Norwegian Films Magazine #2

Transcription

MAGAZINE #2 2016
NORWEGIAN
FILMS
8
STOP MOTION ANIMATION
Norwegian animation company Qvisten
will soon have produced four stop motion
animation films back to back in high-cost Norway.
How is this possible?
12
24
GENERATION EDUCATION
A presentation of a selection of Norwegian
film talents. Read about how education
has influenced their international ambitions.
TWO NORWEGIAN SITES
Our two Norwegian service producers
that facilitated for The Snowman tell
us why international productions should look to
Norway.
MAGAZINE #2 2016 | NORWEGIAN FILMS 1
3. Women Wanted
4. The Happy Melancholic
6. TIFF's Steve Gravestock
7. An Ambulance to Sheffield
8. Stop Motion by Qvisten
9. An Audience for Documentaries
12. Generation Education
20. The Lion Women opens Haugesund
21. Nettkino: Catch-Up Cinema
21. Abstract animation for Annecy
22. Oberhausen Presents Haugsg jerd
24. Why Look to Norway?
26. 5 With Producer on the Move
27. Upcoming Titles
STINE HELGELAND
Executive Director
Promotion and
International Relations
+47 957 44 173
[email protected]
STINE OPPEGAARD
Head of International
Relations
Feature Films
+47 908 59 638
[email protected]
TORIL SIMONSEN
Head of International
Relations Short and
Documentaries
+47 900 38 086
[email protected]
MIA LINDRUP
Senior Advisor
Promotion and International Relations
+47 922 26 978
[email protected]
JAKOB BERG
Information Officer
+47 971 977 66
[email protected]
NORWEGIAN TALENTS
Discovering and nurturing new talent is of huge importance for us. We
want stories that reflect the diversity of our society. The flowering of
Norwegian talents is among other things a result of the emergence of several types of film educations in Norway. In this issue of Norwegian Films
we would like to introduce you to a selection of film talents from various
places in Norway, women and men of all ages. They have diverse personal backgrounds, but common to all is their film-professional education.
Some are educated in Norway at one of several recognised institutions,
others have been out in the world, curious about international paths to
the film profession.
Anders Danielsen Lie, on the cover of this issue, is definitely not a new
talent, as he returns to Cannes in the French Competition entry Personal
Shopper, by Olivier Assayas. He played the main role in Erik Gustavson’s
Herman 26 years ago before returning as a main character in Joachim
Trier’s feature film debut Reprise (2006), and then took the lead in Trier’s
Un Certain Regard film Oslo, August 31st (2011). He has a natural talent
for acting, in addition to his profession as a medical doctor.
We hope you will take the time to browse through our magazine and get
to learn more about our talents and films. Enjoy!
Sindre Guldvog
CEO, Norwegian Film Institute
WOMEN WANTED
The Norwegian Parliament has decided that there shall be at least 40%
women in key positions in Norwegian films. We are well on the way
to succeed, but there is a lack of female directors for large-budget
productions and independent films.
When the Norwegian Parliament
reached its film settlement in November
2015, the message to the government
was the following: "The Parliament asks
the government to implement initiatives
to improve gender balance in Norwegian
cinema, as well as maintain the goal that
the percentage of women or men in key positions shall be at least 40 percent."
Silje Riise Næss, Film Commissioner,
feature film and TV Drama at the Norwegian Film Institute, is one of the people whose task is to administer the funds
for making films in Norway, thus being
able to influence the share of women.
– Today the status is fine when it
comes to female representation in artistically evaluated Norwegian films,
i.e. the ones we are supporting financially (see separate fact box). What
worries me is that this seems to be a
fragile balance one constantly has to
fight for, Riise Næss says.
The backdrop for her worries is that
in the piles of applications to the film institute there are generally fewer women
than men, and in 2015 there were even a
bit fewer than in previous years. Adding
to the picture that the large, commercial
films usually have a male director and
that the films made without public funding are almost exclusively made by men,
her worries are taken seriously by the
Norwegian Film Institute.
So where are the women?
– It is difficult to blame women for
choosing to apply for public funding
for their films rather than making
something willy-nilly and with varying degree of quality control. Over
the last few years, about 50% of those
who have succeeded in the tough
competition for funds from the NFI
have been women. They turn up with
good screenplays for films that appear
thought-through and indispensable,
Riise Næss says.
But why don't women make the big market films or films outside the public support schemes?
– When it comes to commercial
films, women often experience a
quandary: How does one become
electable for a large production? By
having made large productions before. There are considerable more
men than women who have this experience and we have to look closer at
why the development is so slow here.
Another speculation is that parenting
small children – we Scandinavians
start doing that increasingly later in
life – is an obstacle. Female directors
tell me that “it's difficult working odd
hours and all around the clock, and
I can't live without an income, and
can't make a film that I can't rely on
for income”. However, why is it that
men are able to cope – I really wonder, says Feature Film Consultant Silje Riise Næss, who wishes for more
women to direct the big films as well
as the bold ones. H
Jakob Berg
Silje Riise Næss. Photo: Ida Meyn.
FACTS
•
The number of women in key positions
(director, screenwriter and producer) in Norwegian films premiering in 2015 was
34.3%. This is the highest share ever measured. The share of women in premiering films has gradually increased from year to year during the last five years.
•
The percentage of women in production
funded feature films (support from the
Norwegian Film Institute) has seen a positive
development over the last few years, with a high point so far at 53.9% in 2014. In 2015
the percentage of women in documentaries
with production support was 37%, while the
share of women in short films was 50%.
•
The NFI has implemented a moderate gender
quota for all advance support. This means
that projects with women in key positions
are intentionally favoured when one has to
choose between projects that are otherwise
equally good projects. The percentage of
women is usually higher in the films that end
up being granted support than in the number
of applications for most of the support
scheme types.
•
Recent research by the NFI into the demography of cinemagoers who watch Norwegian
films show that affluent women aged 30-
40 are the ones who watch the highest number of Norwegian films. The conclusion is
that the number of women is increasing both behind the camera and in front of
the screen.
Anders Danielsen Lie. Photo: Bettina Sorg.
THE HAPPY MELANCHOLIC
Five years after Norwegian Anders Danielsen Lie (37) turned up in Cannes with Oslo, August 31st, he is
mostly working in France, and he is now back in Cannes with Personal Shopper. But this face of melancholy
will soon dig out his rifle and set off for Afghanistan.
T
he Norwegian film Oslo, August
31st, directed by Joachim Trier,
was screened in Un certain regard in Cannes in 2011. Anders
Danielsen Lie in the lead role portrays
a tormented young man who, despite
apparently having everything he could
need, does not manage to adjust to this
life. The film was a great international success, particularly in France, and
opened many doors for Lie.
– I get more job offers from
France than I get from Norway. And
4 NORWEGIAN FILMS | MAGAZINE #2 2016
so far I have not experienced anyone
booking me without having watched
Oslo, August 31st. I don't know, but
maybe they would like to transfer the
mood in this film into their own ones,
says Lie.
Personal Shopper
But Danielsen Lie does know that after actress Cate Blanchett watched
Oslo, August 31st, she immediately
called her agent Hylda Queally and
urged her to become Danielsen Lie's
agent in the USA. Which she did.
And he does know that when director
Olivier Assayas cast the Norwegian actor in Personal Shopper, Lie was exactly
the actor he wanted. Personal Shopper
is an English language film which
is screened in the main competition
in Cannes. In the film, Lie co-stars
with Kristen Stewart. In addition to
this French film, Lie has also played
in two French language films, Ce
sentiment de l'été, and Fidelio, l'odyssée
d'Alice. In spite of French being his
third language, and him not being
used to speaking French.
– I think the French audiences enjoy hearing their language spoken with
a certain accent. There is a tradition for
this in French film, says Danielsen Lie,
who by acting in films in a language
which is rather unfamiliar to him, has
jumped in at the deep end - just like he
constantly does as an actor.
In spite of his 26-year film career, Danielsen Lie was not educated
as an actor, but as a medical doctor.
– Since I have chosen not to educate
myself as an actor, it has taken a lot of
trial and error on my part. And the last
few years, I have tried to study acting
theory, to see if it echoes my experiences. This has convinced me even more
that whatever project I get into, I have
to tailor my method anyway, says Danielsen Lie.
Melancholic? Not me
A French magazine, Les Inrocks, called
the Norwegian actor "the most beautiful face of modern melancholy." And
suddenly he was the symbol of Nordic
melancholy, a state of mind he doesn't
feel very familiar with.
– There are themes I can identify
with, and which the film medium is
well suited for, but I'm not walking
around in a depressed mood. I'm a
happy fellow. However, I can understand if Oslo, August 31st has left this
impression. In the film, my character
is the incarnation of existential melancholy, which is a central theme in
French literature.
In between his French films,
Danielsen Lie plays totally different
characters in Norway. After his part as
a cold-hearted political consultant in
the TV series Mammon 2, he will soon
appear on Norwegian and European
screens as a Norwegian soldier in Afghanistan, in the TV drama Nobel, directed by Per Olav Sørensen. This will
be a political, realistic contemporary
drama, with the Norwegian military
presence in Afghanistan as a backdrop.
– I really like the transition from
film to TV drama. On film, I often have
to do psychological character portraits,
in which I can express myself freely,
while on TV it is all more plot driven,
with less time. In those instances, the
challenge is to squeeze character out
of instrumental scenes, Danielsen Lie
states. In his opinion, the claim that
you get a lot of time to build character
on TV is just a myth.
Dramaturgical straightjackets
– There are so many dramaturgical
straitjackets on TV, with demands of
basis and development in roles, which
can easily make it conventional. As actors, this forces us to have to fight on
behalf of our characters, which makes
it exciting, according to Danielsen Lie.
The medically educated actor is of-
ten asked how he can utilize his background as physician in his acting. The
answer is quite simple:
– My work as a doctor has taught
me how to meet people. Successful medical work is all about good
communication, to get on the same
wavelength as persons you haven't
met before. During the shooting of
Personal Shopper, I had to find the
right chemistry with Kristen Stewart
right there and then, and I had never
met her before the moment of shooting. And this sort of reminds me of
a doctor's consultation. You have to
find something live and reliable between yourself and the patient.
And otherwise, being a doctor is
about creating order out of chaos,
while being an actor is all about daring
to lose control.H
Jakob Berg
Anders Danielsen Lie in Nobel. ©Monster Scripted, photo: Eirik Evjen.
Steve Gravestock. Photo: Gunnar Bangsmoen.
TIFF PROGRAMMER STEVE GRAVESTOCK:
– YOU CAN TELL WHY A NORWEGIAN FILM IS MADE
Few people in the world have seen more contemporary Nordic films than Steve Gravestock, programmer of
the Nordic films for the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) since 2001. And he can tell why these
films have been made.
W
ith an average of 70 Nordic films a year, Gravestock has now seen over a
thousand films from this
northern corner of the world. This has
given Gravestock the opportunity to
follow new Nordic talents as they have
developed and made films that have
made an impact both domestically and
across the Atlantic.
If it crosses the Atlantic, it's
arthouse.
– Everything that crosses the Atlantic from Europe is by definition
arthouse, even though it's an action
film or thriller. For example, at TIFF
we have screened the Norwegian
films Max Manus, Headhunters and
Kon-Tiki as gala and special presentation screenings, but they are still
considered arthouse films by our audiences, Gravestock says.
For someone outside the Nordic
region, it is easy to collapse the whole
film production in the five Nordic
countries of Iceland, Finland, Norway, Denmark and Sweden into one
bundle. According to Steve Gravestock, this is understandable, but not
particularly relevant.
– I see distinct differences between
the Nordic countries, especially when
it comes to historical influences and
the use of genres. Even within a country there are significant differences
between generations or even one year
and the next, says Gravestock.
More films by women
Looking back at the last 5-10 years of
Nordic film, Steve Gravestock has noticed that a lot more films by women
have been produced – and selected
for TIFF.
– Susanne Bier, Lone Scherfig, Eva
Sørhaug, Iram Haq, Anne Sewitsky,
Sara Johnsen, Liv Ullmann… They all
make interesting and wide-ranging
stuff, driven by social issues. And the
great thing about Norwegian films
in particular is that you can tell why
they are made. You see a message, a
world they want to depict. It can be a
portrait of an environment or a topic,
whatever it is, it has a reason behind
it that I don't see in American movies as frequently. It seems to me that
many of the American stories often
focused on characters whose motivations were conveyed in a murky way
which wound up obscuring what the
films were about.
In the nordic female directors I see
a deeper awareness of character psychology and subtext, says Steve Gravestock from TIFF.
How life is to be lived
In general, the Canadian programmer
notices that how young people function in society – or don't – is a central
theme in current Nordic films.
– We saw it in Homesick, Oslo
August 31st and I Am Yours, this interesting distance between the traditional view on how life is supposed to be
lived and how it actually is lived. This
is interesting for an international and
Canadian audience as well. Throughout the region you see filmmakers
capturing a more multicultural, more
diverse society as well.
As the Toronto-based festival programmer tours the capitals of the
Nordic countries, he is not the least
worried about the future of the film
industry in the region.
– Any country that has a range of
stuff, a wide range of directors working, will be ok. You can't just have
arthouse films, you need to have genre
films too, and you need to have popular stuff. If you don’t have that, you’ve
got issues. But I haven't noticed that
with any of the Nordic countries, because they all have some sort of interesting mix, says TIFF programmer
Steve Gravestock. H
Jakob Berg
Ambulance by Mohamed Jabaly. Photo: Jabfilm.
AN AMBULANCE TO SHEFFIELD
The Norwegian-Palestinian documentary Ambulance has been
selected for Sheffield Doc/Fest. The screening will be the film's
world premiere, and is directed by Mohamed Jabaly from Gaza.
The film is in the last phase of
post-production and will be ready
for distribution in the summer.
Director Jabaly came from Gaza
for the first time to participate
in a film workshop at the film
greenhouse Tvibit in Tromsø in
the fall of 2014. He brought with
him unique and authentic material from the 51-day-long massive
attacks on Gaza. Jabaly was an assistant on an ambulance during
the attacks and filmed everything
he experienced. An early version
of the film received a special
screening at the 2015 Tromsø International Film Festival. Jabaly
now co-operates with John Arvid
Berger from JAB Film, working to
finish the feature length version.
There has been great interest in
the film, and Jabaly and Berger
have pitched the film at Nordic
Forum and IDFA, among other
places. They work on plans for an
extensive Outreach campaign in
connection with the documentary.
The TV version of the film was selected for Nordic Snack & Screen
during MIPDOC in the beginning
of April. As one out of ten documentaries, it was selected on the
basis of the quality of its direction, relevance and international
potential, according to Audiovisual Finland’s Johanna Karppinen
as she unveiled the selected documentaries.
What? Stop motion animation… in Norway?
The Norwegian animation company Qvisten is presently producing In the Forest of Huckybucky, and as soon
as the film is completed, they will start working on the third film in the Pinchcliffe universe. This means that
soon Qvisten will have produced four stop motion animation films back to back in high-cost Norway. How
is this possible?
A
t a time when most major commercial animation
films are computer animated, the Norwegian animation company Qvisten has gone
in the opposite direction, and has
decided to make stop motion animation instead.
A choice between stop motion and
computer animation
– Of course, when we were going
to recreate Kjell Aukrust's Pinchcliffe
universe on film, we discussed using
computer animation. But in order
to depict the slightly bizarre, creaky,
wonderful characters, we concluded
that a stop motion puppet film would
be much more suitable, producer Ove
Heiborg and director Rasmus Sivertsen tell us.
– We visited Aardman (Wallace &
Gromit) and Tim Burton's (Frankenweenie, Big Eyes) studio in London,
and we observed how well they were
From left: Producer Ove Heiborg (Norway), director of animation Todor Iliev (Bulgaria), head of VFX department Álvaro Alonso Lomba (Spain), animator Anna Mantzaris (Sweden), animator Cesar Linga (Spain),
producer Elisabeth Opdal (Norway), 2nd assistant director Ángel Rodríguez Castiñeira (Spain), puppet
maintenance technician Oscar Rodriguez (Spain), head of puppet department Liliana Karina Swirska (Poland), producer Eirik Smidesang Slåen (Norway), Bjørn Egner (Norway), animator Marcos Valìn (Spain),
director Rasmus A. Sivertsen (Norway), line producer & 1st AD Hugo Vieites Caamano (Spain).
Above, right: In the Forest of Huckybucky. Photo: Qvisten
Above below: Twigson ties the Knot. Photo: Paradox
doing. So we decided we would manage this in Norway as well.
The animation community is very
international, and during the production of the Huckybucky Forest,
Qvisten has had up to 60 employees
of 12 nationalities in activity. The corridors in our studio in an industrial area
just outside of Oslo echoe with Brazilian, Spanish, French, German, Swedish and various Slavic languages, while
English is the working language.
Created a viable industry
– Instead of doing what is common
in film production, to outsource
FACTS QVISTEN
• Founded by Ove Heiborg and Fredrik
Kløsterud in 1994. Director Rasmus A. Sivertsen co-owner from 1997.
• Started their operations by preparing cow skulls, which were sold to raise money for
film equipment.
•Producing In the Forest of Huckybucky (Director: Rasmus A. Sivertsen) which opens in Norway on December 25, 2016.
• Created the major part of Norway’s animated
heritage, among them the three Twigson films, Fatso, the Louis & Luca-films, Two
Buddies and a Badger, two Ploddy the
Police Car, Kurt Turns Evil and several shorts and commercials.
tire workflow. Everything we make;
screenplay, storyboard, pictures, are
fed into it, and out comes a complete,
finished film, more or less. The importance of this is underestimated. In
addition, we constantly produce animated commercial films, which keeps
our cash flow running. But the most
important of all is that everyone does
everything: we keep all our animators
and film staff in constant activity, so
that we get an incredible amount of
film for our money. In this respect
we're kind of like a factory, we try continuously to make processes more efficient, and invest a lot of work in the
planning of each film. If we can get
every animator to make 3.7 seconds
of film instead of 3.5 seconds every
day, this makes a lot of difference in
the long run. At the same time, we
are incredibly vain, and often spend
heaps of time on little details, as long
as it makes the film better, says director and co-owner Rasmus Sivertsen.
Top: Louis & Luca - The Big Cheese Race. Photo: Maipo AS.
Below: Two Buddies and a Badger. Photo: Tordenfilm.
special tasks, we have gathered people here in Norway, and thereby also
trained many local animators. Consequently, we now have a viable animation community. And once we have
brought in people from the entire animation world, it is important they have
sufficient work here. Luckily, we constantly have new animated feature films
to start working on, says Ove Heiborg,
who in addition to being a producer for
Qvisten, is the owner of the company.
The secret behind the success
But Norway is a high cost country, in
which salaries constitute a large part
of the expenses. How do you manage to make stop motion films here,
a kind of film which requires many
people's input over a period of as
much as 3 years per film?
– It may sound slightly boring, but
we have spent a lot of time developing
our own database programme, which
has increased the efficiency of our en-
Open to co-productions
The two animation enthusiasts are
thrilled that their productions, which
are often based on specifically Norwegian stories, also find international audiences. Their first Pinchcliffe
film, Louis & Luca and the Snow Machine, sold more than 150,000 tickets
just in France, and the second of the
films in the series, Louis and Luca The Big Cheese Race, participated in
the Generation programme in Berlin
2016, after which it has been sold internationally by the sales agent Sola
Media.
Heiborg and Sivertsen conclude
our conversation with an invitation.
– We are very open to co-productions, so if any international players
would like to collaborate with us on
stop motion animation or data animation, please don't hesitate to contact us. H
Jakob Berg
Brothers. Photo: Frenris Film AS.
AN AUDIENCE FOR DOCUMENTARIES
In our magazine, Norwegian Films
– Documentaries 2016, published in
connection with IDFA 2015, we presented three personal documentaries
directed by women: Brothers (Aslaug
Holm), Rebels (Kari Anne Moe) and
Doing Good (Margreth Olin). Since
their release these films have been met
by an excellent audience response,
and especially Doing Good has hit a
nerve with Norwegian cinemagoers;
Short films
the film's trailer had been seen by
300,000 three days after release.
At the time of writing, Doing Good
has sold 166,844 tickets, Rebels 22,962
tickets and Brothers 12,464 tickets. In
a Norwegian context Doing Good has
been surpassed only by one documentary in attendance figures: Cool and
Crazy (Knut Erik Jensen, 2001) which
sold more than 556,000 tickets when
released 15 years ago. Cool and Crazy
was shot by Aslaug Holm, the director
of Brothers, who now is shooting the
new documentary about the Norwegian pop band a-ha.
Each of these three female directors
has made an intimate and personal
documentary, which in different ways
moves people and discusses difficult
issues. As we wrote in the article for
our IDFA magazine: Norwegian female directors move the world with
their films. And at that time, director
Aslaug Holm talked about the joy of
making documentaries where movie
theatres are sold out.
– It’s an extraordinary phenomenon
that we have the potential to make documentaries with subject matter and an
expression which may draw a full crowd
to the cinema theatres. My impression
is that Norway is ground-breaking in
this field. Many of the films are doing
well at the box office, and when you’ve
worked really hard on a project it’s extremely inspiring when audiences are
drawn to the theatres.
Brothers has so far been sold to
Denmark, Taiwan and China. H
• The Norwegian Film Institute's interview with
Aslaug Holm, Kari Anne Moe and Margreth Olin for
Norwegian Films Documentaries 2016 is available on
our ISSU account: https://issuu.com/norsk_filminstitutt
Feature length films
TV documentaries
Female share of key staff in production funded films.
Izer Aliu
Andreas J. Riiser
Marte Vold
Gunhild Enger
Marianne Ulrichsen
Erika Calmeyer
GENERATION EDUCATION
Norway has seen the establishment of several formal film educations over the last two decades along with a boom
of new and exciting film talents. Of course talented people have always ventured out into the world to be educated, inquisitive about international routes into the film profession, like the renowned Norwegian filmmakers Anja
Breien, Joachim Trier, Eva Sørhaug and Bent Hamer. All with a desire to tell us about their world view through the
eyes of the camera. However, it is not until now that we can claim to have an educated generation of filmmakers.
O
n the following pages we
present a selection of Norwegian film talents and
ask them what their formal film education meant to them
and how it has influenced their international ambitions.
Their personal backgrounds vary,
but they all have a formal, professional film education in common. We
asked them to present themselves and
their work. Among them, we also find
Norway's participant at this year's Future Frames: Ten New Filmmakers to
Follow, at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in July, Rebecca
Figenschau and hear her thoughts
about the programme.
Enjoy!
MARTE VOLD
I work as photographer and director,
and I was educated at the Nordland
College of Art and Film in Kabelvåg,
the Norwegian National Academy of
Fine Arts in Oslo, and finally as a cinematographer in 2008 from the Norwegian Film School in Lillehammer. I
have written, directed, and produced
several short films. My latest short
Torfinn
Jakob Rørvik
Jonas Matzow
Gulbrandsen
Åshild A.
Ramborg
Iversen
Rebecca Figenschau
Q:
Halfdan Ullmann
Tøndel
WE ASKED ALL THE TALENTS THE SAME QUESTION: What has your formal
film education meant to you, and how does it influence your international ambitions?
film was Totem (2015), which was
screened at New Directors, New Films
in New York in March 2016. Among
the short films I have photographed
are: To Open, To See (Å åpne og se/2012)
by Camilla Figenschau, which won the
Terje Vigen Award at the Norwegian
Short Film Festival in Grimstad and
toured film festivals around the world,
Bunker (2015) by Vibeke Heide, which
received the Amanda Award for Best
Short Film, Circus (Cyrk/2014) by Jorunn Myklebust, and Levi's Horse (Levis
hest/2011) by Torfinn Iversen, which
screend in the Generation programme
at the Berlinale in 2012. I also co-directed the feature film Out of Nature
(Mot naturen/2014) by Ole Giæver,
which screened both in Toronto and in
the Panorama section of the Berlinale
in 2015.
Q: My education was both in the field
of film and in the field of art, and I
think this has provided me with an
interesting platform to work from. To
be able to move across the borders of
expression is something I enjoy and
aspire to in my work. I think it has
also been decisive when it comes to
Henrik Martin Dahlsbakken
who I collaborate with; many of the
filmmakers I work with also have
their background in art, and maybe
it also has to do with sharing a language and references, and a method,
not least, which often differ quite a
bit in the fields of art and film. For instance, right now I'm in Japan, shooting a 16 mm film without a script for
a visual artist. Regarding international
ambitions: I'm not sure if it is related to my education, but I really enjoy
screening films in other countries,
continents, and cultures, and I would
love to do more work on international
productions. These days I also co-direct a documentary film with Yero Yun
from South Korea, and I would like to
do more co-productions of this kind.
IZER ALIU
I'm an Albanian, born in Macedonia
and grown up in Sweden, but I'm a
Norwegian citizen. My childhood
and adolescence primarily took place
in Norway and Sweden. For a very
long time, I had a need to define my
identity as a young man, but being a
director gives you the opportunity to
explore such things through films. I
graduated from the Norwegian Film
School at Lillehammerin 2012. Since
then I have made films in various
places in the world, but my base has
always been in Oslo.
My official films are To Guard a
Mountain (Å vokte fjellet/2012), which
was my graduation film from Lillehammer, and The Good Life - Over
There (Det gode livet der borte/2014) – a
short film I made with Yngve Sæther
and the company Motlys. Hunting
Flies (2016) is a low budget feature
film which I made on my own initiative, a spontaneous project which
taught me a whole lot about how
things function when you finally have
a film on your hands. I still believe
in the importance of retaining a bit
of that naivety when making films,
as reality is somehow – how should I
put it – interesting? The feature film
12 Dares (12 bragder/2016) is a co-production between Norway and Sweden
and opens next year.
Q: My film education has meant so
much to me! I learned a lot about
myself at school. About things I already believed in, but I also developed
things I did not believe in. I am grateful towards the teachers, who made
me realize things I cannot imagine
living without today. I have met people whom I have developed close ties
to, and who in some way or other are
always involved in the films I make.
Regarding my international ambitions: I have great ambitions, mostly
because film is a universal language,
with regional limitations. I think that
as long as you are locally based, but
express yourself globally, it makes it
easy for everyone to gain insight in
what being a human really entails. Although we are bound by limitations,
our films are not.
ANDREAS J. RIISER
I'm a Danish-Norwegian director and
screenplay writer, educated as a director at The Norwegian Film School in
Lillehammer (2006) and The European Film College (1999). For many years
Out of Nature by Ole Giæver. Photo: Mer Film AS.
I was Roy Andersson's right-hand man
in Stockholm, and I have been assistant director for Simon Staho in Trollhättan. I also have a background in
film lighting design, art film, and acting. For the time being I'm busy with
post production work on my first feature film. At the same time, I'm working on several feature film screenplays
and developing a thriller series for the
public broadcaster NRK.
I have written and directed several short films and a number of
TV pilots, TV programme concepts,
TV vignettes, and TV comedy series. I have also made several music
videos, and directed more than 80
award-winning commercial videos.
My short films Isola (2006), Brick Vision (2005), and Outside Comfort (Vi
har alle vårt/2013) have been screened
at festivals around the world, the latter won the Film Critics' Award at The
Norwegian Short Film Festival in 2013.
In addition I have directed a number
of TV programmes and appearances,
for instance for Elevator Talks (Skavlan,
i heisen med), and In Our Garden (Uti
vår hage). Besides this, I write screenplays, and I have several projects underway, from historical dramas to
modern psychological dramas, and
comedy family dramas. I'm also writing on an international full length version of the short film Mr. Death (2016).
Q: Most of all, my education as a director has given me valuable production
experience as a basis, and, not least,
a solid and extensive network, especially at home in Norway. I consider
myself a much better craftsman now,
and I'm much more of an all-rounder, both when it comes to narrative
style and genre. Even so, my learning
curve has been steeper during the
years after film school, and naturally
my solid foundation from school has
gotten even stronger and made me
progress faster in the years following
graduation.
GUNHILD ENGER
I'm 36 years old, and I grew up in Lier.
I studied film science at the Norwegian Film School in Lillehammer before moving to Scotland and a bachelor's degree at the Edinburgh College
of Art (ECA). After leaving Scotland, I
worked with film and casting for a few
years, before I obtained a master's degree from The School of Film Directing at the University of Gothenburg.
My graduation film from ECA,
Bargain, was my first real short film.
The film premiered at the Edinburgh
International Film Festival, and was
nominated for a BAFTA Award. After
leaving school in Scotland, I worked
with another director for a while, and
we co-wrote and directed the short
film Passion (Pasjon/2008). In 2012, I
wrote and directed the short film Premature (Prematur/2012), and after two
years of studies in Sweden, I wrote
and directed the Swedish short film
A Simpler Life (Ett enklare liv/2013).
In 2014, I wrote and directed the
short film Subtotal (2014), which was
made as part of the Norwegian New
Ways scheme. In 2015, I was invited
to join the CPH:LAB in Copenhagen.
This is an initiative in which two directors from two different countries
work together and make one film. I
collaborated with the Finnish director
Jenni Toivoniemi, and our short film
The Committee (Kommittén/2016) will
premiere this year. We both wrote and
directed the film together. I have been
lucky enough to win awards and to be
able to screen my films at film festivals all around the world.
Q: To me, education has meant everything. My family was not very artistic
or interested in film. I grew up in the
countryside, and had no particular
access to film in my childhood and
youth. When I became interested in
film around the age of 19, schooling
was my only option. At first I studied
film science. It was fantastic, and I ac-
To Guard a Mountain by Izer Aliu. Photo: Den norske filmskolen.
tually wish I could do it over again. I
had to set my alarm clock to ring in the
morning in order to watch films. Since
I did not have an extensive knowledge
of film history from before, this became my first encounter with all the
classics, and therefore definitely decisive for my development and interest.
When I realized I wanted to continue to study directing and practical
film work, I applied to many schools
in various parts of the world. I was
not accepted into The Norwegian Film
School, and in retrospect, I'm very glad
they did not take me in. I had a strong
wish to study in an English-speaking
country, so when I was admitted into
the Edinburgh College of Art, it felt
just right. This was an art college, and
it was all kind of easy-going and liberal, but I have later realized I did myself
a great favour by not learning all the
"right" ways of doing things.
After a few years back in Norway,
I decided to apply for Master's studies at the School of Film Directing
in Gothenburg. These were two important years. Returning to Norway
with an education from Scotland had
proved to be pretty difficult. I had
few contacts, and gradually I lost confidence in my own work. In Gothen-
burg I met Kalle Boman, who was my
tutor at school, and I regained faith in
my creative process. At the School of
Film Directing, film was considered
serious and important work. And although this education was also liberal,
there was a community here and an
idea of the importance of challenging
the world and the public with the film
medium, which was pivotal to the fact
that I'm still making films today.
Most of my film education has taken
place outside Norway. This has probably been a contributing reason why I
constantly think internationally when I
make films, more or less automatically.
I am extremely grateful that I was given the opportunity to study in an English-speaking country, and I feel that
living and studying abroad has given
me very important perspectives, both as
a human being and as a filmmaker.
ERIKA CALMEYER
I am 26 years old, from Oslo. The
film and TV medium has always interested me, and I made films already
as a youngster. At 18, I won three
Amandus Awards for the short film
Through Thick and Thin (Tykt og tynt),
which inspired me to continue. I have
later studied film at the Victorian
College of Arts in Melbourne, Australia, and graduated as a director from
The Norwegian Film School in 2014.
I got a flying start when I won
the Nordic Talents in 2014, a pitch
competition for graduate students
in Scandinavia's film schools. Later I have directed the TV series The
Summer Boat (Sommerbåten) and Of
Life and Death (På liv og død), and also
several short films, among them the
critically acclaimed Lea (2014), which
was my graduation film from The
Norwegian Film School. I have been
second unit director for major TV dramas like The Valkyrie (Valkyrien) and
The Third Eye 2 (Det Tredje Øyet 2), and
I have made countless commercials
for the production company 4½ . For
the time being I'm developing several feature film projects, which are all
drama films focusing on painful and
dysfunctional relationships.
Q: To me, the film school provided
an opportunity to work continuously
with my own artistic projects and my
own development. It was also an arena for trial and error, and for getting
to know myself better as a filmmaker.
I have been lucky and met individuals
who have meant a lot to me, and who
have shared knowledge I still bring
with me today. I'm extremely grateful
for the time I studied in Melbourne.
My impression was that Norway and
Australia have two very different approaches to creative processes and to
the idea of education. In Australia,
things were more open and personal
than in Norway, where there is much
more emphasis on technique and
craftsmanship. I'm very happy to have
adopted both perspectives, as they go
hand in hand. However, I hope to carry with me the openness and interest
I experienced in Australia, and use it
in order to challenge myself and the
way I think about film.
There is a lot of exciting currents in
Norwegian film these days, but we will
always be stronger if we gaze across the
borders and inspire and cooperate with
each other. That's something I would
really like to do in the near future.
JAKOB RØRVIK
I'm a writer-director currently based
in Oslo after several years of living in
London. I have an MA in Fiction Direction from the UK's National Film &
Television School, as well as courses in
Film History and Media Science from
universities in Bergen and Stavanger.
Premature by Gunhild Enger. Photo: Motlys AS.
I have also attended Jeanne Moreau's
Screenwriting Workshop in France,
Judith Weston's Directing Course in
LA and The Berlin Talent Campus.
I have written and directed a total
of ten short films which have screened
at festivals including the Cannes
Cinéfondation and SXSW. I have also
directed commercials, one of which
was nominated for the Young Directors Award in Cannes. I have worked
with the leading Norwegian production companies Maipo Film and
Motlys, as well as Breakthru Films in
London. I have written three feature
screenplays, and I'm now working to
get one of these off the ground. The
feature length drama Eternal Summer
(which will be produced by Maipo
Film) was selected for the Les Arcs
Co-Production Village 2015.
Q: Attending a film school with students from all over the world, I was
introduced to a whole range of film
cultures and attitudes to the craft.
This environment really challenged
me to define my own voice as a filmmaker. My time in London also made
me comfortable writing in English,
and I'd like to work both internationally and in my native country Norway.
TORFINN IVERSEN
I have a bachelor's degree in film
studies from Lillehammer University College, and I also have an education from the Nordland College of
Art and Film.
I have written and directed a number of short films, among them Levi's
Horse (Levis hest), which participated
in the Generation programme in Berlin in 2012. In May I will start shooting the children's and family film
Oskar's America (Oskars Amerika),
which will hit the theatres in 2017.
It is based on an original screenplay,
and I have been working on the project for three years. The story has its
origins in the short Levi’s Horse, and
My Friend Kills Time by Jakob Rørvik. Photo: tiny KING FILM.
I’m looking forward to developing it
into a feature length story. It’s a story that have been with me for a long
time. It will be shot in Northern Norway, and Original Film and producer
Mona Steffensen is producing.
Q: My film education at the Nordland
College of Art and Film was of great
value to me, as narration was strongly
emphasized, as well as the art of focusing on details without losing sight
of the big picture. Many of the international guest lecturers inspired us
to see the universal in the local. After film school, I made several short
films in Mexico, France, and finally
Germany, where I have spent much
of my time the last few years.
JONAS MATZOW GULBRANDSEN
I graduated from the Polish National
Film School in Lodz (PWSFTviT) in
2011. I both write and direct my films,
which are simple stories about people, and which resonate universally.
My debut short film Darek (2009) won
the Amanda Award for Best Short,
and several international awards. My
graduation film Everything will be OK
(2011) won several prizes in Norway
and abroad. It premiered at Rotterdam (IFFR) and got me my second
Amanda nomination, before winning
the Best European Short Film Award
at the prestigious Premiers Plans festival in Angers, France. I am currently working on my feature film debut,
Valley of Shadows (Skyggenes dal/2016)
which was picked up by Celluloid
Dreams after the WIP presentation in
Les Arcs 2015 and at the Nordic Film
Market in Gothenburg 2016.
Q: During my directing education
in Poland, I was able to develop my
ability to tell stories through images.
The allegory, or the pictorial depiction of an abstract characteristic/idea,
is something I miss in Norwegian
films. That is why I chose the National Polish Film School. The school is
renowned for the filmmakers who
have graduated here, and who have
created some of the most respected
and innovative cinematographic films
in history. At an early stage, the directing and DoP department work closely
together developing film projects. In
this way, I learned a lot about the cin-
ematographic craft of storytelling.
Studying and living abroad for
many years also gave me a different
perspective on my own country and
culture. A “distance” I think is crucial
for developing yourself and your artistry. You get a new look at the culture
you grew up in – and it inspires you to
look at things differently.
The short films I made at school
got accepted into many international festivals. It has been a great opportunity for me to meet and talk to
a diverse audience, understand the
industry, and exchange ideas with
filmmakers from around the world.
So my education has in many ways
helped me achieve my filmmaking
ambitions and reach an international
audience.
HENRIK MARTIN DAHLSBAKKEN
I'm a 26 year old filmmaker from
Hamar, Norway, and I've been making films since I was 9 old. I have
done Film Studies in both Norway and
England, as well as being a trained
cinema projectionist. I have directed,
written and produced three feature
films and numerous short films. My
latest short film, Thanks for Dancing
(Takk for turen/2016) recently won the
Audience Award and the Drama Jury
Award at Aspen Shortsfest, and my
second feature, Late Summer (Sensommer/2016) will be hitting Norwegian
cinemas in June, and Cave (2016) this
coming fall. I'm about to commence
production on my fourth feature film
this summer; a gangster musical set
in the 1920s.
Q: My film education is mainly theoretical, so I guess it has been helpful
in terms of understanding the concept of filmmaking, how we perceive
film as an art form, as well as being
a huge source of inspiration. Regarding my own ambitions, I believe my
film education has taught me that
storytelling through a camera lens
MARIANNE ULRICHSEN
Levi's Horse by Torfinn Iversen. Photo: Original Film AS.
can be a profound nonverbal way of
communication and that there are no
boundaries within the art of filmmaking. Everything is possible!
ÅSHILD ARIANE RAMBORG
Believing my destiny was to be a writer in some way or another, I went to
Westerdals School of Communication. At Westerdals I met director/
actress Iram Haq, and we made the
short film Old Faithful (Trofast/2004)
which was selected for competition
at the Venice Film Festival in 2004.
This was quite surreal back then,
and I knew one thing: That I knew
nothing about film production at all.
More than eager to learn, I got into
The Norwegian Film School in Lillehammer in 2005. In 2009 I started
working for Maipo Film, and I have
been collaborating closely with the
very best producer/CEO, Synnøve
Hørsdal, ever since.
I have produced The Ash Lad: In
the Hall of the Mountain King (Askeladden – I Dovregubbens hall/2017),
directed by Mikkel Brænne Sandemose. A co-production between Maipo
Film, Subotica (IE) and Sirena Film
ZC) and Homesick (De nærmeste/2015,
directed by Anne Sewitsky, world premiere in competition at the Sundance
Film Festival). Short films directed by
Jakob Rørvik and Trond Fausa Aurvåg, among others.
Q: Being able to learn by doing for
three years in a safe microcosm of
the film industry has been invaluable.
But first and foremost it’s about the
network of students representing all
disciplines of filmmaking – the Norwegian Film School family, which is
constantly growing, and which I’m
constantly inspired by. When former
students succeed internationally, it
encourages us all to keep going - proving that voices from a small country
far north, educated at a relatively new
film school, can be heard. My aim is to
bring strong stories to the big screen,
stories that communicate, resonate,
and entertain a broad audience across
borders – a big thanks to the former
NFS students who have shown me
that it’s possible.
I am educated at The National Film
and Television School (NFTS) in the
UK, and I am interested in making
films which have a strong sensory
presence and a raw sense of human
nature. I live in Oslo in southern Norway, but when I make my films, I always go back north. I want to explore
the sense of places and emotions that I
really know, and therefore I am drawn
back to my roots. The Northern Norwegian landscape has a raw presence,
and it makes for a visual representation of the themes of my films.
I have written and directed several short films. The latest, Amazone
(Amasone/2014), won the National
Film Award, Amanda, in Norway and
The Golden Hugo for best live action
short film at Chicago Film Festival. I
will shoot a new short, All is Burning,
in August 2016. My first feature is in
development: Volcano, a collaboration
with producer Maria Ekerhovd at Mer
Film and writer Eva Keuris from the
Netherlands. We also worked together on Amazone, and we will make my
next short film together.
Q: Interaction with students from
all over the world gave me a broader
perspective on my own culture and
experiences, which I believe is a critical part of good storytelling. The programme at NFTS offered a wealth of
knowledge which is hard to find elsewhere. It was hard and competitive,
but also a place that encouraged me
to be personal and take chances while
developing my own unique film voice.
Having studied at NFTS has provided
me with contacts and collaborators
who make for long term co-working
relationships and also make co-productions possible.
REBECCA FIGENSCHAU
I am half Swedish, half Norwegian,
but my base is in Oslo. Originally I
wanted to become a visual artist, and
I studied one year at the Einar Granum Art School , while planning to
apply to the Oslo National Academy
of the Arts. In the course of this year,
I realized I rather wanted to use film
as my canvas. Consequently I went
on to study directing at the NISS
instead, from 2010 to 2012. In 2015,
when NISS and Westerdals merged
and was granted university college
status, I made use of the opportunity to earn a bachelor's degree in film
directing.
I wrote and directed the short
films Aorta and Daim during my last
year at NISS. In 2013, I wrote a feature film screenplay on assignment
for Marianne Ulrichsen at Friland.
The following year, I made the short
film Blank Squares (Hvite firkanter),
and at the same time I was selected
as one out of ten talents for the talent development programme Viken
Akademiet, which was running for
one year. In the course of the past
year, after having written and directed my bachelor film Elephant Skin
(Elefanthud) in 2015, I have developed an idea for a feature film which
I wish to direct on my own.
Q: To me, the film school education
chiefly provided an opportunity for
trial-and-error learning, and testing
things in a safe environment. The
way I see it, the film schools offer a
whole buffet of possibilities, and it
is up to the student to serve herself.
Among other things, the education
has helped me build up a professional network, which has meant a
lot to me after graduation. Regarding my international ambitions, my
film school education did not focus
on this, in my experience, but my
ambitions are growing in a natural
way as I'm developing and maturing
as a filmmaker. But still my bachelor
film has helped open some international doors for me, and this year
I'll be participating in the Future
Frames, as one of ten new European
filmmakers to follow. This is incredibly exciting and fun –and not least,
perfect timing, as I'm now hunting
for international collaboration partners for my feature film project. At
least it will increase my chances of
finding them, and them finding me!
HALFDAN ULLMANN TØNDEL
I have my education from the directing course at Westerdals OSLO ACT.
Once I had the childish idea that I
would never make films, because
some members of my family were
involved in the film industry. But this
idea crumbled into dust when I made
a weird little film which was really
lousy. This was definitely the most
fun thing I had ever done, and I have
never looked back.
I have written and directed two
short films, Bird Hearts (Fuglehjerter/2014) that was invited to Karlovy
Vary, Toronto and Les Arcs 2015, and
My Sweet Runner (Min elskede løper/
premiere TBA). I'm currently busy
with the pre-production work on a
third short film (working title: Fanny),
which I will start shooting in June. I
have also started writing a feature film,
High; that participated in the Film
School Village in Les Arcs 2015. I'm
planning to make a fourth short film
in November, which I will call Dad.
Q: For my part, a formal film education has few negative sides to it. You
are surrounded by an apparatus, you
get to make films, you have tutors and
equipment. The school system in itself may feel frustrating at times, but
I appreciate my three years at Westerdals a lot. I believe – like "in the real
world" – that one has to learn whom
to listen to, and whom to listen less
to. A teacher may be fantastic for one
person, and not that good for someone else. Film is so subjective and
personal that anything else than this
would be peculiar.
My film education in itself has not
influenced my international ambitions. The ambitions have been there
ever since I started making films. But
of course, after three years of education, my goals are more concrete, and
they appear to have come closer to realization. H
Tommy Gjerald
Thanks for Dancing by Henrik Martin Dahlsbakken. Photo: FilmBros AS.
Mathilde T. H. Storm and Connie Nielsen in The Lion Women. Photo: Filmkameratene.
THE LION WOMAN TO OPEN HAUGESUND
Unspooling between 20-26 August, the Norwegian International
Film Festival will introduce the international critics FIPRESCI prize
and the Eurimages Lab Project award – and expand with a one-day
programme in Utsira
Adapted from Norwegian author
Erik Fosnes Hansen’s 2006 novel, the
€6.3 million feature follows 24 years
in the life of a little girl who was born
in 1912 with fine yellow hair covering
her entire body, including her face. Despite her different look Eva Arctander
wants to live like other children.
Starring Rolf Lassgård as the father while the role as the girl is played
by three young actresses, the festival opener was scripted by Idsøe and
staged by Norwegian producers John
Norwegian writer-director Vibeke Idsøe’s
first feature in 11 years, The Lion Woman,
will launch the 44th Norwegian International Film Festival in Haugesund,
which runs between 20-26 August.
“The Lion Woman is a magnificent
drama with a unique protagonist and
a universal appeal – a story of a lonely child who doesn't fit in, still finds a
path to redemption and acceptance,”
said festival and programme director
Tonje Hardersen, of the Norwegian
International Film Festival.
M Jacobsen and Marcus Brodersen for
Oslo’s Filmkameratene, with Swedish,
Danish, German and Czech partners.
The Norwegian International Film
Festival will this year introduce the
FIPRESCI award for Best Film at the
festival, decided by a three-member
jury appointed by the international
film critics’ organisation (including a
Norwegian FIPRESCI representative).
The Norwegian jury, named by Norwegian Film Critics Association, will still
vote for the local prize.
The festival has also joined the Eurimages Lab Project Award with the
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (Czech Republic), the Thessaloniki
International Film Festival (Greece)
and the European Film Festival in Les
Arcs (France), which will award the
best project in their work-in-progress
programmes by €50,000.
The 2016 schedule will expand
with a one-day programme (26 August) outside Haugesund - in Utsira,
Norway’s smallest municipality, a onehour boatride from Haugesund. In
collaboration with the Association of
Norwegian Cinemas’ touring cinema,
it has organised a show at the local culture house, the Sirakompasset. H
Jørn Rossing Jensen
HOW TO FIND NORWAY
The Norwegian Film Institute at The Scandinavian Terrace, 55 La Croisette.
Hôtel de ville
ero
Panti
int.age
Vill
The Norwegain Film
Commission at
The Pavilion
of Scandinavian
Locations, no 217
Happy Hours:
May 11th-19th,
between 5 pm – 7 pm
Palais
des
Festivals
Riviera
Majestic
Cinéma
de la Plage
Grand Hôtel
La C
rois
ette
Carlton
Norwegian Film Institute at
The Scandinavian Terrace
55 La Croisette
Happy Hours: May 12th-17th,
between 5.30 pm – 6.30 pm
Martinez
NETTKINO
– can catch-up cinema fill the black holes?
Norway might give us the answer to
that question. In the fall of 2016 the
industry organisation Film&Kino
together with some cinemas, film
distributors and Kulturmeglerne (a
public relations and communications
company) start a two-year pilot project
– a “catch-up cinema” service (pay-perview) where cinemas offer a curated
selection of fresh films to the audience
on their own website.
This pilot project represents a goodfaith attempt to fill the “black window”
between cinema and home release,
and find a sustainable solution to
the benefit of filmmakers, cinemas
and the wider public. The aim is that
Nettkino shall be a complimentary
service and in no way a substitute for
going to the cinema. The pilot project
will give us valuable experience to help
measure how such an offer affects the
actual attendance figures.
It is especially the “between” films
– the award-winning and topical-issue
films – that are struggling to reach a
larger audience in movie theatres. Investigations undertaken by Film&Kino
itself indicate that 9 percent were unable to see the films they wanted because they couldn't get babysitters,
while 15 percent didn't have companions who wanted to see the same film.
Nettkino is targeting groups who for
various reasons are unable to watch
the films in the cinema.
In the 2015 annual report from
the Norwegian Film Institute we took
a closer look at the use of VOD platforms. In a 2015 investigation by the
NFI about the availability of Norwegian films on national VOD platforms,
we see that Norwegian films are relatively well available: 88 percent of Norwegian films in theatrical release in
the period from 2010 to 2014 are available as digital rentals (TVOD) or in
subscription-based services (SVOD).
It is among the TVOD services that
the availability of Norwegian films are
best, but on SVOD services it is relatively weak. The more recent the film
is, the weaker the availability gets –
especially on SVOD. The use of VOD
services is increasing and SVOD has
the largest increase.
The Norwegian film HEVN (Revenge,
2015) is a recent example of a film that
found its audiences on the streaming services. The film premiered on
6 November 2015, with 13,500 tickets
sold. Six weeks later it was launched
on VOD, and it was rented as many as
7,000 times in two weeks – 50% of its
cinema sales in one third of the amount
of time. H
NOK 445.7 M
Total funding granted by the NFI to feature length films,
documentaries, short films, tv drama and interactive games in 2015.
In addition 24,1 million NOK were granted to script development,
personal grants, regional film events and more.
ABSTRACT ANIMATION
SHORT FILM TO ANNECY
The animated short film The Boyg
(Bøygen/2016) participates in the
Out of Competition programme in
Annecy International Animation
Film Festival in June. The Boyg is an
animation film within the abstract
graphic tradition, which is a bit unusual for Norwegian animation. Normally without dialogue, these films
use movement, rhythm, light and
composition to create emotional experiences for the audience. Internationally this film tradition has roots
extending back to the 1920s.
The Boyg is made by Kristian
Pedersen and produced by Mikrofilm AS. The film is interpreting
the Norwegian playwright Henrik
Ibsen's piece “Peer Gynt”, where the
mythological being called The Boyg
appears. The film is accompanied by
music by the Norwegian national romanticism composer Edvard Grieg,
who wrote the music for the stage
production of “Peer Gynt” in 1876 after the wish of Ibsen himself, recomposed for the film by Erik Hedin.
Pedersen has previously made
several short, abstract animation
films as part of the project Gasspedal
Animert, a meeting place for literature and animated graphics. The
series combines artistic experimentation with the distribution possibilities of the internet, and the goal of
the project is to provide a foothold
for digital literature in Norway.
You can read more about The
Boyg in our app Norwegian Films. H
Upside Down Everything is Abstract, My Father Said. Photo: Private.
Anne Haugsgjerd. Photo: Private.
ANNE HAUGSGJERD RETROSPECTIVE IN OBERHAUSEN
This year the International Short
Film Festival Oberhausen, one of the
world's oldest short film festivals,
presents a special showcase dedicated to Norwegian filmmaker Anne
Haugsgjerd. The festival will screen
all of Haugsgjerd's films on 6 and 7
May, the first complete retrospective
of her work abroad. The festival calls
her films «essayistic, humorous and
self-exposing hybrids where fiction
meets documentary».
Anne Haugsgjerd visited the
festival in 2015 with her newest
film Upside Down Everything is Abstract, My Father Said (Opp ned er alt
abstrakt, sa pappa, 2014). Haugsgjerd
has directed seven films; her film debut was in 1986 with Life in Frogner
(Livet på Frogner).
International Short Film Festival
Oberhausen has for more than 60
years been a catalyst for the short
contemporary film, new trends and
talents. The festival is mirroring all
facets of the short film format – fiction, essays, installations, student
films, video art, animation, docu-
mentary – and in every conceivable
hybrid and variation. The festival
has been crucial in the development of German film. In 1962 a
group of young German filmmakers issued the Oberhausen Manifesto, pronouncing the “old” film
dead and declaring their aspiration
to create a new kind of German
film. This paved the way for a new
generation of German filmmakers, a.o. Fassbinder, Herzog and
Wenders. H
62.700
2015
DE
Admissions to the national
Cinematheque reached an
all time high in 2015.
Germany is the largest
single market for Norwegian
feature films abroad.
20,5 %
market share for
theatrical admissions.
LOOK TO NORWAY
– now with 25 % incentives
[email protected] | WWW.NORWEGIANFILMS.COM
AtlanticRoad. Photo: Frithjof Fure, Visit Norway
NORWEGIAN SERVICE PRODUCERS
PRAISED AFTER THE SNOWMAN WRAP
The major international studio production The Snowman has recently ended its shooting period in Norway. This
was one of two international projects that were offered grants from The Norwegian Film Institute's incentive
scheme on 2 March. From Norway two service producers worked to facilitate the needs of the production: Tor
Arne Øvrebø and Per-Henry Borch. We asked both what was unique about Norway, and why international
productions should look to Norway.
A
fter a long shooting period
with Oscar nominee Michael
Fassbender, Rebecca Ferguson
and Charlotte Gainsbourg
popping up on several locations in
Oslo and various other places, The
Snowman has wrapped its shooting in
Norway.
From Norway the service producers
Tor Arne Øvrebø and Per Henry Borch
facilitated the production. Both of
them have previously done the same
job for the film Ex Machina (2015),
which was shot in Norway too, and in
addition Øvrebø has several Japanese
and American advertising film behind him. He tells us that the work-
load with The Snowman increased in
the course of the production process.
– It was excellent preparation to
have a background in advertising as
well as my work with Ex Machina.
The amount of work on The Snowman
grew much more than had been suggested to us: a larger crew, a longer
shooting period and more locations.
We really had to go full steam for the
last six months, he tells us.
Per-Henry Borch was also involved
in The Snowman together with Øvrebø.
He tells us that the size of the project
made it necessary for the two of them
to pool their skills facing the extensive
undertaking.
– Some projects require us to
combine our resources, and assisting each other becomes a must. All
projects have differing requirements
and sometimes it happens that we are
co-operating, since we are offering
the same services, he says.
Both Borch and Øvrebø state that
many are now contemplating Norway after the incentives scheme is in
place. Borch is connected to several
large projects, but everything is still
secret.
– Many projects are sending out
feelers to us a bit, and would like to
come here if a location is attractive
and an incentive scheme is imple-
mented, is the only thing Borch is
free to say.
And unique locations are one of
several good arguments to shoot in
Norway, but which ones do everyone
wish to see? Øvrebø has no doubt.
– My impression is that they already have ideas and have done some
research themselves. The locations
that are always brought up are the
Atlantic Ocean Road and Storseisundet Bridge – everyone wants that.
Other than that, some specific fjords
and mountains are high on the wish
lists. The most attractive locations are
in the Møre og Romsdal – in the western part of Southern Norway – where
we find the steepest and most dramatic landscapes.
Norway is one of the few countries
that can offer a unique fjord landscape, in addition to New Zealand.
Borch and Øvrebø agree that the latter
country is a geographical competitor,
but that Norway can offer an infrastructure that is in place even in the
deepest valleys – and that we have opposite seasons.
– I guess New Zealand is the only
real competitor geographically, but
when it's winter in New Zealand it's
summer in Norway. Canada is also a
bit similar to Norway but is without
Tor Arne Øvrebø . Photo: Jakob Berg
the same type of fjords. Canada is
also an enormous continent. In little
Norway they'll get great variation as
well as a well-developed infrastructure – which functions excellently –
with international airports many places in the country, Borch thinks.
– Many more traditional international locations have bad internet
connectivity just outside the city limits, while we can offer mobile internet
over almost the entire country. This
makes a big difference to people dependent on being on the net all the
time. In terms of infrastructure,
everything's ready to receive large
productions, Øvrebø thinks.
After The Snowman wrapped, the
feedback from the studio production
is that they are well satisfied, something that producer Robyn Slovo confirms.
– Norway has simply been a fantastic place to shoot a film. We've had
access to buildings and facilities that
we could only dream about in the
UK, Slovo told the national newspaper Aftenposten. Slovo was convinced
that with Norway's new incentives
scheme, the eyes of the entire international film industry now were directed at Norway.
The producer's feedback points
out the high level of service from the
two service producers. Øvrebø says
that the recipe for great feedback is
high quality on all the functions Norway provides for the international
productions.
– You always have to choose the
very best. Only then can one be sure
that the customer will always be satisfied because we deliver a high level on
everything from camera to lighting
and grip. And often the foreign productions have moderate expectations,
but when meeting our skilled people
they realise that we deliver on a level
they themselves are used to – or better. The Norwegian film workers are
well drilled because they have a high
Per-Henry Borch. Photo: Private
level of ambition on national films,
which they are used to make with few
people. They can really work fast and
efficiently!
With a laugh, Borch concludes by
telling us that it's not always a great
mood when one has been cold and
wet for several hours because of difficult weather, but assures us that the
feedback has always been good afterwards.
– They are very satisfied because
qualifications are never a problem
even in difficult weather. The Norwegian ability to deliver is beyond doubt.
I can with great confidence say that
the entire Norwegian package offered
to the productions we work for is on
an international level. H
Tommy Gjerald
5 Questions to Bendik Heggen Strønstad
– NORWAY’S PRODUCER
ON THE MOVE
Congratulations with becoming this year's Producer on the
Move. What are your thoughts?
– This is great of course and it's very motivating that someone believes I'm on the way somewhere with something.
What was your motivation to apply for becoming Producer on
the Move?
– It's a great opportunity to get to know other producers in
Europe better, who also have ambitions to co-operate across
national borders. I have several projects suitable for co-production and would like to become involved as a Norwegian
co-producer on international productions. Enlarging my international network and familiarising myself better with the
opportunities abroad were the greatest motivation, I guess.
FACTS ABOUT
BENDIK HEGGEN STRØNSTAD
• Owner and founder with director Aleksander Nordaas of Yesbox Productions, an independent feature film and commercial production company based in Norway.
• Eleven years of experience as a producer.
• One of the Norwegian producers in Nordic Genre Invasion in 2016.
• Brings the project Morkel The Moss Monster to Cannes, which he develops together with director Aleksander Nordaas.
•Produced Villmark Asylum (2015) for Handmade Films in
Norwegian Woods in co-production with Yesbox Production and PPM Film Productions in Hungary
•Produced Thale (2012, directed by Aleksander Nordaas), which received theatrical distribution in the US and Japan, and is
internationally distributed on VOD. The film was presented, among other events, at the film festival in Toronto and at SXSW.
• Producer of the short film Cold, the 2011 Palme d'Or entry.
You're known for genre film productions, among other things
with inspiration from Norse mythology. How do you experience
the interest on the Norwegian film scene for your productions?
– It's absolutely there. Not many films of this type are made in
Norway so I'm very happy to contribute. Genre films are often
falling between the cracks of the financial support system, and
this makes it increasingly challenging to get them going in an
economically feasible way.
How do you work as a producer?
– There are constantly many projects in the air at the same
time with differing needs, and this makes my workday highly
diverse. It takes time to get a production on its feet so it's important to have projects in different stages. At times it would
have been convenient to be able to focus more on fewer projects, but on the other hand it's very motivating that a lot happens in all directions.
What are your future plans?
– I plan on shooting a production in the fall. Other than that,
I'm in post-production on two short films and in development with a number of projects. In addition I'm going to buy
a big globe ice cream when I'm at the festival in Cannes, with
at least five globes.H
UPCOMING TITLES
AMBULANCE
AMBULANCE
AMBULANCE
Ambulance is a raw, first-person account of the last war
in Gaza, July 2014. Mohamed Jabaly, a young man from
Gaza City, joins an ambulance crew as war approaches.
2016 72 min ORIGINAL TITLE Ambulanse DIRECTOR
Mohamed Jabaly PRODUCTION Jabfilm AS RELEASE
June, 2016 SALES First Hand Films
AMBULANCE
AMBULANCE
AMBULANCE
AMBULANCE
AMBULANCE
AMBULANCE
AMBULANCE
AMBULANCE
AMBULANCE
UPCOMING
TITLES
UPCOMING TITLES FEATURE FILMS
AFTERPARTY
A journey through the metropolitan night is the beginning
of the end of a friendship. When morning dawns, nothing
is like it once was.
FEATURE FILMS
DRAMA 80 min ORIGINAL TITLE Det som en gang var
DIRECTOR Patrik Syversen PRODUCTION Pryser Film
RELEASE March 18, 2016 SALES TBC
ALL THE BEAUTY
BØRNING 2 ON ICE
CARPENTER ANDERSEN MEETS
SANTA CLAUS
David has lethal cancer, and stays at his summer house with
his ex-wife, who in two months helps him complete his final
play about three different phases of their life together.
The illegal street race in the film is from the West-coast
of Norway through Sweden and Finland to Murmansk in
Russia, driving on snow and ice.
Carpenter Andersen and Santa Claus himself makes a
deal which saves Christmas.
DRAMA 90 min ORIGINAL TITLE Alt det vakre DIRECTOR Aasne Vaa Greibrokk PRODUCTION Motlys AS
RELEASE June 10, 2016 SALES Pluto Films
DRAMA xx min ORIGINAL TITLE Børning 2 DIRECTOR
Hallvard Bræin PRODUCTION Filmkameratene AS
RELEASE Oct 12, 2016 SALES AB Svensk Filmindustri
CHILDREN COMEDY 90 min ORIGINAL TITLE Snekker
Andersen og julenissen DIRECTOR Terje Rangnes PRODUCTION Fantefilm Fiksjon AS RELEASE Nov 11, 2016
SALES Sola Media
CAVE
DAM
DRIB
A group of former military elites set out to explore an
uncharted abyss, not knowing their worst nightmare is
waiting for them deep beneath the ground.
Two young who after a one-night stand go for a hike in the
mountains. Their trip soon becomes a psychological battle
of wills that can only find release in an act of violence.
A reconstruction of events in the recent past that centers
around a canceled ad campaign for an energy drink shot
in Los Angeles.
THRILLER, ACTION 90 min ORIGINAL TITLE Cave
DIRECTOR Henrik Martin Dahlsbakken PRODUCTION
FilmBros AS RELEASE Sep 9, 2016 SALES LevelK
DRAMA 73 min ORIGINAL TITLE Demning DIRECTOR
Paul Tunge PRODUCTION Tunge film RELEASE Nov 26,
2015 SALES New Morning Films
DRAMA 90 min ORIGINAL TITLE Drib DIRECTOR Kristoffer Borgli PRODUCTION Bacon OSL RELEASE Early
2017 SALES TBC
EL CLÁSICO
IN THE FOREST OF HUCKYBUCKY
FRAMING MOM
Two Kurdish brothers who are little people, on a dangerous
quest through Iraq to Spain to meet Cristiano Ronaldo.
Morten tries to pass a law for all the animals to agree to
be friends and stop eating each other.
DRAMA 95 min ORIGINAL TITLE El Clásico DIRECTOR
Halkawt Mustafa PRODUCTION Hene Film, Turbin Film
RELEASE April 15, 2016 SALES TBC
ANIMATION, FAMILY 72 min ORIGINAL TITLE Dyrene i
Hakkebakkeskogen DIRECTOR Rasmus A. Sivertsen PRODUCTION Qvisten RELEASE Dec 25, 2016 SALES AB Svensk
Filmindustri
Unn Tove is unfaithful at her own wedding reception and
Rose Marie is born and abandoned in a public bathroom.
16 years later, they meet again.
DRAMA, COMEDY 90 min ORIGINAL TITLE Rose Marie
DIRECTOR Sara Johnsen PRODUCTION 4 ½ Fiksjon AS
RELEASE Sep 9, 2016 SALES The Match Factory
FEATURE FILMS UPCOMING TITLES
GILBERT'S REVENGE
GRAND HOTEL
HEVN (REVENGE)
11-year-old Gilbert is new to the neighbourhood and
ready for a new and better life. When aunt Doris shows up
to baby sit, Gilbert’s new life is threatened.
A pompous, aging alcoholic and a tourettes-inflicted
ten-year-old boy are forced to spend a week together in
a hig-end-hotel.
Rebekka travels back to a hotel by the Norwegian fjords
seeking revenge on the man who ruined her sister’s life.
CHILDREN 85 min ORIGINAL TITLE Gilberts grusomme
hevn DIRECTOR Hanne Larsen PRODUCTION Maipo
FilmAS RELEASE Sep 30, 2016 SALES TBC
DRAMA, COMEDY 90 min ORIGINAL TITLE Grand Hotel
DIRECTOR Arild Fröhlich PRODUCTION 4 ½ Fiksjon AS
RELEASE April 8, 2016 SALES TBC
DRAMA 104 min ORIGINAL TITLE Hevn
DIRECTOR Kjersti Steinsbø PRODUCTION Den siste
skilling AS RELEASE Nov 6, 2015 SALES Beta Cinema
THE HOUSE
HUNTING FLIES
THE KING’S CHOICE
The Scandinavian winter can be cold and inhospitable, but
luckily a house pops up in the icy wilderness.
A political film in a classroom setting where the teacher
Ghani, after losing his job, makes one final attempt to get
it back.
April 9, 1940, German troops invade Oslo. The King is
faced with a choice which will change his nation forever.
HORROR 85 min ORIGINAL TITLE Huset DIRECTOR
Reinert Kiil PRODUCTION Sanctum Film RELEASE April
15, 2016 SALES TBC
DRAMA 90 min ORIGINAL TITLE Hunting Flies DIRECTOR Izer Aliu PRODUCTION Good Wolf Bad Wolf
RELEASE TBC SALES TBC
HISTORICAL ACTION DRAMA 90 min ORIGINAL TITLE
Kongens nei DIRECTOR Erik Poppe PRODUCTION
Paradox Film AS RELEASE Sep 23, 2016 SALES Beta
Cinema
THE LAST KING
LATE SUMMER
THE LION WOMAN
Norway is ravaged by civil war, and prince Haakon is born
in secrecy. A boy half the kingdom is out to kill and whom
two men have to protect with their own lives.
An elderly woman has secluded herself in Franch, when a
young couple suddenly intrudes on her isolated life.
A century ago, a girl was born with fur. It would greatly
affect her life and the small community she grew up in.
DRAMA 90 min ORIGINAL TITLE Birkebeinerne
DIRECTOR Nils Gaup PRODUCTION Paradox Film AS
RELEASE Feb 12, 2016 SALES TrustNordisk
PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER 73 min ORIGINAL TITLE
Sensommer DIRECTOR Henrik Martin Dahlsbakken
PRODUCTION FilmBros AS RELEASE June 17, 2016
SALES LevelK
DRAMA 80 min ORIGINAL TITLE Løvekvinnen
DIRECTOR Vibeke Idsøe PRODUCTION Filmkameratene
AS RELEASE Aug 26, 2016 SALES TrustNordisk
LITTLE GREY FERGIE – COUNTRY
FUN!
LITTLE GREY FERGIE – FULL
THROTTLE
LOUIS & LUCA– THE BIG CHEESE
RACE
Fergie falls in love with the new-born goat Houdini. Houdini
is high and low, creating havoc on the farm and in the village.
A huge tree falls on Fergie, damaging him severely. In an
attempt to save his life, Gavin quickly transplants Fergie’s
spark plug into an old sports car.
Reodor Felgen’s home and workshop are in peril after Luca has
boasted and gambled in drunken company.
FAMILY 80 min ORIGINAL TITLE Gråtass – Gøy på
landet! DIRECTOR Peder Hamdahl Næss PRODUCTION
Cinenord Kidstory AS RELEASE Feb 5, 2016 SALES
Attraction Distribution
FAMILY 80 min ORIGINAL TITLE Gråtass gir gass DIRECTOR
Peder Hamdahl Næss PRODUCTION Cinenord Kidstory AS
RELEASE Aug 12, 2016 SALES Attraction Distribution
ANIMATION, FAMILY 78 min ORIGINAL TITLE Solan &
Ludvig - Herfra til Flåklypa DIRECTOR Rasmus A. Sivertsen
PRODUCTION Maipo Film AS RELEASE Dec 12, 2015
SALES Sola Media
UPCOMING TITLES FEATURE FILMS • DOCUMENTARIES
PYROMANIAC
THE RULES FOR EVERYTHING
TWO BUDDIES AND A BADGER
A flame lights up the darkness of a peaceful village. More
fires break out and the community panics. The pyromaniac isn’t a stranger, he is a village fireman.
A humorous and everyday surreal fable about a mother
and a daughter who tries to find a way to live on after the
great crisis has struck.
They live in a railway tunnel and have a badger in the ceiling.
They sing and play music and quarrel over the tiniest things.
DRAMA 90 min ORIGINAL TITLE Pyromanen DIRECTOR
Erik Skjoldbjærg PRODUCTION Glør Film AS RELEASE
Apr 22, 2016 SALES TrustNordisk
DRAMA, COMEDY 90 min ORIGINAL TITLE Løperen og
hesten DIRECTOR Kim Hiorthøy PRODUCTION Motlys
AS RELEASE Sep, 2016 SALES TBC
ANIMATION, FAMILY 75 min ORIGINAL TITLE Knuten
& Ludvigsen og den fæle Rasputin DIRECTOR Rasmus
A Sivertsen, Rune Spaans PRODUCTION Tordenfilm AS
RELEASE Sep 25, 2015 SALES Sola Media
VALLEY OF KNIGHTS: MIRA’S
MAGICAL CHRISTMAS
VALLEY OF SHADOWS
WELCOME TO NORWAY!
Evil reigns and Christmas is cancelled. Only the Gran
family is capable of saving the holidays.
A modern ghost story from a small village in the Norwegian bible belt, in a valley between the sea and the
mountains.
Primus is a man with big plans, but things rarely turn out
the way he hopes. He converts his hotel into a refugee
asylum center.
DRAMA 90 min ORIGINAL TITLE Skyggenes dal DIRECTOR Jonas Matzow Gulbrandsen PRODUCTION Film
Farms AS RELEASE TBC SALES Celluloid Dreams
DRAMA, COMEDY 90 min ORIGINAL TITLE Welcome to
Norway! DIRECTOR Rune Denstad Langlo PRODUCTION
Motlys AS RELEASE Mar 3, 2016 SALES Beta Cinema
ADVENTURE, FAMILY 90 min ORIGINAL TITLE Julekongen – Full rustning DIRECTOR Thale Persen PRODUCTION Storm Films AS RELEASE Nov 13, 2015 SALES
Sola Media
AMBULANCE
DOCUMENTARIES
72 min ORIGINAL TITLE Ambulanse DIRECTOR Mohamed Jabaly PRODUCTION Jabfilm AS RELEASE June,
2016 SALES First Hand Films
BOW AND ARROW
CAUSE OF DEATH UNKNOWN
DOING GOOD
Bow and arrow is an atmospheric film where we look at
the relationship human/horse with a sensitive eye.
After losing her sister to prescription antipsychotics,
the director begins an investigation into the crimes and
corruption of the pharmaceutical industry .
Doing Good is a film about the importance of hope. Olin
follows 22 people in their meetings with Joralf Gjerstad.
61 min ORIGINAL TITLE Pil og bue DIRECTOR Camilla
Figenschou PRODUCTION Original Film AS RELEASE
June, 2016 SALES TBC
TBC min ORIGINAL TITLE Dødsårsak: ukjent DIRECTOR
Anniken Hoel PRODUCTION Manifesto Film AS RELEASE Autumn, 2016 SALES TBC
99 min ORIGINAL TITLE Mannen fra Snåsa DIRECTOR
Margreth Olin PRODUCTION Speranza Film RELEASE
Jan 22, 2016 SALES TBC
DOCUMENTARIES • SHORT FILMS UPCOMING TITLES
DUGMA – THE BUTTON
THE MAGNITSKY ACT
MAGNUS
An intimate portrait of a group of very different suicide
bombers working for Al Qaeda in Syria.
Based on a true story of a big lie.
At age 13, a shy Norwegian boy made a decision; one day
he would become the World Chess Champion. A portrait
of the “Mozart of Chess”.
52 min ORIGINAL TITLE Dugma – The Button
DIRECTOR Pål Refsdal PRODUCTION Medieoperatørene
RELEASE Feb, 2016 SALES Journeyman Pictures
114 min ORIGINAL TITLE The Magnitsky Act DIRECTOR
Andrei Nekrasov PRODUCTION Piraya RELEASE June,
2016 SALES Autlook Filmsales GmbH
76 min ORIGINAL TITLE Magnus DIRECTOR Benjamin
Ree PRODUCTION Moskus Film RELEASE April, 2016
SALES TrustNordisk
THE NIGHT
SHOOTING OURSELVES
TONGUE CUTTERS
Director Steffan Strandberg shares his personal childhood
story. About the night his father rescued him and his
brother.
13 lives affected by the arms trade converge in a warehouse in Berlin. From around the world, they have come to
dramatise and record their personal stories.
Small children, big knives. A youth doc about young kids
from the age of five working as cod tongue cutters in
Northern Norway.
72 min ORIGINAL TITLE Natta DIRECTOR Steffan
Strandberg PRODUCTION Indie Film RELEASE Oct,
2016 SALES TBC
90 min ORIGINAL TITLE Shooting Ourselves DIRECTOR
Christine Cynn PRODUCTION Øya Film RELEASE Sep,
2016 SALES Cargo Releasing
90 min ORIGINAL TITLE Tungeskjærerne DIRECTOR
Solveig Melkeraaen PRODUCTION Medieoperatørene AS
RELEASE Jan, 2017 SALES TBC
THE WALL
WHAT YOUNG MEN DO
THE WHISPERERS
Exclusively filmed in North Korea, The Wall is a hybrid film
using documentary footage, animation and fiction to tell a
story of a woman fleeing from North Korea
A hybrid coming-of-age story from the suburbs of Oslo.
A creative coming-of-age documentary. The film follows
Ellen Sara over seven years, coming from a South Sami
reindeer herding family in Aarborte in Norway.
74 min ORIGINAL TITLE The Wall DIRECTOR David
Kinsella PRODUCTION David Kinsella Productions AS
RELEASE Autumn, 2016 SALES TBC
80 min ORIGINAL TITLE Barneraneren DIRECTOR Jon
Haukeland PRODUCTION Medieoperatørene AS RELEASE Oct 21, 2016 SALES TBC
95 min ORIGINAL TITLE Veasoejorksh – Hviskerne
DIRECTOR David Kinsella PRODUCTION David Kinsella
Productions AS RELEASE Autumn, 2016 SALES TBC
THE ABSENCE OF EDDY TABLE
What if your worst fear and your greatest love turn out
to be the same thing? Lost in a dark forest, Eddy Table
stumbles upon a mysterious girl and dangerous parasites.
SHORT FILMS
ANIMATION 12 min ORIGINAL TITLE The Absence of
Eddy Table DIRECTOR Rune Spaans PRODUCTION
Tordenfilm AS RELEASE June, 2016 SALES TBC
UPCOMING TITLES SHORT FILMS
AMBULANCE
THE BOY IN THE PICTURE
THE BOYG
Two female ambulance paramedics get caught up in a
conflict with a group of Romanian immigrants, after being
called out to what seems to be a false alarm.
A boy is taken to the big city by his mother and experiences the world as an open place full of impressions.
A short film inspired by visual music, epic poetry, Erik
Hedin's recomposition of Edvard Grieg's Peer Gynt score,
and The Great Boyg itself who finds us all.
DRAMA 15 min ORIGINAL TITLE Ambulanse DIRECTOR
Sebastian Torngren Wartin PRODUCTION Maipo Film AS
RELEASE June, 2016 SALES TBC
DRAMA 11 min ORIGINAL TITLE Gutten i bildet DIRECTOR Hisham Zaman PRODUCTION Snowfall Cinema
AS RELEASE Jun, 2016 SALES TBC
ANIMATION 6 min ORIGINAL TITLE Bøygen
DIRECTOR Kristian Pedersen PRODUCTION Mikrofilm
AS RELEASE Jun, 2016 SALES TBC
COLD SHIVERS
DUNDER
ERICA
Kristoffer brings a girl home for the first time. The leap
into adulthood is never easy. The film sets out to explore
intimacy in good and bad ways.
Bulder's snowball fight with his best friend Modika is
interrupted when Lex steals her attention away with some
quiet playtime.
Erica has a secret relationship to the married Sebastian.
When his wife Liv finds out, she decides to confront Erica
over an evening of gin and tonics.
DRAMA 19 min ORIGINAL TITLE Frysninger
DIRECTOR Marius Myrmel PRODUCTION Marius
Myrmel RELEASE Jan, 2016 SALES TBC
ANIMATION 10 min ORIGINAL TITLE Dunder DIRECTOR
Endre Skandfer PRODUCTION Fabelfjord AS RELEASE
Jan 23, 2016 SALES New Europe Film Sales
DRAMA 20 min ORIGINAL TITLE Erica DIRECTOR Iselin
Saga PRODUCTION Folkefiender RELEASE Jun, 2016
SALES TBC
ETERNAL HUNTING GROUNDS
IT’S ALRIGHT
MR. DEATH
Two children play on an island, in an open coastal landscape. They have a game they love to play : to search under
stones, on the beach, in the mud, and in the fields.
Five-year-old Alexa comes to realize that her young
mother is out of money and on the verge of a breakdown.
Alexa makes a decision she will never forget.
An exclusive interview with Death.
ANIMATION 19 min ORIGINAL TITLE Evige Jaktmarker
DIRECTOR Elin Grimstad PRODUCTION Medieoperatørene AS RELEASE TBC SALES TBC
DRAMA 10 min ORIGINAL TITLE Vi kan ikke hjelpe alle
DIRECTOR Nina Knag PRODUCTION Banaccas Film AS
RELEASE June, 2016 SALES TBC
DRAMA 15 min ORIGINAL TITLE Mr. Death DIRECTOR
Andreas J. Riiser PRODUCTION Bacon OSL RELEASE
June, 2016 SALES TBC
MY SWEET RUNNER
NOTHING EVER REALLY ENDS
PROCESS: BREATH
She´s always running, he walks. «I´ve lost her» he says. But
who’s lost whom? On this desolate island with thousand
noises, they must try to find out.
Ebba and Marius is a couple in their late 20s who is in
constant conflict even though they love each other deeply. Every New Year's Eve they try to break up.
A chemical love story.
DRAMA 9 min ORIGINAL TITLE Min elskede løper DIRECTOR Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel PRODUCTION Frokost
Film RELEASE September 2016 SALES TBC
DRAMA 23 min ORIGINAL TITLE Ingenting tar noensinne
slutt DIRECTOR Jakob Rørvik PRODUCTION Maipo Film
AS RELEASE June, 2016 SALES TBC
EXPERIMENTAL 5 min ORIGINAL TITLE Process: Breath
DIRECTOR Line Klungseth Johansen PRODUCTION
Helmet RELEASE Jan 27, 2016 SALES TBC
SHORT FILMS • TV SERIES UPCOMING TITLES
THE ROPE
THANKS FOR DANCING
TIP TOP
Everyone knows that relationships are not always easy to
handle.
A lifelong relationship is coming to an end, as we follow
two elderly men and former athletes the last winter they
are living together.
On the islands off the coast of Norway, small plastic parts
from around the globe drift on to the shore.
ANIMATION 5,5 min ORIGINAL TITLE The Rope DIRECTOR Liran Kapel PRODUCTION Alfred Film og TV
RELEASE Jan, 2016 SALES TBC
DRAMA 19 min ORIGINAL TITLE Takk for turen DIRECTOR Henrik Martin Dahlsbakken PRODUCTION
FilmBros AS RELEASE Feb, 2016 SALES Magnet Film
ANIMATION 5 min ORIGINAL TITLE Tipp Topp
DIRECTOR Jan Otto Ertesvåg PRODUCTION Hammerhai AS RELEASE Mar 5, 2016 SALES TBC
THE TUNNEL
THE VOICES
WORKING WITH ANIMALS
An overcrowded future. A terrible solution. A family stuck
in traffic jam.
Through a series of interviews conducted between 2014
and 2015, three young people suffering from schizophrenia.
DRAMA 12 min ORIGINAL TITLE Tunnelen
DIRECTOR André Øvredal PRODUCTION Eldorado Film
RELEASE Apr, 2016 SALES TBC
ANIMATION/DOCUMENTARY 14 min ORIGINAL TITLE
Stemmene i hodet DIRECTOR Julian Nazario Vargas
PRODUCTION Mari Monrad RELEASE Summer 2016
SALES TBC
Working with animals is about a documentary film
director trying to control something that is inherently
uncontrollable; wild animals.
DOCUMENTARY 4 min ORIGINAL TITLE Working with
Animals DIRECTOR Marc Reisbig PRODUCTION Marc
Reisbig Film RELEASE June, 2016 SALES TBC
NOBEL
Thriller. Two stories carefully intertwine as a returning
soldier and family man becomes a pawn in an international
political game.
TV SERIES
ORIGINAL TITLE Nobel EPISODES 8 X 45’
PRODUCTION Monster Scripted AS SALES DRG
THE HEAVY WATER WAR
OCCUPIED
AQUITTED
A six-part dramatization of one of the most exciting
stories from the Second World War.
Occupied is a drama set in the near future where Russia, on
behalf of EU, has staged a “silkglove” invasion of Norway.
Acquitted follows the story of a Norwegian business man who
has worked his way to the top during his 20 years in Asia.
ORIGINAL TITLE Kampen om tungtvannet EPISODES
6 X 45’ PRODUCTION Filmkameratene AS SALES SF
International.
ORIGINAL TITLE Okkupert EPISODES: 10 X 45’ Season
to in development PRODUCTION Yellow Bird Norge AS
SALES Zodiak Rights.
ORIGINAL TITLE Frikjent EPISODES 10 X 60’ PRODUCTION Miso Film Norge SALES Fremantle Media
International
UPCOMING TITLES TV SERIES
DAG
THE THIRD EYE
TRIO (CHILDREN SERIES)
In Season 4 of this dark ridden dramedy series the characters have been strapped forcefully to the carousell horse
with nowhere to escape.
After quitting his job in the homicide department Viggo
now works with organized crime.
Trio is a modern heroic saga, where vital human values are
at stake. A series full of action, humour and drama.
ORIGINAL TITLE Dag 4 EPISODES 10 X 23.5’
PRODUCTION Kamerakameratene & Viafilm
SALES Nordic World
ORIGNAL TITLE Det tredje øyet EPISODES 10 X 43’ 2
seasons PRODUCTION Rubicon SALES Endemol Shine
International
ORIGINAL TITLE Trio – Odins gull (season 1), Trio – Cybergullet (season 2) EPISODES 10 X 24’ PRODUCTION
Nordic Stories SALES AB Svensk Filmindustri
THE ERIKSEN SAGAS
THE BACKBENCHERS
MANIAC
Texan expatriate Jennie-Rose’s passion for uncovering
long-lost treasure flings this single mom and her Norwegian-born teenage twins into a spiral of dangerous locales.
Roy is a well-liked mayor for the labour Party in a small
rural community when he suddenly is called to join the
Parliament.
Espen is a man in his thrirties who is loved by everyone.
Every day is a party. In real life he is a patient at the
psychiatric ward.
ORIGINAL TITLE Folkevalgt EPISODES 8 x 23’ PRODUCTION Monster Scripted BROADCASTER TV2 SALES
ORIGINAL TITLE Eriksensagaen EPISODES 8x45’
PRODUCTION Leader Films SALES TBA
Monster Scripted AS
ORIGINAL TITLE Maniac PRODUCTION Rubicon TV
BROADCASTER TV2 SALES Nordic World
NEXT SUMMER
YOUNG & PROMISING
VALKYRIEN
The idyllic summer is turned upside down as we meet
a young couple set to take over the family cottage. A
humorous drama.
When do you go from being young and full of potential to
over the hill and just pathetic?
Ravn, a respected physician, is seeking cure for his dying
wife. When the hospital stops her treatment, Ravn
continues working in secret.
ORIGINAL TITLE Neste sommer EPISODES 10x23’, 2
seasons PRODUCTION Feelgood Scene Film og TV As
SALES Nordic World
ORIGINAL TITLE Ung og lovende EPISODES 12x30’
PRODUCTION Monster Scripted BROADCASTER NRK
SALES DRG
ORIGINAL TITLE Valkyrien EPISODES 8x45’
PRODUCTION Tordenfilm AS BROADCASTER NRK
SALES TBA
THE BROKERS
Ken Olsen lies, cheats and treats people badly because
that is how he thinks you give the impression of being a
successful businessman.
ORIGINAL TITLE Meglerne EPISODES 10 x 23’ PRODUCTION Monster Scripted AS BROADCASTER TV2
SALES TBA
NORWEGIAN FILMS MAGAZINE #2/2016
PUBLISHED BY Norwegian Film Institute
CHIEF EDITOR Stine Helgeland
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Vibeke Rydland, Tommy Gjerald
CONTRIBUTORS Stine Oppegaard, Jørn Rossing Jensen,
Toril Simonsen, Astri Dehli Blindheim Mia Lindrup, Jakob Berg
& Live Nermoen
TRANSLATION Bjørn Giertsen, Dag Sødholt
COVER Anders Danielsen Lie. Photo: Dusan Reljin
DESIGN Lise Kihle Designstudio AS
PRINT Oslo Digitaltrykk
PUBLISHER Sindre Guldvog, CEO
ISBN 978-82-8025-043-8
The Norwegian Film Database
Norwegian films and series in the palm of your hand.

Norwegian Films Magazine #2

Transcription

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