James R | On 02, Dec 2016

Walk This Way has added a wave of award-winning dramas to its already impressive collection of films released on VOD around Europe.

The digital distribution scheme, which is supported by the European Commission, gathers together and promotes films for straight-to-VOD release in the EU. Each film is available in multiple countries on VOD platforms, including iTunes, Google Play, Amazon Instant Video, Sony and Xbox.

After comedies, war films and more, the scheme is ending 2016 with its final collection: Award Winning Dramas, with a selection of emotional life stories that won awards at all the biggest film festivals.

Here’s the rundown of what’s just been released:

Body

The first film in the collection comes from Poland, where it won four prizes at the Polish Film Awards, and is directed by Molgorzata Szumowska, who won the Silver Bear for Best Director at the 2015 Berlin Film Festival. Body tells the story of Olga, an anorexic girl who, after the death of her mother, is sent by her father to see a psychiatrist, Anna, who is dealing with a loss of her own. A drama with dark comedy, it stars Janusz Gajos, Maja Ostaszewska, and Justyna Suwala. It’s available in Finland, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.

Life in a Fishbowl

Icelandic filmmaker Baldvin Zophoniasson follows three different people who must accept their past and present choices to help themselves and the people around them. Told from multiple points of view, his film deals with themes such as motherhood, fraud, and alcoholism. The film won 12 Edda Awards, the most prominent film awards in Iceland. The social drama is one of the biggest-ever hits in Icelandic cinema and has been compared with the work of Mexican writer and filmmaker Guillermo Arriaga (21 Grams, Babel). The film is available in Austria, Belgium, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, and the United Kingdom.

Harmony Lessons

A thriller from Kazakhstan, Harmony Lessons tells the story of Alan (Timur Aidarbekov), a lonely teenager who is bullied at his new school. It was selected for and awarded at a number of festivals, including the Chicago Film Festival, the Hong Kong Film Festival, the Seattle Film Festival, the Tribeca Film Festival, and the Berlin Film Festival, where it won the Silver Bear for outstanding artistic contribution for cinematographer Aziz Zhambakiev. Harmony Lessons is Baigazin’s first professional feature, and is the most acclaimed film from Kazakhstan in recent years. The film is available in Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, and the United Kingdom.

The Girl With Nine Wigs

A decade ago Germany’s Marc Rothemund directed Sophie Scholl, a critically acclaimed historical drama that won two Silver Bears at the 2005 Berlin Film Festival. Now, he returns to focus on Sophie (Lisa Tomaschewsky), a young woman, who, after finding out that she has cancer, decides to shave her head and wear nine different wigs to express herself, thus stopping the disease from taking control of her life. Based on an international bestseller by Sophie Van Der Tap, The Girl With Nine Wigs is available in Belgium, Denmark, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.

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