Haugesund: Iram Haq picked up four top statuettes including Best Film and Best Director at Saturday evening’s Amanda film awards, beating Joachim Trier and Erik Poppe.

What Will People Say’s triumph had all the more significance for Iram Haq who was inspired by her personal harsh experience of growing up between the Pakistani and Norwegian cultures. “This has been an important film to make for me and it was important for me to find the courage to tell about my own story,” said the writer/director to nrk.no, adding: “I hope that the film will give hope to other women and girls, and that they will do as I did and follow their dreams.”

(READ OUR INTERVIEW WITH IRAM HAQ: CLICK HERE).

Joachim Trier’s psycho-thriller Thelma which had the most nominations (12), won Best Cinematography, Best Music and Best Editing, while Erik Poppe’s drama U-July 22, picked up two Amandas for the strong performances of the non-professional 20 year-old Andrea Berntzen and 17 year-old Solveig Koløen Birkeland, voted Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress respectively.

Norway’s top selling film of 2017, the survival WW2 drama The 12th Man by Harald Zwart, won the People’s Amanda as well as Best Sound Design and Best Visual Effects.

Nordisk Film & TV Fond was associated to 13 Amanda awards for What Will People Say, Thelma, U-July 22, The 12th Man and the documentary My Heart Belongs to Daddy.

Here is the full list of Amanda Awards 2018:

  • Best Norwegian Film in Theatrical Release What Will People Say (Hva vil folk si) by Iram Haq, produced by Maria Ekerhovd (Mer Film) 
  • Best Children’s Film Anchors Up-Boats to the Rescue (Elias og Storegaps hemmelighet) by Simen Alsvik and Will Ashurst, produced by Sigurd Slåttebrekk (Animando) 
  • Best Director Iram Haq –What Will People Say (Hva vil folk si)
  • Best Actress Andrea Berntzen –U – July 22 (Utøya 22 juli) by Erik Poppe
  • Best Actor Adil Hussain –What Will People Say (Hva vil folk si)
  • Best Actress in a Supporting Role Solveig Koløen Birkeland –U – July 22 (Utøya 22 juli)
  • Best Actor in a Supporting Role Ingar Helge Gimle –Going West (Rett vest) by Henrik Martin Dahlsbakken
  • Best Screenplay Iram Haq –What Will People Say (Hva vil folk si)
  • Best Cinematography Jakob Ihre –Thelma by Joachim Trier 
  • Best Art Direction/scenography Sebastian Ekeberg, Astrid Maria Sætren –The Monkey and the Mouth (Adjø Montebello) by Thea Hvistendahl 
  • Best visual effects Lars Erik Hansen (Gimpville), Morten Jacobsen (Storm Studios), Alexander Kadim (VARG Studios) and Arne Kaupang –The 12th Man (Den 12.mann) by Harald Zwart
  • Best Music Ola Fløttum –Thelma 
  • Best Editing Olivier Bugge Coutté –Thelma 
  • Best Sound Design Christian Schaanning –The 12th Man (Den 12.mann) 
  • Best Short Film No Man Is an Island– directed/produced by Ali Parandian for Anicca Pictures 
  • Best documentary My Heart Belongs to Daddy (Røverdatter) by Sofia Haugan, Indie Film 
  • Best Foreign Film in Theatrical Release Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri–by Martin McDonagh, distributed by Twentieth Century Fox Norway 
  • The People’s Amanda The 12th Man (Den 12.mann) – Produced by Aage Aaberge (Nordisk Film Production), Espen Horn (Motion Blur), Veslemøy Ruud Zwart (Zwart Arbeid) 
  • The Amanda Committee’s Golden Clapper Make up Artist Veslemøy Fosse Ree
  • The Amanda Committee Honorary Award author/writer Lars Saabye Christensen.