Applaus
Encyclopedia
Applause is a 2009 Danish film starring Paprika Steen
from director/co-writer Martin Peter Zandvliet and Koncern Film. The story relates actress Thea Barfoed’s (Paprika Steen
) journey to reclaim her life and her family from the ravages of alcoholism and divorce.
(Thea Barfoed) is best known for her performance in Thomas Vinterberg’s The Celebration
(1998), while in Denmark she has long been a leading star of stage and screen. According to director Martin Pieter Zandvliet, the role of Thea was written directly for Steen. Applaus features authentic footage from a Copenhagen production of "Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" where Steen won critical acclaim.
Christian, Thea's ex-husband, is played by Michael Falch, a singer/songwriter best known for his 30 years fronting the Danish rock band, Malurt. He made his acting debut in 1983 in Søren Kragh Jacobsens Isfugle, for which he received a Bodil Award nomination. Three years later, he was awarded a Bodil for his lead role in Mord i Mørket (Murder in the Dark), and has since occasionally performed in films and TV serials like the Emmy-winning “Rejseholdet” (“Unit One”).
in July 2009 and continuing on the international festival circuit, Applaus received critical acclaim and was recognized with numerous awards. CNN
's Neil Curry named the picture as one of four Danish films to watch, film critic Roger Ebert
called Paprika Steen's performance “extraordinary," Variety's Alyssa Simon hailed it as "fearless and tour-de-force", The Los Angeles Times' Betsy Sharkey called Paprika Steen
's performance "Deeply affecting...unflinchingly real." Entertainment Weekly
' Lisa Schwarzbaum said ""Paprika Steen brings a thrilling emotional nakedness and...unsentimental honesty to the part." and The New York Times
' Karen Durbin called Paprika Steen
's performance "one of the best screen performances of the year".
released the film theatrically on December 3, 2010 in Los Angeles and had a wider release in Los Angeles and New York on January 21, 2011. The film was shown at the European Union Film Festival on March 20 and 23, 2011 and River City Cinema,Maine on April 8, 2011. The film will be shown at the Minneapolis/ St. Paul International Film Festival on April 21 and 24, 2011. A general run in South Florida began on April 22nd, 2011, and in Austin, San Antonio, & Denver on September 16, 2011.
Paprika Steen
Paprika Steen is a Danish actress and film director best known for her performances in the films Festen, The Idiots and Open Hearts...
from director/co-writer Martin Peter Zandvliet and Koncern Film. The story relates actress Thea Barfoed’s (Paprika Steen
Paprika Steen
Paprika Steen is a Danish actress and film director best known for her performances in the films Festen, The Idiots and Open Hearts...
) journey to reclaim her life and her family from the ravages of alcoholism and divorce.
Plot
Critically acclaimed, alcoholic actress Thea Barfoed has gone through turmoil, resulting in a divorce and the loss of custody of her two boys. Eager to break with the past, regain control over her life, and get her children back, she uses charm and manipulation to persuade her ex-husband, Christian, that she is ready and able to take back the mantle of motherhood; but ironically, she has not completely convinced herself. On stage, Thea plays Martha, the aggressive and wounded wife in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Off stage, the actress is mixed up in a drama that has many of the same tragic, toxic ingredients. As Thea contends with the rigorous demands of stage life and a past that haunts her, she must face her inner demons. But what she and her family both know is that Thea is Thea, a prima donna better suited to acting her heart out than living an ordinary life.Cast
- Paprika SteenPaprika SteenPaprika Steen is a Danish actress and film director best known for her performances in the films Festen, The Idiots and Open Hearts...
as Thea Barfoed - Michael Falch as Christian Barfoed
- Otto Leonardo Steen Rieks as William Barfoed
- Noel Koch-Søfeldt as Matthias Barfoed
- Lars BrygmannLars Brygmann- Career :Lars Brygmann was educated at the private actors school Tsarens Hof in 1987 and has since then been connected with the theaters Får302, Dr. Dante, Mungo Park, and Østre Gasværk Teater. His debut on film and TV was in 1995.- Family :...
as George - Johanne Dam as Pige på café
- Michael Kastrupsen as AA mand
- Uffe Rørbæk Madsen as Peter
- Sara-Marie Maltha as Maiken
- Malou Reymann as Påklædersken
- Shanti RoneyShanti RoneyShanti Grau Roney is a Swedish actor. While his film credits include nearly twenty movies, most of these have been limited to a domestic or Scandinavian release...
as Tom - Annette Rossing as Pige på café
- Henriette Rossing as Bardame (bartender)
- Nanna Tange as Ekspedient
Production
Paprika SteenPaprika Steen
Paprika Steen is a Danish actress and film director best known for her performances in the films Festen, The Idiots and Open Hearts...
(Thea Barfoed) is best known for her performance in Thomas Vinterberg’s The Celebration
The Celebration
The Celebration is a 1998 Danish film, produced by Nimbus Film and directed by Thomas Vinterberg. Its original Danish title is Festen , and it was released under this title in the UK....
(1998), while in Denmark she has long been a leading star of stage and screen. According to director Martin Pieter Zandvliet, the role of Thea was written directly for Steen. Applaus features authentic footage from a Copenhagen production of "Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" where Steen won critical acclaim.
Christian, Thea's ex-husband, is played by Michael Falch, a singer/songwriter best known for his 30 years fronting the Danish rock band, Malurt. He made his acting debut in 1983 in Søren Kragh Jacobsens Isfugle, for which he received a Bodil Award nomination. Three years later, he was awarded a Bodil for his lead role in Mord i Mørket (Murder in the Dark), and has since occasionally performed in films and TV serials like the Emmy-winning “Rejseholdet” (“Unit One”).
Critical review
Premiering at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival in the Czech RepublicCzech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
in July 2009 and continuing on the international festival circuit, Applaus received critical acclaim and was recognized with numerous awards. CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
's Neil Curry named the picture as one of four Danish films to watch, film critic Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
called Paprika Steen's performance “extraordinary," Variety's Alyssa Simon hailed it as "fearless and tour-de-force", The Los Angeles Times' Betsy Sharkey called Paprika Steen
Paprika Steen
Paprika Steen is a Danish actress and film director best known for her performances in the films Festen, The Idiots and Open Hearts...
's performance "Deeply affecting...unflinchingly real." Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
' Lisa Schwarzbaum said ""Paprika Steen brings a thrilling emotional nakedness and...unsentimental honesty to the part." and The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
' Karen Durbin called Paprika Steen
Paprika Steen
Paprika Steen is a Danish actress and film director best known for her performances in the films Festen, The Idiots and Open Hearts...
's performance "one of the best screen performances of the year".
Awards
Applaus has received several film festival awards, including:- Zurich Film FestivalZurich Film FestivalThe Zurich Film Festival ' is an important international film festival, held annually in Zurich, Switzerland. A stated objective of the festival is to discover and support young, aspiring filmmakers and to offer the industry, audiences, the press and a broader public an exciting cinema experience...
- Critics’ Choice Award - Nashville Film FestivalNashville Film FestivalThe Nashville Film Festival , held annually in Nashville, Tennessee, is the oldest running film festival in the South and one of the oldest in the United States. In 2009, Nashville Film Festival received close to 2000 submissions from 86 countries, programmed nearly 260 films and had an attendance...
- Bridgestone Grand Jury Prize for Best Actress in Narrative Feature: Paprika Steen - Hamptons International Film FestivalHamptons International Film FestivalHamptons International Film Festival was founded to provide a forum for independent filmmakers from around the world to express their vision. The Festival is traditionally held for five days in mid-October in theatre venues from Montauk to Southampton and attracts roughly 15,000 visitors annually...
- Outstanding Achievement in Acting: Paprika Steen - Karlovy Vary International Film FestivalKarlovy Vary International Film FestivalThe Karlovy Vary International Film Festival is a film festival held annually in July in Karlovy Vary , Czech Republic. The Karlovy Vary Festival gained worldwide recognition over the past years and has become one of Europe's major film events....
- Best Actress: Paprika Steen - Robert AwardRobert AwardThe Robert statue is a Danish film prize awarded each year by the Film Academy of Denmark. It is the Danish equivalent of the American Oscars. The award, voted only by academy members, is acknowledgement by Danish industry colleagues of a person's or film's outstanding contributions during the...
- Best Actress: Paprika Steen - Zulu Awards - Best Actress: Paprika Steen
- Mumbai International Film FestivalMumbai International Film FestivalMumbai International Film Festival for Documentary, Short and Animation Films , is a festival organised in the city of Mumbai by the 'Film Division', Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Govt. of India. It has been organised since 1990, and focuses on documentary, short and animation...
- Best Actress: Paprika Steen - Rouen Nordic Film FestivalRouen Nordic Film FestivalThe Rouen Nordic Film Festival was a film festival hold in Rouen, France for screening and competition films made in Nordic and Baltic countries, Holland and Belgium...
- "Deuxième Souffle" Award: Martin Zandvliet
Distribution
The film was released in Denmark on September 25, 2009. North American distributor World Wide Motion Pictures CorporationWorld Wide Motion Pictures Corp.
World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation is a film and video production and distribution company with Executive Offices located in Huntington Beach, CA...
released the film theatrically on December 3, 2010 in Los Angeles and had a wider release in Los Angeles and New York on January 21, 2011. The film was shown at the European Union Film Festival on March 20 and 23, 2011 and River City Cinema,Maine on April 8, 2011. The film will be shown at the Minneapolis/ St. Paul International Film Festival on April 21 and 24, 2011. A general run in South Florida began on April 22nd, 2011, and in Austin, San Antonio, & Denver on September 16, 2011.