfalls have paralyzed Central Europe and led to the cancellation of outbound flights from Denmark. She did sent a videotaped message through which she thanked the Thessaloniki International Film Festival for honoring her. “I thank the Festival for this important award. Movies from small countries are not only a chance to see beautiful pictures and interesting characters, but constitute a portrait of the culture of people and countries we know little of, as well. They are a gift that helps us understand and get acquainted with a distant reality. For about two hours, we have the opportunity to open a window to another world, with the hope that in the end, we will all grasp the idea that, despite living in a different way, we all are alike, as we are all human beings”.
Danish Ambassador in Greece Mr. Tom Norring received the Golden Alexander on behalf of Susanne Bier. He thanked the Thessaloniki International Film Festival and pointed out that he feels proud that a small country such as Denmark, has succeeded over the last years in providing fertile soil for the cultivation of cinematic expression. “Our films may not have the glamour of Hollywood films, but we are very happy to have eminent directors such as Lars von Trier, Thomas Vinterberg, and of course, Susanne Bier. On behalf of the director, as well as of all Danish filmmakers, I thank you once again for this award”, stressed Mr. Norring.
The honorary ceremony was followed by the screening of Susanne Bier’s latest film entitled In a better world, Denmark’s nominee for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
