The Remarkable Life of Ibelin. Photo: Bjørg Engdahl
Benjamin Ree’s documentary The Remarkable Life Of Ibelin has been nominated for an Emmy. The Norwegian documentary is nominated in the category “Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking,” where it competes with only two other films: I Am: Celine Dion and Patrice: The Movie.
The Remarkable Life Of Ibelin tells the story of gamer Mats Steen, who died of a muscular disease at the age of just 25. His parents mourned what they believed had been a lonely and isolated life — until they began receiving messages from Mats' online friends around the world. The film powerfully reconstructs the rich life of Mats' avatar “Ibelin” in the gaming universe, using groundbreaking cinematic techniques. Before this recent Emmy nomination, the film had already won numerous international awards and was shortlisted for an Oscar nomination.
Ibelin tells the story of Mats Steen, a young Norwegian man who died at the age of 25 from Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a rare genetic disorder that causes muscle degeneration. After his death, Mats’ parents discovered that their disabled son, who for the last years of his life had been in a wheelchair and needed constant medical assistance, has led a rich and eventful life online and made friends around the world on the way. When they heard of his passing, more than 50 friends contacted the family to tell them what he had meant to them. It was people from all over Europe, and some of them travelled to Norway to attend the funeral. The film explores how Mats could change the lives of so many people he never met physically, and how it is being social in a virtual world.
The Emmy Awards salute excellence in national primetime programming, presenting top honors annually at both the Creative Arts Emmy Awards and Engineering Emmy Awards ceremonies, as well as the Emmy Awards telecast.
The Creative Arts Emmy Awards — where documentary awards are typically presented — will take place on Saturday, September 6 and Sunday, September 7 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.
Emmys are awarded in a wide range of categories, and among the most nominated series this year are Severance, The Penguin, The White Lotus, and The Studio.
Manager International Relations, Documentaries
