Steen Langstrup's Blog, page 2

‘Finale’ screening on MOTEL X in Portugal

[image error]Portugal is next, ‘Finale’ is screening at the Motel X – Lisbon International Horror Film Festival this weekend. On top of that, ‘Finale’ is for the second time nominated for the european horror award Méliès Competion at Motel X.

‘Finale’ is based upon my novella ‘All The Things She Wished She Didn’t Understand’ which can be found in English as an e-book most everywhere, and in German titled ‘Finale’ both as e-book and paperback.

Motel X is the twelfth international film festival to screen ‘Finale’. Before this, ‘Finale’ has won the Best Feature Award at the HorrorHound Film Festival, Cincinnati, USA, Best Feature – with a hope of survival at the DROP Film Festival, Moscow, Russia, Best Horror Feature at Motor City Nightmares, Detroit, USA, and Anne Bergfeld won Best Actress Award at Horrant Film Festival, Athens, Greece. Besides those four awards ‘Finale’ was also nominated in the Méliès Competion at the BIFFF Film Festival in Brussels, Belgium, to six awards at Filmquest, Utah, USA and made the Official Selection at FrigthFest Film Festival, Glascow, UK, Filmlinc Scary Movies XII, New York, USA, Macabro, Mexico, Night Visions, Helsinki, Finland and Fantafestival, Rome, Italy.

 

Visit Motel X here.

Read more about the book here.

‘Finale’ nominated for six awards at Filmquest

[image error]‘Finale’ has been nominated for no less than six awards at the American film festival Filmquest 2019.

Filmquest is situated in Provo, Utah, USA, and runs from september 6th to 14th. ‘Finale’ will be screening on monday the 9th.

The six nominations are in the following categories:

Best director, Søren Juul Petersen

Best actress, Anne Bergfeld

Best supporting actress, Karin Michelsen

Best supporting actor, Damon Younger

Best make-up, Martin Hansen & Romina Alvarez Schultz

Best costumes, Malene Karenkewitch

[image error]‘Finale’ is based upon my novella ‘All The Things She Wished She Didn’t Understand’ which can be found in English as an e-book most everywhere, and in German titled ‘Finale’ both as e-book and paperback.

Filmquest is the eleventh international film festival to screen ‘Finale’. Before this, ‘Finale’ has won the Best Feature Award at the HorrorHound Film Festival, Cincinnati, USA, Best Feature – with a hope of survival at the DROP Film Festival, Moscow, Russia, Best Horror Feature at Motor City Nightmares, Detroit, USA, and Anne Bergfeld won Best Actress Award at Horrant Film Festival, Athens, Greece. Besides those four awards ‘Finale’ was also nominated in the Méliès Competion at the BIFFF Film Festival in Brussels, Belgium and made the Official Selection at FrigthFest Film Festival, Glascow, UK, Filmlinc Scary Movies XII, New York, USA, Macabro, Mexico, Night Visions, Helsinki, Finland and Fantafestival, Rome, Italy.

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Visit Filmquest here.

Read more about the book here.

Mexican premiere at Macabro Film Festival

[image error] ‘Finale’ has just had its mexican premiere at the Macabro Film Festival this weekend. Macbro marks the tenth official selection for ‘Finale’.

‘Finale’ is based upon my novella ‘All The Things She Wished She Didn’t Understand’ which can be found in English as an e-book most everywhere, and in German titled ‘Finale’ both as e-book and paperback.

Before this, ‘Finale’ has won the Best Feature Award at the HorrorHound Film Festival, Cincinnati, USA, Best Feature – with a hope of survival at the DROP Film Festival, Moscow, Russia, Best Horror Feature at Motor City Nightmares, Detroit, USA, and Anne Bergfeld won Best Actress Award at Horrant Film Festival, Athens, Greece. Besides those four awards ‘Finale’ was also nominated in the Méliès Competion at the BIFFF Film Festival in Brussels, Belgium and made the Official Selection at FrigthFest Film Festival, Glascow, UK, Filmlinc Scary Movies, New York, USA, Night Visions, Helsinki, Finland and Fantafestival, Rome, Italy.

Visit Macabro here.

Read more about the book here.

‘Finale’ will be screening on Scary Movies XII in New York

[image error]Tomorrow, on wednesday august the 21st, ‘Finale’ will be screening at Filmlinc Scary Movies XII in New York, USA as part of the festival’s official selection. Filmlinc Scary Movies XII is the ninth international film festival to screen ‘Finale’, and the third American.

‘Finale’ is based upon my novella ‘All The Things She Wished She Didn’t Understand’ which can be found in English as an e-book most everywhere, and in German titled ‘Finale’ both as e-book and paperback.

Before this, ‘Finale’ has won the Best Feature Award at the HorrorHound Film Festival, Cincinnati, USA, Best Feature – with a hope of survival at the DROP Film Festival, Moscow, Russia, Best Horror Feature at Motor City Nightmares, Detroit, USA, and Anne Bergfeld won Best Actress Award at Horrant Film Festival, Athens, Greece. Besides those four awards ‘Finale’ was also nominated in the Méliès Competion at the BIFFF Film Festival in Brussels, Belgium and made the Official Selection at FrigthFest Film Festival, Glascow, UK, Night Visions, Helsinki, Finland and Fantafestival, Rome, Italy.

Visit FILMLINC SCARY MOVIES XII here.

Read more about the book here.

FINALE, behind the scenes

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Karin Michelsen who plays Belinda in ‘Finale’ smiling through her make-up wounds.

One of the exciting things about having a book filmed is to visit the movie set and see the characters that was born in your own imagination come to life in the shape of talented actors.

When a few of the scenes in the film ‘Finale’ were shot at a location here in Copenhagen, I was happy to be there.

Those scenes where shot behind the old B&W shipyard. The shipyard was closed many years ago, however the large buildings are still there and are being used for different purposes. If you have ever been to Copenhagen, you may very well know the place. It’s the large buildings across the water from The Little Mermaid statue that most turists visit.

It was a sunny evening. We were joking. The actors in full stage make up, clamps in their faces and smeared blood everywhere. I have always admired the way actors one second can just be themselves, and the next second, when the camera starts rolling, be someone completely different.

So, how does it feel to have your book filmed?

So far, I have had two books filmed. ‘Kat’ back in 2001 and ‘Finale’, based upon my novella ‘All The Things She Wished She Didn’t Understand’, and like many writers before me, to be filmed was an almost impossible dream to begin with.

Still, when I wrote ‘Kat’, back in my early 20s, people around me were joking about me ever believing it would be published. ‘Kat’ was my first attempt at writing a novel. And I had trouble spelling my own address. That didn’t stop me from dreaming, and I even had the leading actors in mind, as I wrote the book: Young female Hollywood stars of the early 90s: Winona Ryder and Bridget Fonda.

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The two films based upon my books: ‘Kat’ and ‘Finale’

Of course, not all dreams come true. ‘Kat’ was published in 1995, and filmed in 2001, however not by Hollywood and there were no major stars in the film. Danish actors Liv Corfixen (maybe best known for being the wife of director Nicolas Winding Refn) and Charlotte Munck (later the leading actress of the tv-series ‘Anna Pihl’) got the parts instead.

But it was filmed.

Time have teached me that that really is something. Several of my books have been sold for filming over the years and I have learned that selling movie rights is one thing, getting filmed is something completely different. I guess, one in maybe twenty or even twenty five movie projects make it to the actual filming.

So, feelings like impatience or even despair is a major part of the first (and too often only) steps of being filmed, followed by a feverish excitement in the rare case when the film is actually being made.

Then it’s a mix of exitement and a whole new selection of more troubled feelings. I have been lucky to be allowed to follow the work on both films rather closely. I have been on the sets, I have read the scripts along the way – and even participating in the script writing here and there, and I have been allowed to make a tiny cameo in both movies. And all that is of course thrilling to be part of. To see an old idea that once only existed inside your own imagination being the base of a real motion picture is of course an honor.

But still, it’s not all fun and excitement. To be honest. Because, along the way they change stuff in the story, and no matter how they do it, or if it even makes the story better to everyone else, it still feels a little like rape to you. You can tell yourself to act adult and you do, because this doesn’t happen to everyone, and you know it, and on top of that, if the movie becomes a hit it has the power to change your life like nothing else. But it’s hard at the same time, and at some point you realize that eventhough the story, the characters, everything came from you, it is no longer your work. It’s the director’s. A few sleepless nights is part of being filmed. Or worse.

I didn’t really like the movie ‘Kat’. I felt like most of the original feel and even the point of the story was lost. And eventhough several attempts to film other of my books followed, it was a long seventeen years wait until the next film was actually made. Luckily, I really like the new one, ‘Finale’, it has got the gritty feel of the book, the nerve, the stage loving torture clown. Things have change but the feeling is still there. It feels like my movie.

I am grateful for that.

Read the novella behind the award winning film ‘FINALE’

[image error]Have you read my novella ‘All The Things She Wished She Didn’t Understand’?

It’s the book behind the award winning Danish horror film ‘Finale’.

So far it has screened on eight international film festivals and won awards on half of them.

These are the awards:

‘Best Feature’, HorrorHound Film Fest, Cincinnati, USA, 2019.

‘Best Horror Feature’, Motor City Nigthmares, Detroit, USA, 2019.

‘Best Feature’, Drop, Moscow, Russia, 2019.

‘Best Actress’ (Anne Bergfeld), Horrorant Film Festival, Athens, Greece, 2019.

The book ifself was awarded ‘Best Danish Horror Publication 2011’ by Dansk Horrorselskab.

Read more about the book here.

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FANTAFESTIVAL

[image error]Tomorrow, on wednesday June the 12th ‘Finale’ will be screening at the Fantafestival in Rome, Italy as part of the festival’s official selection. Fantafestival is the eight international film festival to screen ‘Finale’.

‘Finale’ is based upon my novella ‘All The Things She Wished She Didn’t Understand’ which can be found in English as an e-book most everywhere, and in German titled ‘Finale’ both as e-book and paperback.

Before this, ‘Finale’ has won the Best Feature Award at the HorrorHound Film Festival, Cincinnati, USA, Best Feature – with a hope of survival at the DROP Film Festival, Moscow, Russia, Best Horror Feature at Motor City Nightmares, Detroit, USA, and Anne Bergfeld won Best Actress Award at Horrant Film Festival, Athens, Greece. Besides those four awards ‘Finale’ was also nominated in the Méliès Competion at the BIFFF Film Festival in Brussels, Belgium and made the Official Selection at FrigthFest Film Festival, Glascow, UK and Night Visions, Helsinki, Finland.

Visit FANTAFESTIVAL here.

Read more about the book here.

BEST ACTRESS

[image error]Last week, at The Horrorant Film Festival in Athens, Greece, lead actress Anne Bergfeld won the Best Actress Award for her performance in ‘Finale’.

Congratulations!

Anne Bergfeld stars as Agnes Berger in ‘Finale’, acting besides Karin Michelsen and Damin Younger.

Anne Bergfeld was also nominated Best Actress at the HorrorHound Film Festival ealier this year.

‘Finale’ is based upon my novella ‘All The Things She Wished She Didn’t Understand’ which can be found in English as an e-book most everywhere, and in German titled ‘Finale’ both as e-book and paperback.

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Anne Bergfeld as Agnes Berger in ‘Finale’.

Before this, ‘Finale’ has won the Best Feature Award at the HorrorHound Film Festival, Cincinnati, USA, Best Feature – with a hope of survival at the DROP Film Festival, Moscow, Russia, and Best Horror Feature at Motor City Nightmares, Detroit, USA. Besides those three awards it was also nominated to the Méliès Competion at the BIFFF Film Festival in Brussels, Belgium and made the Official Selection at FrigthFest Film Festival, Glascow, UK and Night Visions, Helsinki, Finland.

Visit Horrant Film Festival here.

Read more about the book here.

New book in German

[image error]Today, my second book in German, ‘Die Insel’, is released on Heyne Verlag. The book is translated by Sven-Eric Wehmeyer.

‘Die Insel’ is a translation of my Danish novel ‘Ø’. The Danish letter ‘Ø’ is a vowel, pronounced something like ‘oe’. Standing alone the letter also spells out the word ‘Island’ in Danish.

It’s a novel about a Danish couple abandoned to their destiny on a remote island somewhere in Southeast Asia. Two days later, only the man is alive.

— There is no Kematian National Park.

— What are you saying?

— Kematian National Park does not exist.

— Meaning what? I was rescued from the island. They found Selina’s corpse on the island. Of course, it exists!

…

— So, your story is that Selina Quist Hansen died of coral poisoning early in the morning of the 20th?

— It’s not ‘my story’, it’s what happened.

— The consulate has been in contact with the police and other authorities back home. They have obtained certain details about your past. It appears that you received a suspended sentence for violence twelve years ago.

…

— Let me tell you, not everyone who might claim innocence is innocent.

— I didn’t kill Selina. We were getting married. I had just proposed to her. You have to believe me. Do I look like a killer?

— …I need to know what happened on that island. How did the two of you end up alone on Kematian Island? How did she die? I need you to tell me the whole story, Noa. What happened? Why do the police think you killed her?

This is that story, told by Noa in his jail cell to a representative from the Danish Consulate. It’s a grim and unlikely story, not easy to believe.