Ingvar Kenne collects best director prize at 10th Snowdance Festival for debut feature ‘The Land’

Australian advertising’s favourite Swedish import, Ingvar Kenne, has nabbed the Best Director prize at the 10^th staging of Europe’s premiere independent film festival.

Hosted in Landsberg am Lech in Germany, Snowdance is a major European showcase for films produced without the assistance of state funding, nor the influence of major studios or networks.

The Land follows the lives of three characters over several tense days following the sudden reappearance of an old friend. A story of a friendship tested by a very dark secret with a storyline that fractures into two distinct parallel narratives.

The film features Anna Lise Phillips (Animal Kingdom, The Boys) and Steve Rodgers (Rush) who wrote the film with co-star Cameron Stewart. Working with Ingvar, Rogers and Stewart honed the film’s story, building a scene-by-scene treatment of the film. All dialogue in the film was then improvised, giving it a raw authenticity and intensity.

In awarding the prize, the jury commented: “Ingvar leads the brilliant actors through The Land with intense intimacy. The landscape itself takes on another role. A different kind of civilisation is the focus here as the landscape becomes a catalyst for emotions, a path that shows the actors the way out of their conflicts.”

Local distribution details have yet to be finalised off the back of its European festival run. The Pool Collective will host an initial Sydney premiere in the coming months – further details will be provided closer to the screening.

For all commercial commissions: cameron@thepoolcollective.com

View the trailer: https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/311384569

Microsite: www.thelandthemovie.com