The 2006 Méliès d’Or Ceremony was dominated by a strong Nordic presence that paid off for the Danish film Adam’s Apples.

The tenth Méliès d’Or award, which is presented to the best European fantastic film 2006, has been awarded to the Danish director Anders Thomas Jensen’s film Adam’s Apples at the Espoo Ciné International Film Festival. The story depicts a battle of minds between a clergyman and a neo-Nazi, the film made its way through to the Méliès d’Or competition, held at Espoo Ciné, after having won the Méliès d’Argent award at the Brussels International Festival of Fantastic Film in March 2006.

Led by director Petri Kotwica, the ten-strong international jury picked the winner from a group of ten finalists. The jury described Adam’s Apples as “a magical story that is both comforting and tinted with a touch of dark humor: From the director to the actors, the entire crew deserves the jury’s praises. This truly surprising film reminds us that there is a wide grey area between good and evil in which we have the opportunity to grow and make decisions.”

The high quality of this year’s Nordic entrants is highlighted by the jury’s decision to present a Special Mention to the Norwegian film Next Door, directed by Pål Sletaune:”This clearly talented director and his crew have managed to translate a horror story that stems from everyday life into the language of cinema.” The psycho-sexual thriller won the Méliès d’Argent award at the Cinénygma Luxembourg International Film Festival in November 2005.

The Méliès d’Or short films award was presented to the film Starfly, directed by Beryl Koltz. The jury described the film as “an imaginative fantasy with a deeply human, touching and funny core. This colorful film has a plot that is highly ambitious in its structure, but still clear, and it leaves the audience plenty of room for drawing their own conclusions.” Starfly was selected for the Méliès d’Or competition at the Cinénygma Luxembourg International Film Festival.

The 2006 Méliès d’Or Ceremony was hosted by Espoo Ciné International Film Festival, and organized through The European Fantastic Film Festivals Federation with support from the Media Plus program. More information and press images at Melies.org