Almost Human wins prestigious award at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York

The Carlsberg Foundation science film “Almost Human”, directed by Jeppe Rønde and produced by Bacon Productions, wins the category Tribeca X Award, having beaten films from super brands such as Pepsi, Patagonia, Calvin Klein and The North Face.

In their motivation, for awarding “Almost Human” the jury of the New York based film festival states, among others, that they found the film “original, moving and inspiring”.

The two other nominated films in the category Tribeca X Award was “Artifishal: The Road to Extinction is Paved with Good intentions” and Pepsi’s “Uncle Drew”. 500 films participated in this category which covers so-called “branded content long-form”.

It is the first time that a private foundation has financed a film of this caliber and wins such a prestigious award.

The world today and the importance of science

With this film, the Carlsberg Foundation wanted to bring into focus the importance of science in our understanding of what it means to be human in a changing world. A world which is constantly throwing up new challenges, new concerns and new complexity, which demands new insight and new knowledge.

Through the eyes of ten outstanding top researchers, “Almost Human” reflects on the role of science and the opportunity to get a better understanding of ourselves and improve the world we live in.

Director Jeppe Rønde has had full artistic freedom to make this film and he comments:

“It is a great honor to receive this award for the film, which was commissioned by Carlsbergfondet. This award indicates a new exciting trend within film making, where companies become active players in creating new types of film. This cooperation is a brilliant example of how alternative methods of working together can challenge the traditional way of producing a documentary.”

Instructor Jeppe Rønde (number two from right) together with the executive producer Mette Jermiin after having received the X Award Friday night in New York.

Professor Flemming Besenbacher, Chairman of the Carlsberg Foundation, says:

“The Carlsberg Foundation brews knowledge for an enlightened future. This means that we support outstanding basic research at a high international level and strive to promote the interest in science and the importance of science. We are very proud that “Almost Human” has won such a prestigious award at an international film festival such as Tribeca. The Foundation has supported the film with a view to inviting reflection on current and future challenges in our rapidly changing world. The purpose has also been to generate debate on the importance of science for our opportunities to resolve the major social challenges we are facing. With the participation of ten internationally acclaimed top researchers, we hope the work will help foster the desire for knowledge and promote general education at a highly qualified level”.

About the Tribeca X Award

Tribeca X Award is a sub category of the Tribeca Film Festival, which awards creative films, financed by a brand or with support from a brand in collaboration with artists or film makers.

Tribeca Film Festival was founded in 2001 by, among others, the actor Robert de Niro and celebrates in particular independent, creative stories within film, TV, gaming, VR and music.