Norwegian films magazine 2016 #2 by Norsk filminstitutt

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 stine.helgeland@nfi.no

STINE OPPEGAARD

Head of International Relations Feature Films +47 908 59 638 stine.oppegaard@nfi.no

TORIL SIMONSEN

Head of International Relations Short and Documentaries +47 900 38 086 toril.simonsen@nfi.no

MIA LINDRUP

Senior Advisor Promotion and International Relations +47 922 26 978 Mia.Lindrup@nfi.no

JAKOB BERG

Information Officer +47 971 977 66 jakob.berg@nfi.no

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.

MAGAZINE #2 2016 | NORWEGIAN FILMS 3

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.

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.

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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.

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 6 NORWEGIAN FILMS | MAGAZINE #2 2016

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.

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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?

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.

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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.

MAGAZINE #2 2016 | NORWEGIAN FILMS 9

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? â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 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-

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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. â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 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.

MAGAZINE #2 2016 | NORWEGIAN FILMS 11

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 SĂ¸rhaug 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.

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!

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MARTE VOLD

I work as photographer and director, and I was educated at the Nordland College of Art and Film in KabelvĂĽg, 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

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. MAGAZINE #2 2016 | NORWEGIAN FILMS 13

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.

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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 (KommittĂŠn/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 MAGAZINE #2 2016 | NORWEGIAN FILMS 15

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 16 NORWEGIAN FILMS | MAGAZINE #2 2016

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 MAGAZINE #2 2016 | NORWEGIAN FILMS 17

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.

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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.

MAGAZINE #2 2016 | NORWEGIAN FILMS 19

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 20 NORWEGIAN FILMS | MAGAZINE #2 2016

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 MAGAZINE #2 2016 | NORWEGIAN FILMS 21

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

Admissions to the national Cinematheque reached an all time high in 2015.

Germany is the largest single market for Norwegian feature films abroad.

22 NORWEGIAN FILMS | MAGAZINE #2 2016

20,5 % market share for theatrical admissions.

LOOK TO NORWAY

– now with 25 % incentives

MAGAZINE #2 2016 | NORWEGIAN FILMS 23 POST@NORWEGIANFILMS.COM | 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.

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.

24 NORWEGIAN FILMS | MAGAZINE #2 2016

– 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

MAGAZINE #2 2016 | NORWEGIAN FILMS 25

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. 26 NORWEGIAN FILMS | MAGAZINE #2 2016

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 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 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 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 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 UPCOMING TITLES

MAGAZINE #2 2016 | NORWEGIAN FILMS 27

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.

28 NORWEGIAN FILMS | MAGAZINE #2 2016

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

MAGAZINE #2 2016 | NORWEGIAN FILMS 29

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

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.

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

30 NORWEGIAN FILMS | MAGAZINE #2 2016

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

MAGAZINE #2 2016 | NORWEGIAN FILMS 31

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

32 NORWEGIAN FILMS | MAGAZINE #2 2016

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

MAGAZINE #2 2016 | NORWEGIAN FILMS 33

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

34 NORWEGIAN FILMS | MAGAZINE #2 2016

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

MAGAZINE #2 2016 | NORWEGIAN FILMS 35

The Norwegian Film Database Norwegian films and series in the palm of your hand.

36 NORWEGIAN FILMS | MAGAZINE #2 2016