News 13.06.2011: Finnish box office successes Princess and Lapland Odyssey picked up awards at the Festroia International Film Festival in Portugal last weekend.

The movies are no strangers to international recognition. Princess (Prinsessa), by Arto Halonen, received a special mention in the category 'Man and His Environment'. Lapland Odyssey (Napapiirin Sankarit), directed by Dome Karukoski, grabbed a Silver Dolphin for Best Cinematography at the Festroia Film Festival.

Lapland Odyssey is a road movie set in the Finnish north, while Princess is based on a true story of Anna Lappalainen, a long-term patient in the Kellokoski Mental Hospital who believed herself to be a member of the royalty.

Recognition has also found these films among other audiences. Lapland Odyssey picked up the Grand Prix at the Swiss Alpe d’Huez International Comedy Film Festival in January. The movie also received the Jury Award for Best Feature Film at the Philadelphia CineFest in April.

As for Princess — its lead Katja Küttner walked away with the Jury Prize for Best Actress from the Tallinn Black Nights Festival last December. The film also won the Grand Prix Award at South Africa’s Cape Winelands Film Festival in March.