Monica Hellström

Monica Hellström
Born1975 (age 49–50)
EducationUniversity of Copenhagen, University of Bedfordshire
OccupationsProducer of Documentaries and Fiction Films
Known forProducer of The Distant Barking of Dogs and Flee
Title
Awards

Monica Hellström (born 1975) is a Danish film producer.[1][2]

Early life

Born in Greater Copenhagen in 1975, Monica Hellström moved to England to study Film & Media Production at the University of Bedfordshire (1995-1998), graduating with honours, before moving back to Denmark in 1999 to study a Masters degree in Film at the University of Copenhagen.

In 2010, Monica graduated from the EAVE Producers Workshop.[3]

Career

Starting her career as a production manager at The Danish Film Institute's Film Workshop, Monica moved to Upfront Films in 2008 as a producer and production manager. In 2010, she became a producer at the multi-award winning documentary production company Final Cut for Real.

In May 2022, Monica started her own production company, Ström Pictures.

A member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, she was selected by European Film Promotion for Producer on the Move, Cannes 2020.[4]

Monica Hellström has produced and co-produced over 20 documentaries, most notably Flee and A House Made of Splinters which both received Academy Awards nominations. Other notable films include The Distant Barking of Dogs, winner of more than 30 awards including Cinema Eye Honors,[5] Peabody Awards[6] and Best First Appearance Film at IDFA in 2017, Daniel Dencik’s Moon Rider, Reel Talent Award winner at 2012's CPH:DOX and Cille Hannibal and Christine Hanberg's He’s My Brother, Special Mention at CPH:DOX and Audience Award at Munich International Documentary Film Festival in 2021.[7]

Within fiction, Monica has also co-produced the award-winning thrillers The Nile Hilton Incident and Boy from Heaven by director Tarik Saleh, and Rebecca Daly’s Good Favour.

Monica Hellström has been nominated for three Academy Awards. Twice in 2022 in the categories Best Animated Feature and Best Documentary Feature, for the documentary film Flee[8] (which was also nominated in the Best International Feature Film category) and again in 2023 for A House Made of Splinters for Best Documentary Feature. She was also awarded The Ib Award by the Danish Board of Film Directors in 2022.[9] In 2024, Monica sat on the Sundance Film Festival Jury for World Cinema Documentary Competition.[10]

Selected filmography

Co-producer

  • Boy From Heaven (2022)
  • Little Girl (2020)
  • Good Favour (2017)
  • The Nile Hilton Incident (2017)
  • Concerning Violence (2014)
  • Ruth (2015)
  • Varicella (2015)
  • Dancing for You (2015)  
  • Chapter 7 (2015)

References

  1. ^ "Monica Hellstrom". Variety. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  2. ^ Grobar, Matt (8 February 2022). "'Flee' Makes Oscars History With Nominations For Best Animated, Documentary & International Feature". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  3. ^ "Monica Hellström Weston". EAVE. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
  4. ^ "Monica Hellström". Nordic Women in Film. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  5. ^ "Documentary About Ukraine Wins Prize of Cinema Eye Honors". Ukrinform. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
  6. ^ "POV: The Distant Barking of Dogs – Award Profile". Body Awards. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
  7. ^ "Flee - Denmark". Nordic Council. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
  8. ^ "The 94th Academy Awards (2022) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  9. ^ "Monica Hellström wins Ib Award at Robert Awards 2022". Final Cut for Real. 7 February 2022. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  10. ^ "2024 Sundance Film Festival Names Jury Members". Sundance Institute. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
  11. ^ Nordyke, Kimberly; Lewis, Hilary (8 February 2022). "Oscars: Full List of Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  12. ^ "2021 Sundance Film Festival Awards Announced". Sundance Institute. Retrieved 4 June 2022.