Swedish drama “Original” won best picture at the 12th Shanghai International Film Festival Sunday, with its male lead Sverrir Gudnason named best actor for playing the soul-searching son of a mentally ill mother. Reading from the citation, jury president “Slumdog Millionaire” director Danny Boyle called the debut feature film of Antonio Tublen and Alexander Brondsted “a light, touching and subversive study of mental illness that is both compassionate and never sentimental.” Accepting his trophy, Gudnason, who plays a character who tries to stop pleasing others, yelled in delight and said, “This is the best thing that anyone has ever given to me and it's going to keep me going on.” The jury said “this young actor's brilliant, sensitive, and humorous performance is absolutely mesmerizing.” Simone Tang was named best actress for another Danish film, “Aching Hearts,” about the relationship of two high school sweethearts. Presenting the award, another juror, veteran American actress Andie MacDowell said, “It was a beautiful performance.” Julius Sevcik was named best director for the Czech film “Normal,” the study of a serial killer in the 1930s. The jury grand prix went to the Tibet-set film “The Search,” about a director who is drawn into the search for a missing man when he auditions actors for his new movie. The jury prize went to the China-Hong Kong-Taiwan co-production “Empire of Silver,” the story of the scion of a banking empire in 19th century China..
