DOCUMENTARIES 2016
NORWEGIAN FILMS Varicella tells the story about the relationship between two sisters with a common dream of becoming a soloist ballet dancer.
In Dancing for You we meet 12-year-old Maiko - Dancing Child about prima balleriVilde - a championship folk dancer deeply na Maiko. since 14, now 32, DOCUMENTARIES 2016Dancing | NORWEGIAN FILMS 1 she is on top of her career as a prima ballerina – concerned with the well-being of her cancer stricken grandfather. and she wants to start a family.
INTERNATIONAL DEPARTMENT
STINE HELGELAND
Executive Director Promotion and International Relations +47 957 44 173 stine.helgeland@nfi.no
TORIL SIMONSEN
Head of International Relations Shorts and documentaries +47 900 38 086 toril.simonsen@nfi.no
STINE OPPEGAARD
Head of International Relations Feature films +47 908 59 638 stine.oppegaard@nfi.no
MIA LINDRUP
Senior Advisor, Promotion and International Relations mia.lindrup@nfi.no
3. 6.
ASTRI BLINDHEIM
Head of Cultural Events +47 930 44 687 astri.blindheim@nfi.no
KNUT SKINNARMO
Senior Advisor, International Relations, Feature films knut.skinnarmo@nfi.no
Norwegian Films Crossing Borders Nine Production Companies – One Question
9. Norway Asks IDFA To Dance 11. Norwegian Documentaries 2015/2016 20. Norwegian Female Directors
Move The World
26. Children Are Fascinated
By Documentaries
ARNA BERSAAS
27.
Industry News
KATHRINE HAAHEIM
NORWEGIAN FILMS DOCUMENTARIES 2016
Senior Advisor, International Relations, Shorts and Documentaries +47 928 13 088 amb@nfi.no
Festival Manager Shorts and documentaries +47 922 97 027 kathrine.haaheim@nfi.no
Published by Norwegian Film Institute EDITORS: Tommy Gjerald , Vibeke Lj. Rydland EDITORIAL STAFF: Toril Simonsen, Jørn Rossing Jensen, Bjørn Giertsen COVER: Kari Anne Moe. Photo by Helge Hansen. DESIGN: Lise Kihle Designstudio AS
PÅL HÅBERG
Print Manager ph@nfi.no
PRINT: Oslo Digitaltrykk CEO NORWEGIAN FILM INSTITUTE: Sindre Guldvog ISBN: 978-82-8025-039-1
NORWEGIAN FILMS CROSSING BORDERS
Drone (2014), directed by Tonje Hessen Schei.
Norwegian Films Crossing Borders ”In recent years we have seen an increasing number of women directors choosing to work with documentaries, and they have strong voices,” said Head of International Relations, Short and Documentary Films, Toril Simonsen, of the Norwegian Film Institute
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orwegian documentaries are thriving. Every year an average of six feature-length docs are released theatrically, and Norwegian documentary filmmakers are increasingly marking their territory at the national and international film festivals. Earlier this year Norwegian director Tonje Hessen Schei’s documentary Drone (2014), investigating the consequences of the robotic revolution in modern warfare and ”revealing crucial secrets of the CIA’s drones, and how it will change our future”, was named The Most Valuable Documentary of the Year to receive the Cinema for Peace Award in Berlin. It also collected an Amanda, Norway’s national film prize,
for Best Documentary. At the Bergen International Film Festival (September) Norwegian director Linda Steinhoff ’s Voldtatt (Raped/2015) won both for Best Norwegian Documentary and the Audience Prize. The film is about the director’s own rape at 18 by someone she knew, which she did not report to the police till 15 years later, but now examines how rape victims are met by the system, and how this system can itself be seen as another abuser. ”In recent years we have seen an increasing number of women directors choosing to work with documentaries, and they have strong voices,” said Head of International Relations, Short and Documentary Films, Toril Simonsen,
of the Norwegian Film Institute. ”Traditionally Norwegian filmmakers have been occupied by social and political issues, or focused on more personal themes, portraying individuals, exploring local, accepted truths – and often they are crossing over.” ”Norwegian directors and producers are also crossing borders to find subjects and partners, not only for co-financing and co-production; Oslo-Drøbak’s Sant & Usant produced Russian director Victor Kossakovsky’s Varicella, screening in IDFA’s Kids & Docs, and will develop and collaborate on films in the future. ”Stavanger’s Piraya Film, which is the co-producer of Australian director George Gittoes’ IDFA contender for Best Feature-Length Docu-
DOCUMENTARIES 2016 | NORWEGIAN FILMS 3
NORWEGIAN FILMS CROSSING BORDERS
Roald Amundsen - Lincoln Ellsworth’s Polar Flight 1925
mentary, Snow Monkey, has also worked on his Love City, Jalalabad (2013), US Oscar-nominated director Joshua Oppenheimer’s The Act of Killing-The Look of Silence (2012-2014), Russian director Andrey Nekrasov’s Russian Lessons (2010), and Czech director Petr Lom’s On a Tightrope (2007). ”The producer of Drone, Bergen’s Flimmer Film, has recently been co-producing US director Marah Strauch’s documentary Sunshine Superman (2014), which CNN Films-Magnolia Pictures are currently campaigning for an Oscar nomination. The portrait of US cinematographer Carl Boenish, considered the father of modern BASE jumping, was partly shot in Norway because he died there, in a dive from the Troll Walls in Romsdalen, on the west coast. “Indie Film and Medieoperatørene in Oslo are also companies that have a strong international platform. Indie Film recently co-produced The Visit (Michael Madsen/2015) while Medieoperatørene co-produced Natural Disorder (Christian Sønderby Jepsen/2015) – both films are screening in IDFA.” Early Documentaries Norway has produced documentaries
since the early 1920s, many following Norwegian explorers on their expeditions – among others Captain Roald Amundsen, who staged the first expedition to the South Pole (1910-1912) and the first fly-over of the North Pole (1926), both depicted on docs. The most famous, however, was Norwegian anthropologist and explorer Thor Heyerdahl’s 1947 voyage from South America to the Polynesian Islands on board the Kon-Tiki, which he described in the only Norwegian film (1950) so far to win an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature (eventually given to its Swedish producer-editor Olle Nordemar). Heyerdahl and his five scientists set off on April 28, 1947, and reached Raroia in the Pacific 101 days later. He brought himself a 16mm camera to document the journey, and after the expedition he was offered €150 for the unedited footage, but he refused to sell - he wanted to use it for lectures. At the time Sweden’s Artfilm was the only Scandinavian laboratory with an optical printer, which could transfer 16mm material to 35mm negative, so the Norwegian honour became Swedish in the end. Later Norwegian director Knut Erik
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Jensen’s documentary Cool & Crazy (Heftig og begeistret/2000) became a sensation, when it reached 570,000 theatrical admissions – a figure reached by few local features. The portrait of an elderly men’s choir in the fishing village of Berlevåg, with an uninterrupted view to the North Pole, added a new dimension to the genre. ”I was in Berlevåg shooting another film, Når mørket er forbi (Passing Darkness), and went to a concert with the choir. From the very first note I was carried away: here, at the very edge of the world, a motley group of grown men stood singing - gravely, powerfully and passionately. Furrowed faces which had withstood turbulent seas and ice-cold winds, basked in the midnight sun and wondered at the awesome stillness of the ocean, softened through this encounter with music and poetry,” Jensen later recalled. Modern Documentaries Otherwise the new Norwegian documentary was created by, among others, Norwegian director Sigve Endresen, whose For harde livet (For Dear Life/1989) - about a group of teenagers fighting problems with drinks and drugs – received two Amandas, for Best Norwegian Film and Best Norwegian Documentary. – Also Norwegian director Margreth Olin, who has been a regular Amanda consumer since her first fulllength documentary, Dei mjuke hendene (The House of Angels/1998), most recently for De andre (Nowhere Home/2012), about the victims of a new legislation imposed by the Norwegian government to restrict immigration. “Olin is a brave, strong and clear voice in Norwegian society – she always lends her voice to the weak,” said the jury when awarding her the Arne Skouen Award for “a significant and special effort in Norwegian film culture.” “Olin’s award-winning Ungdommens råskap (Raw Youth/2004) was another important documentary – it was co-produced by Denmark’s Zentropa
NORWEGIAN FILMS CROSSING BORDERS Entertainments in its dogumentary programme, following up on Dogme, portraying a 10th grade class at the Hauketo Continuation School in East Oslo – a sort of UN, with children from all around the world: a new Norway, a new Europe,” Simonsen explained. “Also, from recent years, Frode Fimland’s Søsken til evig tid (Siblings Are Forever/2013), which sold 44,000 theatre tickets, is an important Norwegian documentary, and very special for Norway, describing a brother-and-sister couple, Magnar (73) and Oddny (70), living like many Norwegians did 50 years ago – far from wealthy, but close to the nature surrounding them. They represent a generation and a way of life, which we will shortly not find any more.” Today’s Documentaries Norwegian documentary directors are still exploring social and political matters, often on an international background, discussing human rights, freedom of expression: Kari Anne Moe’s Pøbler (Rebels), screening in IDFA’s Doc U Competition/Kids & Docs, and Til ungdommen (Bravehearts/2012); Håvard Bustnes’ Helsefabrikken (The Health Factory/2010) and Opprørske oldemødre (Two Raging Grannies/2014), Tonje Hessen Schei’s Drone (2014); Olin’s De andre; Vibeke Løkkeberg’s Gazas tårer (Tears of Gaza/2010); The more personal portraits of Norwegians or other people and their usual way of living Åse Svenheim Drivenes’ Maikos dans (Maiko – Dancing Child/2015) is on show in IDFA’s Panorama. The film follows Maiko Nishino, a prima ballerina at the Norwegian National Ballet – at 32 she is on top of her career. But Maiko is not a young dancer anymore and talented newcomers are fighting for her position.Winning the two prizes in Bergen for Voldtatt (Raped/2015) was more than a professional endorsement for director Linda Steinhoff: “It gave me the feeling I got back the voice I lost when I was
Cool & Crazy (2000), directed by Knut Erik Jensen. Two Raging Grannies (2014), directed by Håvard Bustnes.
raped,” she explained. Aslaug Holm’s Brødre (Brothers/2015) is currently touring the festival circuit, garnering Holm The Golden Chair Award, for Best Documentary at The Norwegian Short Film Festival and an Amanda for Best Director. The director has filmed her own sons, Markus, who loves soccer, and Lukas, who is more into philosophical thoughts, over a period of eight years, to discover ”the truth and original life of the children’s authentic world.” In Ninas barn (Nina’s Children/2015), which has just opened in Norway, Nina F. Grünfeld follows a a group of Jewish children, who come from Vienna to Oslo for a summer camp after An-
schluss 1938, never to return; one of them was her father. Upcoming releases include Olin’s Mannen fra Snåsa (Doing Good/2016), “a close encounter with a living legend and his patients”: during 65 years 50,000 people have travelled to Snåsa in Northern Norway to ask Joralf Gjerstad for help with their diseases. Benjamin Ree’s Magnus (2016) is the comingof-age story of Magnus Carlsen, who in 2013, at 22, became World Chess Champion and the highest ranked player of all time in chess history. Ree has followed the Mozart of Chess for 10 years and 500 hours of footage. Jørn Rossing Jensen
DOCUMENTARIES 2016 | NORWEGIAN FILMS 5
NINE PRODUCTION COMPANIES – ONE QUESTION
The Look of Silence (2014), directed by Joshua Oppenheimer - co-produced by Piraya Film as
We posed one simple question to nine prominent Norwegian documentary film production companies:
What does international cooperation mean to you as a company? PIRAYA FILM AS
become truly global in scope as well as strategically interconnected with many influential partners.
Producer: Torstein Grude Piraya Film rarely make any films without entering into international co-productions, and we find the returns creatively, financially and distribution-wise to be absolutely invaluable. Coming from a tiny nation, our films benefit greatly from the deeply inspiring craftspeople we collaborate with globally. Through our co-productions and through keeping an international outlook thematically, our company has
SANT & USANT AS
The Act of Killing (2012), Inside Fur (2014)
I am Kuba (2014), Maiko - Dancing Child (2015)
Producers : Tone GrøttjordGlenne and Anita Rehoff Larsen International cooperation is essential to us. Co-productions are important when it comes to financing, a broader distribution network, and lucrative cooperation alliances with international produc-
6 NORWEGIAN FILMS | DOCUMENTARIES 2016
ers. Europe is characterized by a high professional level, and participating in workshops, forums and international networks has become an important part of our internal competence enhancement. In our opinion, providing the company and our projects with professional international expertise like international directors, photographers and editors, will add new dynamics to the projects and to the company as a whole. Projects seeking international cooperation from an early stage meet with more support when it comes to funding and distribution, and they receive attention from audiences, financers and partners in a different way than local projects.
NINE PRODUCTION COMPANIES – ONE QUESTION The digital development also provides new ways of distribution, which may be more easily utilized through international cooperation. We always want to improve, and this requires contact with the outside world.
MEDIEOPERATØRENE Good Girl (2014), The Accidental Rock Star (2015)
P roducer: Ingvil Giske First and foremost, international cooperation is fun, and this year we are the proud co-producers of Natural Disorder, which has been selected for the main programme at IDFA. This will provide us with insight into other ways of thinking, and our own work patterns will be challenged. For major productions, international cooperation is important. Such cooperation gives us good ambassadors for our films outside Norway’s national boundaries.
INDIE FILM AS Ida’s Diary (2014), Ballet Boys (2014)
P roducer: Carsten Aanonsen Connecting with partners in other countries is vital to our company’s future, simply because this is the only effective way of getting our films into an international market, and securing substantial funding for our projects. Our current co-production partners, in Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium and England, have contributed with creative input, funding and local distribution. In return, we have contributed the same way for many of our partners’ projects. For our latest film, Ida’s Diary, we had great help in outreach and online distribution from our English partners. Several of our films are represented by foreign sales agents with the
Top: The Crossing (2015), directed by George Kurian, produced by Gründer Film AS Below: The Exorcist in the 21st Century (2012), directed by Fredrik Horn Akselsen, produced by Gammaglimt AS
necessary network of broadcasters and local distributors around the world. It is incredibly rewarding to have a close relationship with partners from other parts of the world, not least for the purpose of exchange of professional experience. We should never forget that collaboration across borders provides additional weight to the significance of our projects.
GAMMAGLIMT AS
The Exorcist in the 21st Century (2012), Blackhearts (2016) P roducer: C hristian Falch To work with international partners are an important part of our company´s philosophy. Not only does it open new doors to funding and distribution, it also makes us able to work and learn from professionals from all over the
DOCUMENTARIES 2016 | NORWEGIAN FILMS 7
NINE PRODUCTION COMPANIES – ONE QUESTION world. This creative input is of great value not only to us as knowledge-seeking individuals, but also to the quality of our productions.
FLIMMER FILM AS Drone (2014), Sunshine Superman (2014)
Producer: Lars Løge International cooperation is crucial to our most ambitious projects. We benefit from international cooperation on a personal, financial and professional level. It’s a source of inspiration to see the project turning into a separate organism with its own individual life when you share it internationally in the form of co-production, funding and festivals. As long as the quality and the character of the film are kept in focus and adhered to by all parties involved, there are endless possibilities. Operating internationally is not easy, there is intense competition, but it is also extremely rewarding. And it makes us improve as filmmakers, be it through success or failure. The international community and the market have more or less grown into one entity, and our office has become the Internet, independent of time and space. The result is both beautiful and problematic. Even though everything is now digitally accessible, both contacts and information, it is also important to meet people in the analog world. It is imperative to us to adapt to this complex, potent new world, if we aspire to having our visions spread beyond our own national boundaries.
the process. Input from international partners is key not only for financing, but especially in creative development. We’ve drawn much inspiration from guidance and suggestions from international colleagues on most of our projects.
GRÜNDER FILM AS
The Crossing (2015), Nina’s Children (2015)
P roducer: Nina Grünfeld To Gründer Film AS, being a relatively new company established in 2013, it SKOFTELAND FILM AS is both important and crucial to seek The Optimists (2013), cooperation across borders. We wish I See You (2014) to be versatile both in content and representation, and we feel the best way to achieve this is through cooperation. Producer: Hilde Skof teland In addition, we depend on good, loyInternational cooperation means a lot al collaborators who can attend to our to Norwegian documentary film pro- common interests in an increasingly ducers. Not only does it increase fund- globalized and digitalized audiovisual ing opportunities for our projects; we world. To co-produce, be it as a minorialso exchange competence and expe- ty or majority producer, gives us the oprience across national borders, and the portunity to learn, and provides insight quality and level of our productions are into how other countries and compaimproving. In addition, it provides us nies function and operate. To enter into with extended opportunities for inter- cooperation enhances our experience, national sales and increased distribu- our knowledge, and our reputation. tion of the films. The Optimists (2013), directed by Gunhild Westhagen Magnor, produced by Skofteland Film AS
MOTLYS AS PUNX (2015)
Producer: Natalya Sarch We make films that we hope will reach people across borders, so international cooperation is important throughout 8 NORWEGIAN FILMS | DOCUMENTARIES 2016
NORWAY ASKS IDFA TO DANCE
Maiko - Dancing Child (2015), directed by Åse Svenheim Drivenes.
Norway Asks IDFA To Dance Four Norwegian documentaries have been selected for Amsterdam’s 28th International Documentary Film Festival between 18-29 November – and three are focusing on the theme of dance
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orwegian director Kari Anne Moe’s Pøbler (Rebels), which was launched at the Norwegian International Film Festival in Haugesund, has been selected for the Doc U Competition and the Kids & Docs at IDFA between 18-29 November – and it is the only Norwegian entry this year, which does not focus on the theme of dance. Norwegian directors Åse Svenheim Drivenes’ Maikos dans (Maiko – Dancing Child/2015) in the Panorama, Erlend E Moe’s Dans for livet (Dancing for
You/2015) in Kids & Docs, and Russian director Victor Kossakovksy’s Varicella, also in Kids & Docs, are all full of steps, although from classic ballet toNorway’s Halling folk dance. Pøbler follows up on Moe’s Til ungdommen (Bravehearts), the portrait of four politically involved youngsters and “a historical portrait of a devoted generation marked for life by July 22.” She was filming her 2012 documentary, when Anders Behring Breivik started his terrorist attacks in Oslo and on the island of Utøya, killing 77 and wounded
319 people. In her new film she follows four Norwegian school dropouts – all for different reasons but, with no jobs, on the way to a life on welfare, who are given a chance to get back on track – at a time when, according to EU statistics, one in six youngsters between 18-24 quits school without taking their exam. Pøbler is also nominated for the Alliance of Women Film Journalists EDA Award. This is the second consecutive year that IDFA collaborates with the AWFJ to recognize women’s accom-
DOCUMENTARIES 2016 | NORWEGIAN FILMS 9
NORWAY ASKS IDFA TO DANCE
Varicella (2015), directed by Victor Kossakovsky.
plishments in documentary filmmaking. Drivenes’ first feature-length documentary, Maikos dans tracks the career of the 14-year-old Japanese child, whose mother sold their home to send her to the most prestigious ballet schools in Europe. She knew she couldn’t return as a failure. Now, at 32, she is on top of her career as a prima ballerina of the Norwegian National Ballet. But she is not a young dancer anymore – and she wants to start a family. Moe’s Dans for livet, is about 12-year-old Vilde in Gransherad, Tele-
mark, with a talent for the physically demanding Norwegian folk dance called Halling. She is now heading for the Norwegian championships, but she has a greater priority: that her cancer stricken grandfather will live as long as possible. And she believes that she can help him if she shows him how much she loves him and life itself, with her own force of nature and dance. There is more dance in Kossakovksy’s Varicella, which was already awarded a top prize at the Message to Man International Film Festival in St Petersburg.
10 NORWEGIAN FILMS | DOCUMENTARIES 2016
Produced by Norway’s Anita Rehoff Larsen and Tone Grøttjord-Glenne for Sant & Usant, it depicts the relationship between two sisters with a common dream of becoming a soloist ballet dancer. Selected from 5,500 candidates, Nastya (12) and Polina (7) are studying at a famous Russian ballet academy, – and training for six hours a day.
DOCUMENTARIES 2015 - 2016
NORWEGIAN FILMS
FILM PRESENTATION
Please check www.norwegianfilms.com or our app (Norwegian Films) for a complete list of 2015-2016 releases, updates and more info. DOCUMENTARIES 2016 | NORWEGIAN FILMS 11
DOCUMENTARIES 2015 / 2016 THE ACCIDENTAL ROCK STAR 87 min | DCP | 16/9 | COLOUR Helge Risa never dreamed of being a rock star, yet he is a celebrated figure in Norway’s most spectacular rock band, Kaizers Orchestra. Mixing fantasy and reality with Kaizers’ own aesthetic, The Accidental Rock Star takes us on Helge’s journey, uncovering exhilarating rock history along the way. ORIGINAL TITLE Den tilfeldige rockestjernen DIRECTOR Leiv Igor Devold PRODUCER Ingvil Giske for Medieoperatørene as CO-PRODUCER Reinette van de Stadt for Trueworks (NL); INTERNATIONAL RELEASE November 2015 SALES Medieoperatørene as FESTIVALS Norwegian Film Institute
AMBULANCE 60 min | DCP | 16/9 | COLOUR Mohamed Jabaly, a young man from Gaza City joins an ambulance crew as war approaches in the summer of 2014. What is it like to grow up under constant threat? How can Mohamed find his place in a country under siege, where at times there seems to be no foreseeable future? ORIGINAL TITLE Ambulanse DIRECTOR Mohamed Jabaly PRODUCER John Arvid Berger for Jabfilm INTERNATIONAL RELEASE May 2016 SALES First Hand Films FESTIVALS TBA
ARCTIC SUPERSTAR 70 min | DCP | 16/9 | COLOUR An indigenous, Arctic rapper tries to earn a living from his music and dreams of becoming world famous. The problem is, less than 20.000 people understand his endangered language. ORIGINAL TITLE Arctic Superstar DIRECTOR Simen Braathen PRODUCERS Stig Andersen and Carsten Aanonsen for Indie Film AS INTERNATIONAL RELEASE Spring 2016 SALES Indie Film as FESTIVALS TBA
BEAR ISLAND 82 min | DCP | 1:1,85 | COLOUR Three brothers chase their dreams and travel to the remote Bear Island in the Barents Sea to surf. ORIGINAL TITLE Bjørnøya DIRECTOR Inge Wegge PRODUCER Anders Graham for Turbin Film as CO-PRODUCER Inge Wegge for Wegge Films INTERNATIONAL RELEASE August 2015 SALES Turbin Film as FESTIVALS Norwegian Film Institute
BLACKHEARTS 80 min | DCP | 16/9 | COLOUR Blackhearts takes a fresh look at the notorious Norwegian black metal music scene – but from a striking new angle. It travels to South America, Europe and the Middle East to follow three black metal diehards who hail from extreme religious and political backgrounds. ORIGINAL TITLE Blackhearts DIRECTORS Christian Falch and Fredrik Horn Akselsen PRODUCER Christian Falch for Gammaglimt AS INTERNATIONAL RELEASE Spring 2016 SALES TBA FESTIVALS TBA
BROTHERS 101 min | DCP | 1:1,85 | COLOUR Markus and Lukas are brothers - and the sons of the director. She has, over the course of more than eight years, filmed their childhood and youth. ORIGINAL TITLE Brødre DIRECTOR Aslaug Holm PRODUCER Tore Buvarp for Fenris Film as INTERNATIONAL RELEASE November 2015 SALES Fenris Film as FESTIVALS Norwegian Film Institute
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DOCUMENTARIES 2015 / 2016 THE CROSSING 55 min | HD | 16/9 | COLOUR The Crossing takes us along on one of the most dangerous journeys of our time with a group of Syrians fleeing war and persecution, crossing a sea, two continents and five countries, searching for a home to rekindle the greatest thing they have lost – Hope. They make it to Europe, only to find out that the hardest part of their journey still lies ahead. Months of uncertainty and waiting, living in one centre after another, takes a toll on their spirits, as they confront what being a “refugee” means. ORIGINAL TITLE The Crossing DIRECTOR Georg Kurian PRODUCER Bente Olav for Gründerfilm AS INTERNATIONAL RELEASE November 2015 SALES First Hand Films FESTIVALS TBA
DAD 40 min | DCP | 16/9 | COLOUR When the filmmaker’s father died, he left his most personal diaries. These diaries described him as a total different person from what he appeared to be in real life. In this film the filmmaker tries to reveal and get to know her dad’s inner hidden personality. On the way several existential questions appear: what happens if you never express your real personality? Is it possible to get a new relationship with a person who is dead? ORIGINAL TITLE Pappa DIRECTOR Nina Bergström PRODUCER Cecilie Bjørnaraa for True Fiction AS RELEASE June 2016 SALES True Fiction AS FESTIVALS TBA
DANCING FOR YOU 25 min | DCP | 1:1,85 | COLOUR Dancing for You is a musical and visual film about Vilde, a charming 12-year-old girl with a talent in an unusual field, especially for her gender: a physically demanding Norwegian solo dance called Halling. ORIGINAL TITLE Dans for livet DIRECTOR Erlend E. Mo PRODUCERS Anita Rehoff Larsen and Tone Grøttjord-Glenne for Sant & Usant as CO-PRODUCERS Monica Hellström Weston for Final Cut For Real ApS (DK); Malin Hüber for Story AB (SE) INTERNATIONAL RELEASE November 2015 SALES Autlook Film Sales GmbH FESTIVALS Norwegian Film Institute
DEMOCRACY ROAD 55 min | DCP | 16/9 | COLOUR After more than 20 years in exile in Norway, the Burmese journalists of DVB are returning to their homeland to establish their independent news station there. Editor-in-chief Aye Chan Naing and reporter Than Win Htut have dreamt about this for years, but their struggle for democracy is not over yet. ORIGINAL TITLE Democracy Road DIRECTOR Turid Rogne PRODUCER Elisabeth Kleppe for Aldeles AS CO-PRODUCER Andreas Rocksén for Laika Film AB (SE) INTERNATIONAL RELEASE Spring 2016 SALES DR Sales FESTIVALS TBA
DOING GOOD 98 min | DCP | 1:1,85 | COLOUR – B/W Doing Good is a film about the importance of hope. Margreth Olin has filmed 22 people meeting Joralf Gjerstad. Over the past 65 years over 50,000 people have traveled to the small village Snåsa in the north of Norway, hoping that he’d be able to help them. ORIGINAL TITLE Mannen fra Snåsa DIRECTOR Margreth Olin PRODUCER Margreth Olin for Speranza Film as INTERNATIONAL RELEASE Winter 2016 SALES Films Transit FESTIVALS Norwegian Film Institute
DUGMA – THE BUTTON 52 min | HD | 16/9 | Colour When al Qaida in Syria are up against a seemingly impenetrable enemy position, they send in the Martyrdom Seekers - volunteers who drive a truck or an armored personnel carrier loaded with tons of explosives towards the enemy and detonate the load. These operations are simply known among the Jihadis by the Arabic word for button - Dugma. In the film Dugma we follow four Martyrdom Seekers in their daily lives waiting for their turn to go on the final mission. ORIGINAL TITLE Dugma – The Button DIRECTOR Paul Refsdal PRODUCER Ingvil Giske for Medieoperatørene AS INTERNATIONAL RELEASE Early 2016 SALES Journeyman Pictures FESTIVALS TBA
DOCUMENTARIES 2016 | NORWEGIAN FILMS 13
DOCUMENTARIES 2015 / 2016 FARIDA 10 min | DCP | 16/9 | COLOUR In February 2015, nine-year-old Farida was evicted after nearly four years in Norway. She attended Dokka primary school, where she was class prefect. Now her desk is empty. How is she doing in Kabul? ORIGINAL TITLE Farida DIRECTORS Ragnhild Sørheim and Christer Fasmer PRODUCER Thorvald Nilsen for Flimmer Film as NATIONAL RELEASE September 2015 SALES Flimmer Film as FESTIVALS Norwegian Film Institute
THE FIGHT FOR THE FJORDS 77 min | DCP | 16/9 | COLOUR Norway is worldwide known for its fjords and mountains. Despite this, the Government decides to build gigantic power lines through this unique nature. The Fight for The Fjords follows a young woman and her villagers through their fight to protect this precious environment. What started out as a struggle to protect pristine nature, evolves to a battle for democracy. ORIGINAL TITLE Kampen om fjordane DIRECTOR Vigdis Nielsen PRODUCER Geir S. Netland for Hardingfilm CO-PRODUCER Erlend Haarr Eriksson for Filmkollektivet INTERNATIONAL RELEASE Spring 2015 SALES Hardingfilm FESTIVALS Norwegian Film Institute
THE GRENADE MAN 58 min | DCP | 1:2,35 | COLOUR – B/W In search of the truths behind a mythical unsolved terror-mystery in Oslo 1965, the director asks the question: can we understand the will to commit an act of terror? ORIGINAL TITLE Granatmannen DIRECTOR Karianne Berge PRODUCER Carsten Aanonsen for Indie Film AS INTERNATIONAL RELEASE 2016 SALES Indie Film AS FESTIVALS TBA
HERITAGE 21 min | DCP | 16/9 | COLOUR Christian has one year left to live, one year to get to know his newborn son Philip and one year to give Philip a chance to get to know him. Heritage is a film about the relationship between a father and son. What is important to pass on? And what is the most important thing to inherit? ORIGINAL TITLE Arven DIRECTOR Charlotte Thiis-Evensen PRODUCER Carsten Aanonsen for Indie Film AS INTERNATIONAL RELEASE October 2015 SALES Indie Film AS FESTIVALS Norwegian Film Institute
INSIDE FUR 57 min | DCP | 16/9 | COLOUR A group of highly motivated activists work for years to expose the true face of the Nordic fur industry. Their photos of the animals cause media feasts and public outrage, year after year. But the industry doesn’t change. So, psychologist Frank Nervik tells the fur industry that he plans to become a fur farmer, and starts learning the trade secrets. He films his training with a hidden camera. ORIGINAL TITLE Pels DIRECTOR Ola Waagen PRODUCERS Bjarte Mørner Tveit and Torstein Grude for Indie Film AS CO-PRODUCER Peter Engel for Electric Park (DK) INTERNATIONAL RELEASE April 2015 SALES Kudos Family FESTIVALS Norwegian Film Institute
MAGNUS 85 min | DCP | 1:1,85 | COLOUR When chess genius Magnus Carlsen was a child, he was bullied for being different. Thirteen years old he sets a goal for himself; to one day become the World Chess Champion. ORIGINAL TITLE Magnus DIRECTOR Benajmin Ree PRODUCERS Sigurd Mikal Karoliussen for Moskus Film AS CO-PRODUCERS Aage Aaberge for Nordisk Film as; Øyvind Asbjørnsen for Main Island Productions AS; VGTV RELEASE September 2016 SALES TrustNordisk ApS FESTIVALS Norwegian Film Institute
14 NORWEGIAN FILMS | DOCUMENTARIES 2016
DOCUMENTARIES 2015 / 2016 MAIKO – DANCING CHILD 70 min | DCP | 16/9 | COLOUR The story of a talented prima ballerina, Maiko Nishino. With her mother as the driving force behind her career, her parents sold their house and car to send 14-year-old Maiko to the most prestigious dance school in Europe. ORIGINAL TITLE Maikos dans DIRECTOR Åse Svenheim Drivenes PRODUCERS Tone Grøttjord-Glenne and Anita Rehoff Larsen for Sant & Usant as INTERNATIONAL RELEASE June 2015 SALES Wide House FESTIVALS Norwegian Film Institute
MALI’S MOM 52 min | HD | 16/9 | Colour For more than 40 years, Mali’s mom has kept the dream of exercising her profession as a textile printer and designer alive. However, something has held her back. Mali’s Mom is a personal story about how difficult it can be to choose art as a career. It also touches upon several universal themes; women who sacrifice their ambitions; artists, who don’t dare to realize the dream; grief over everything that was not, and the belief that it is never too late. ORIGINAL TITLE Malis mamma DIRECTOR Mali Finborud Nøren PRODUCERS Camilla Vanebo and Hilde Skofteland for Skofteland Film as RELEASE Spring 2016 SALES Skofteland Film AS FESTIVALS TBA
MIRACLE IN MOLDOVA 58 min | DCP | 16/9 | COLOUR Hans Bjørn is Moldova`s only optician. He has a simple solution to a big health problem, but due to corruption he faces major troubles. ORIGINAL TITLE Mirakelet i Moldova DIRECTOR Stian Indrevoll PRODUCER Johnny Holmvåg for Flimmer Film as INTERNATIONAL RELEASE 2016 SALES Flimmer Film as FESTIVALS TBA
MOGADISHU SOLDIER 90 min | HD | 16/9 | Colour Two Burundian soldiers film one year of fighting the Islamist Al-Shebaab in Somalia. They have no experience with TV or film, and are not aware of the conventions of storytelling. They document their reality and play with the camera. They do not allow shame or morality to stop them from collecting footage. The result is an extraordinary existential perspective on war, religion, fear, sexuality and the art of storytelling. ORIGINAL TITLE Mogadishu Soldier DIRECTOR Torstein Grude PRODUCERS Bjarte Mørner Tveit and Torstein Grude for Piraya Film AS INTERNATIONAL RELEASE Autumn 2016 SALES TBA FESTIVALS TBA
THE MAN WHO KNEW 75 LANGUAGES 65 min | DCP | 16/9 | COLOUR A psychological drama about a brilliant but complex man and his life-long love for Princess Elisabeth of Wied, later Queen of Romania. They kept contact for life by sending each other letters and pictures, articles and books. His fight for minority languages was far ahead of his time. ORIGINAL TITLE Mannen som kunne 75 språk DIRECTORS Anne Magnussen and Pawel Debski PRODUCERS Trude Refsahl and Anne Magnussen for Embla Film AS CO-PRODUCERS Mateusz Michalac for FUMI Studio (PL), Zivile Galego Fralita Films (LI) INTERNATIONAL RELEASE Spring 2016 SALES TBA FESTIVALS TBA
THE MYSTERY OF THE NORTHERN LIGHTS 58 min | DCP | 16/9 | COLOUR Kristian Birkeland is known as the man who solved the mystery of the northern lights. He was an uncompromising and brilliant scientist with great passion for his work. The Mystery of the Northern Lights tells the story of Kristian Birkeland’s short but eventful life in which both success and tragedy dominated. ORIGINAL TITLE Nordlysets gåte DIRECTOR Trond Brede Andersen PRODUCER Mona Steffensen for Original Film AS INTERNATIONAL RELEASE Spring 2016 SALES TBA FESTIVALS TBA
DOCUMENTARIES 2016 | NORWEGIAN FILMS 15
DOCUMENTARIES 2015 / 2016 THE NIGHT 75 min | DCP | 16/9 | COLOUR The director’s own childhood story - growing up with an alcoholic mother, all the time dreaming that his father will come and pick him up. Strandberg tells the story from the child’s perspective - about longing for maternal love and care and about the summers with his father and grandparents. ORIGINAL TITLE Natta DIRECTOR Steffan Strandberg PRODUCER Carsten Aanonsen for Indie Film AS CO-PRODUCER Eric Goossens for Walking the Dog (BE) INTERNATIONAL RELEASE Autumn 2016 SALES Wide House FESTIVALS TBA
NINA’S CHILDREN 70 min | DCP | 16/9 | COLOUR – B/W This documentary sheds light on the untold story of Nina Meyer and the Jewish children she saved from the Nazis during World War II. Today the children are in their eighties and diverse in their way of living, but they are all deeply affected by the war and Meyer’s work. ORIGINAL TITLE Ninas barn DIRECTOR Nina F. Grünfeld PRODUCERS Bente Olav and Nina F. Grünfeld for Gründer Film AS NATIONAL RELEASE September 2015 SALES Gründer Film AS FESTIVALS Norwegian Film Institute
NORTHBOUND 11 min | DCP | 1:1,85 | COLOUR We are used to see skateboards being used in cities and on the hard asphalt. This film shows the first attempt to bring skateboard into nature and skate on frozen sand beaches in northern Norway. Join four of Norway’s best skaters in this poetic and playful encounter with the Arctic winter. ORIGINAL TITLE Mot nord DIRECTOR Jørn Nyseth Ranum PRODUCER Anders Graham for Turbin Film AS NATIONAL RELEASE June 2015 SALES Turbin Film AS FESTIVALS Norwegian Film Institute
THE PSYCHONAUT 14 min | DCP | 16/9 | COLOUR In the same way astronauts travel in space, psychonauts travel in their own mind. The Psychonaut is a hybrid documentary showing what it’s like tripping on magic mushrooms. ORIGINAL TITLE Psykonauten DIRECTOR Jon Vatne PRODUCER Håvard Gossé Bergseth for Spætt Film AS INTERNATIONAL RELEASE October 2015 SALES Spætt Film AS FESTIVALS Norwegian Film Institute
THE QUEEN OF SCANDINAVIAN DESIGN 52 min | HD | 16/9 | Colour – B/W The Queen of Scandinavian Design tells the untold story of an extraordinary modern woman and designer Grete Prytz Kittelsen (1917- 2010), an intriguing figure in the Scandinavian Design scene engaging with artists like Ray and Charles Eames, Frank Lloyd Wright and Jørn Utzon. Her enameled metal works are heralded as design icons and coveted as collectors items all over the world. ORIGINAL TITLE Dronningen av skandinavisk design DIRECTOR Tale Kristine Skeidsvoll PRODUCERS Camilla Vanebo and Hilde Skofteland for Skofteland Film as RELEASE Spring 2016 SALES Skofteland Film AS FESTIVALS TBA
RAPED 52 min | DCP | 16/9 | COLOUR Linda was raped 15 years ago, but did not press charges. Since then she’s tried everything to “get over” the incident. ORIGINAL TITLE Voldtatt DIRECTORS Linda Steinhoff and Turid Rogne PRODUCER Jo Torgersen for ITV Studios Norway AS NATIONAL RELEASE September 2015 SALES ITV Studios Norway AS FESTIVALS Norwegian Film Institute
16 NORWEGIAN FILMS | DOCUMENTARIES 2016
DOCUMENTARIES 2015 / 2016 REBELS 91 min | DCP | 16/9 | COLOUR A group of school dropouts are given a new chance to get back on track. Will they take it, or will they return to their old life? ORIGINAL TITLE Pøbler DIRECTOR Kari Anne Moe PRODUCERS Gudmundur Gunnarsson and Therese Naustdal for Fuglene AS CO-PRODUCERS Maarten Kuit and Jeroen van de Idsert for Hazazah Pictures (NL) INTERNATIONAL RELEASE November 2015 SALES Fuglene AS FESTIVALS Norwegian Film Institute
THE SANATORIUM 59 min | DCP | 16/9 | COLOUR The Sanatorium is a documentary following four young people who move into an abandoned, 113-year old sanatorium, located far in the mountains of western Norway. Uninhabited for the last 20 years, they isolate themselves there in the hopes of renovating and saving the enormous, decrepit building. With little to no resources and living on the margins of normal society, the group will have to use their energy and drive to succeed in their new, fragmented lifestyle. ORIGINAL TITLE Sanatoriet DIRECTOR Therese Jacobsen PRODUCER Ragna Midtgard for Mer Film AS INTERNATIONAL RELEASE Summer 2016 SALES Mer Film AS FESTIVALS TBA
SHOOTING OURSELVES 90 min | HD | 16/9 |Colour In Shooting Ourselves we encounter the human experience, from many perspectives, of a world at war with itself. We examine the global arms trade through the personal stories of victims, soldiers, manufacturers, and activists, all of whom have been recruited for an experimental project by the awardwinning theater company Rimini Protokoll. ORIGINAL TITLE Shooting Ourselves DIRECTOR Christine Cynn PRODUCER Kristian Mosvold for Substans Film AS PRODUCER FOR INTERACTIVE Tishna Molla INTERNATIONAL RELEASE Spring 2016 SALES TBA FESTIVALS TBA
SIBLINGS ARE FOREVER - MEETING THE WORLD 76 min | DCP | 16/9 | COLOUR
Magnar and Oddny Kleiva have led their entire lives on their small mountain farm in Norway, seemingly unaffected by the riches of modern society. One day relatives from the US come to visit, and invite them to see where their grandmother’s sister emigrated to in 1890. But will the brother and sister in their seventies dare the long journey, having barely left the country before? ORIGINAL TITLE Søsken til evig tid – Amerikareisa DIRECTOR Frode Fimland PRODUCER Frode Fimland for FIM Film AS RELEASE November 2015 SALES Tour de Force FESTIVALS TBA
SILVER PAN 30 min | HD | 16/9 |Colour We follow the inner life and processes of Asana, ten years old, and her little sister, Isis, six years old. They are sent hundreds of miles away from their family to work as kayayoes - living shopping carts for the women who shop at the markets in the main city in Ghana. Asana and Isis are only two of 10.000 other girls who are supporting their family this way, carrying heavy loads in large barrels that give them physical damages. They live on the streets, are exposed to abuse and they don’t see their families for years. ORIGINAL TITLE Kayayei - de glemte jentene i Ghana DIRECTOR Mari Bakke Riise PRODUCER Jørgen Lorentzen for Integral film AS INTERNATIONAL RELEASE October 2016 SALES TBA
STATEMENT TOO 38 min | DCP | 1:2,35 | COLOUR Unknown to many and loved by few: Arvid Sletta is a cult musician working on the fringes of the world music landscape. Since his debut album “Statement” in 1990 he has been ignored or laughed at, yet he has always had a core of followers who hails his unpolished, unique and deeply personal musical expression. One of these is filmmaker Joern Utkilen, who has used Sletta’s music in many of his earlier films. ORIGINAL TITLE Statement Too DIRECTOR Joern Utkilen PRODUCER Isak Eymundsson for Ape&Bjørn AS INTERNATIONAL RELEASE January 2016 SALES Ape&Bjørn AS FESTIVALS Norwegian Film Institute
DOCUMENTARIES 2016 | NORWEGIAN FILMS 17
DOCUMENTARIES 2015 / 2016 TALIBAN OIL 58 min | DCP | 16/9 | COLOUR Western leaders have insisted that we are fighting al-Qaeda in Afghanistan so we don’t have to fight them at home. In search for another answer, the director has investigated a more unknown and cynical story - the secret negotiations between the Taliban and US about the rights to transport gas from Turkmenistan through Afghan territory and to drill for the vast oil-resources in North-Afghanistan. ORIGINAL TITLE Taliban Oil DIRECTOR Ola Flyum PRODUCER Tore Buvarp for Fenris Film as NATIONAL RELEASE September 2015 SALES Java Films FESTIVALS Norwegian Film Institute
THINGS 50 min | DCP | 1:1,37 | COLOUR Things is an attempt to approach the world without emptying it, or filling it up with ideas and purposes. ORIGINAL TITLE Ting DIRECTOR Thomas A. Østbye PRODUCER Thomas A. Østbye for Plymserafin INTERNATIONAL RELEASE October 2015 SALES Plymserafin FESTIVALS Norwegian Film Institute
VARICELLA 25 min | DCP | 16/9 | COLOUR A film about the tender and trusting relationship between two sisters with a common dream: becoming a soloist ballet dancer. ORIGINAL TITLE Varicella DIRECTOR Viktor Kossakovsky PRODUCERS Anita Rehoff Larsen and Tone Grøttjord-Glenne for Sant & Usant as CO-PRODUCERS Monica Hellström Weston for Final Cut For Real ApS (DK); Malin Hüber for Story AB (SE) INTERNATIONAL RELEASE November 2015 SALES Autlook Film Sales GmbH FESTIVALS Norwegian Film Institute
THE VANISHING ACT OF EINAR 60 min | DCP | 16/9 | COLOUR Einar calls himself a «cancer pilgrim» - he has found long walks to be a cure for the mental distress of the disease. On the ancient pilgrim route to Caceres in Spain he is able to orient himself in an inner landscape of fear, sorrow and hope, finding solace in nature and people. The Vanishing Act of Einar is an intense road movie from the long and winding road of terminal disease. ORIGINAL TITLE Einars forsvinningsnummer DIRECTOR Elsa Kvamme PRODUCERS Elsa Kvamme for Alert Film CO-PRODUCER Njål Lambrechts for Blinkfilm INTERNATIONAL RELEASE November 2015 SALES Alert Film FESTIVALS Norwegian Film Institute
THE WALL 74 min | DCP | 16/9 | Colour 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. Drawing parallels between the director’s childhood growing up in Belfast and one refugee’s story from North Korea, the film discusses how the stories and myths build both identity and the idea of we can never trust “the others”. ORIGINAL TITLE The Wall DIRECTOR David Kinsella PRODUCER David Kinsella for David Kinsella Productions AS CO-PRODUCER Heather Millard & Thordur Jonsson for Compass Films (IS),Northern Ireland Screen INTERNATIONAL RELEASE Spring 2016 SALES David Kinsella Productions AS FESTIVALS TBA
THE WHISPERERS 95 min | DCP | 16/9 | Colour Veasoejorksh (meaning life-changing) is a creative “coming of age” documentary directed particularly at young people. The film follows Ellen Sara over seven years, coming from a South Sami reindeer herding family in Aarborte in Norway, we follow her hard choices and personal identity in this commercial world that affects her indigenous culture. ORIGINAL TITLE Veasoejorksh – Hviskerne DIRECTOR David Kinsella PRODUCER David Kinsella for David Kinsella Productions AS CO-PRODUCER Jean De Toit for Buffalo Gal Pictures (CA), INTERNATIONAL RELEASE Spring 2016 SALES David Kinsella Productions AS FESTIVALS TBA
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FILM PRESENTATION NORWEGIAN SHORTS
NORWEGIAN DOCUMENTARIES FACTS & FIGURES 2014
10 %
43,8
Share of the total funding by Norwegian Film Institute that was allocated to documentaries in 2014.
million NOK Funding allocated by Norwegian Film Institute to development, production and promotion of documentaries in 2014.
41,1 % Female share of key staff (director, screenwriter or producer) in documentaries that was production-funded by Norwegian Film Institute from 2009 to 2014.
Are you interested in information about the film market in Norway, and the performance of Norwegian films? We have gathered key statistics displaying theatrical releases, cinema admissions, most viewed films, market share, gender equality and a lot more. Download your paper copy of Facts & Figures from nfi.no/english/downloads.
FEMALE SHARE OF KEY STAFF IN DOCUMENTARIES Includes documentaries with production support from Norwegian Film Institute Female share of key staff
43,0%
48,9%
45,0%
41,0% 36,4%
32,0% 2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
DOCUMENTARIES 2016 | NORWEGIAN FILMS 19
NORWEGIAN FEMALE DIRECTORS MOVE THE WORLD
Brothers (2015), directed by Aslaug Holm.
Norwegian Female Directors Move The World Norwegian documentarians make films which touch people’s lives and put challenging and sensitive issues on the agenda, and the people behind the most innovative and widely recognized essential Norwegian documentaries are women. The directors Kari Anne Moe - with her film Rebels taking part in an IDFA competition - Aslaug Holm, and Margreth Olin, share their experiences as documentarians in Norway, what engages them, and discuss their roles as female filmmakers.
B
etween them, our three documentary filmmakers Kari Anne Moe, Aslaug Holm and Margreth Olin have made a wide range of documentaries with themes covering all nuances, from the private sphere, through intimate issues, to social criticism. Kari Anne Moe is Norway’s representative at this year’s International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam with her latest doc-
umentary, Rebels, in the competition programme Doc U Competition, and a nominee for Alliance of Women Film Journalists EDA Award. She states that Norwegian documentarians are in a special position due to the public funds which provide the financial base for many of the productions which move the world. – The public funds have been crucial for the current positive development of
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the Norwegian documentary film industry. The documentary film business in Norway is open and inclusive, and my experience is that we are pleased with each other’s success and achievements. Nowadays, when access to film is growing on an increasingly number of platforms, we have to work harder to stand out in the jungle of offers. We got to develop Rebels in collaboration with Good Pitch (founded by Brit Doc),
NORWEGIAN FEMALE DIRECTORS MOVE THE WORLD which aims at bringing together good films with positive forces. This has provided Rebels with an extended “family” which is invaluable, Moe tells us. At the same time, Moe makes it clear that Norwegian documentary film also faces challenges. Particularly the fact that documentaries are overshadowed by fiction film. – We will have to work to improve the status of documentary films, and make both the audiences and the public aware of the professionalization which has taken place in Norway. Even when taking the higher cost of producing feature films into consideration, there is still a great imbalance in the distribution of support between feature films and documentaries. We still have a challenge when it comes to expanding the notion of what a documentary is that the concept goes beyond the traditional, journalistic TV documentary, according to Moe. Margreth Olin is our most productive female documentary film director. Olin is presently working on the completion of her latest film, Doing Good. To her as well, the economic conditions are essential for Norwegian documentarians, but she also emphasizes the genre’s position in Norwegian cinema. – We live in a country where freedom of speech is well protected, and where funds are set aside for free and independent filmmakers. This country has recognized the value of documentary films in cinema theatres. Not all countries do, and colleagues in many other countries who make important contemporary critical political documentaries, can only dream of having their films screened in cinema theatres at home. This is due to the cinematic system we’ve had in Norway from the very beginning. In this sense I feel privileged as a Norwegian documentarian - in an International context, Olin tells us. Aslaug Holm agrees with Olin’s emphasis on the documentary film’s unique position in Norwegian cinema
Margreth Olin. (Photo: Agnete Brun)
theatres. She is the woman behind the deeply personal film Brothers, which will be launched internationally in the main competition of CPH:DOX, and which in August won the Amanda Award for Best Direction. – 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 - be it fiction or documentary – it’s extremely inspiring when audiences are drawn to the theatres. Like Kari Anne Moe, Holm stresses that today’s massive access to films of all genres makes it more important than ever for a filmmaker to find her own
DOCUMENTARIES 2016 | NORWEGIAN FILMS 21
NORWEGIAN FEMALE DIRECTORS MOVE THE WORLD
Doing Good (2016), directed by Margreth Olin (Photo: Morten Krogvold). Raw Youth (2004), directed by Margreth Olin.
personal voice, and orient herself in the world. – I find that when I’m out there talking about my personal project and my story, people are extremely attentive and interested. They always ask ques-
tions. They tell me that Brothers is also about their background, even though I have made a very personal film. It’s wonderful to see that the intimacy of the film is a universal theme centered around childhood and adolescence. This
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is a real source of inspiration for me, Holm confides. Holm accentuates the importance of intimacy and the personal to her as filmmaker. She has experienced that deeply personal stories may also contribute to change. – I think all change is rooted within ourselves, and narrating a story which starts with each individual person - and portraying it - touches others as well. This may make people reflect on their own lives and their approach to the world. And if my film can contribute to self reflection and change, I have really achieved something. For Olin as well, closeness to what she wants to depict is all-important. In her opinion, this is decisive in order to provide the audiences with new experiences and maybe new insight. – I started out because I had a few stories which I felt a great need to relate. My first film was about my own uncle, who had Down syndrome, because in my adolescent years I felt very strongly that he always faced prejudice, without anybody being interested in – or trying to comprehend – who he really was. He was not treated like other people. I’ve always believed that what moves me, also moves the audience, Olin remarks. Olin describes her own filmography as a string of productions in which she has given a voice to people who are rarely heard - those who need to be looked up and given the opportunity to make a statement. – I’m referring to people who are defined as outsiders, or who have been in extremely vulnerable life situations. And I have worked with this because I feel that art - and documentary film may direct attention to something we may not really want to see. Through this process we can participate in transforming the story, and the way some individuals regard people, situations and events. Film plays an important role in accentuating both new perspectives and those which already exist in society in
NORWEGIAN FEMALE DIRECTORS MOVE THE WORLD
Rebels (2015), directed by Kari Anne Moe. Right: Kari Anne Moe.
the form of reports or idealistic organizations, but which by virtue of being illuminated through human experience and these people exposing their lives, turn into something which may both influence and move us. To Kari Anne Moe, the excitement consists of capturing moments which touch the heart of the audiences, and which linger on after the film is over. She reveals that she finds the process of seeing the film come to life emotionally exhausting - the feeling of insecurity around the decisions made - and comes up with an example from her film Rebels, which will be screened at the IDFA. – When Jan Olav - the main character – saw the film for the first time, he said: “This is not going to be screened anywhere!” He was scared, and frustrated with his own behavior. “Now no one is going to like me,” he continued. Only after we had shown a clip from the film
at a youth conference before the premiere, it all changed. A girl of Somali background came up to him and told him: “You are my hero. Thanks for daring to show people how things really are - my brother is just like you. Just as furious.” After that day, Jan Olav has been extremely proud of the film. He realized that it may make a difference and that there are many kinds of heroes in this world, Moe recalls. As female directors, all three of them declare that they have had no negative experiences related to being women, while at the same time emphasizing the importance of being female documentary filmmakers. Kari Anne Moe juxtaposes being a woman with other social and human factors like age and class background, and reveals that she deliberately accentuates female main characters in her projects. – It has an impact on you as director - just make a random check of
your own family. Do you really agree on which TV programme you want to watch? Personally, I have a tendency to fall asleep when watching male characters only, who are supposed to save someone or sort out something in drawn-out scenes in which they show off their strength and vigour. I put a lot of effort into depicting the girls in my
DOCUMENTARIES 2016 | NORWEGIAN FILMS 23
NORWEGIAN FEMALE DIRECTORS MOVE THE WORLD youth films (Bravehearts and Rebels) in a way which make them appear as independent, strong individuals. It’s important to me to portray a diversity of girls; Johanne and Sana in Bravehearts appeal to completely dissimilar audience groups. The same goes for Maylen, Marte and Kelly in Rebels. So, yes - being a woman probably means I’m working more consciously with female main characters in my films, Moe muses. To Aslaug Holm, Brothers is also a film about the mother’s role, in its capacity of being an adolescence film, made from the viewpoint of a woman. In this sense, the film also offers a strong female narrative. – At the outset of making Brothers, I was not overly aware of presenting a mother’s view in my depiction of the two brothers’ childhood and adolescence years. But through the process, I realized that I cannot hide behind the camera - the film actually depicts a childhood and the growing up of my two sons from a mother’s perspective. It felt extremely important to include this in the narrative. And I believe that in such cases, being a woman is important, as I bring with me my background as cinematic storyteller. Being a mother is crucial. At the same time, I come from what I would call a masculine environment. I grew up in a fisherman’s family, with three sisters. My father and my uncles were all fishermen, and all the boys in the family were out at sea. However, since my father only had daughters, we got the opportunity to join the fisheries, and take part in this masculine everyday life. Consequently I feel I’ve got this in me - the toughness - and I consider it a valuable quality in a filmmaker, Holm relates. According to Margreth Olin, the conditions for women in Norway to carry through the projects they venture into, are favourable, but she points out that this is not the case in the rest of the world. Everyone should have the opportunity to make film, regardless of gender, age or background - this makes
for better stories, she states emphatically. – We never use the term “male filmmaker,” so we should simply call ourselves filmmakers. I have never experienced my gender as an obstacle in my job - neither when it comes to funding nor to projects. I believe that if I’m determined enough to carry something through, I live in a country where I have a great chance of succeeding. This is not the case for all women around the world. We are all aware of this. On
the other hand, I strongly believe that as storytellers - in film policy terms - it is important that young people get their chances. And it’s equally important that older people are able to continue making films. The same goes for people of both sexes, and for people of diverse ethnicity. Who you are, and the experiences you have made in your life, are all-decisive for the stories you tell, she concludes. Tommy Gjerald
Aslaug Holm. The Rich Country (2005), directed by Aslaug Holm.
24 NORWEGIAN FILMS | DOCUMENTARIES 2016
Available for Android in December 2015 DOCUMENTARIES 2016 | NORWEGIAN FILMS 25
CHILDREN ARE FASCINATED BY DOCUMENTARIES
Dancing for You (2015), directed by Erlend E. Mo.
Children Are Fascinated By Documentaries Documentary film is in rapid development. Films addressing issues children are preoccupied with, prove extremely popular, according to Hildri Gulliksen, editor at the Norwegian public broadcaster’s children’s channel, NRK Super.
T
he way we interpret the response and the status of children’s documentaries, stories focusing on children’s lives are ideal to present, Hildri Gulliksen says enthusiastically. – In the course of the last few weeks, we have seen that several programmes of this kind are extremely popular on our Internet TV player - they have
the highest ratings. The last few years, we have often had the impression that when children are allowed to choose, they prefer the fiction genre. But now it’s plain to see that many children’s documentaries are high up on the popularity scale. The common denominator of the children’s documentaries which have proved popular on the NRK Super
26 NORWEGIAN FILMS | DOCUMENTARIES 2016
channel, is that they focus closely on the kids’ everyday life. – We have made a series called Of Course I Can, about children who do things for the very first time. It could be acts like going by bus to Grandma on their own. Or, like in one episode which we have found is very popular on our player – about having a tooth extracted. We go to the dentist together to see
INDUSTRY NEWS how a tooth is pulled out, and we get so close that we end up far into the mouth. – It’s important to provide the kids with a mirror. It’s a fact that what’s not necessarily a big deal in an adult existence, may be of major importance in a child’s life. This makes it imperative to close in on themes which make children’s hearts beat faster, according to Gulliksen. To the Norwegian Film Institute, film for children and youth is a priority area, and documentary consultant KriStine Ann Skaret reveals that the results are obvious at this year’s IDFA Festival. – Three of the Norwegian films in the programme; Rebels (2015), Varicella and Dancing for You (2015), are made with children and youth as a target group, and the Norwegian project Tongue Cutters takes part in a pitch session for children’s film. Documentary film is a genre in frantic development, both when it comes to form, contents, and launch strategies, which is true for film made for the younger target groups as well. In my opinion, it is essential that the new generations will also have access to film reflecting their own reality, and I’m pleased to see that artistic ambitions are at least as high for this genre, Skaret relates.
KriStine Ann Skaret
Norwegian Documentaries, Sales and Distribution Update
Ballet Boys (2014), directed by Kenneth Elvebakk, is presently screened in Japanese and French cinema theatres. In addition, it was recently sold to the USA, where it has also been launched on iTunes, and released on DVD. The website Berkshire on Stage and Screen wrote in their review «Ballet Boys documents the tough road for young men to succeed in dance»: The Ballet Boys story is authentic, not manipulated, and thus lets its tension happen naturally. As a result Ballet Boys is a beautifully executed piece that really underscores how ballet has nothing to do with the boundaries of gender or sexual orientation.
The Optimists (2013), directed by Gunhild Westhagen Magnor is currently being screened in French cinema theatres. So far it has drawn 18,570 spectators. The film has created a strong impact, thanks to its French Facebook Page; Les Optimistes. Producer Hilde Skofteland relates that the film has become a great hit among the audience, and has won a number of audience awards. This is a warm and cheerful film - a humour injection in everyday life, she tells us.
Maiko - D ancing Child (2015), directed by Åse Svenheim Drivenes, has been sold to Japan, where it will open in January.
Ida ’s D iary (2014), directed by August B. Hanssen, was part of an outreach campaign in England, in connection with the World Mental Health Day on October 18. The film has been launched on VOD , featuring an interview with Ida, and VICE has published a 20 minute teaser - Being Ida - on its home page.
Drone (2014) has been sold to a number of countries - among them England and the USA. The film opens in the US on the 20th of November, in New York, Los Angeles, and Portland, as well as in Vancouver, Canada.
DOCUMENTARIES 2016 | NORWEGIAN FILMS 27
LINE UP IDFA 2015
NORWEGIAN FILMS
PANORAMA / IDFA DOC U COMPETITION REBELS
By Kari Anne Moe | 91 min | 2015 20/11/15 22/11/15 23/11/15 28/11/15
Munt 4 Tuschinski 4 Tuschinski 2 Munt 5
PANORAMA MAIKO - DANCING CHILD
By Åse Svenheim Drivenes | 70 min | 2015 19/11/15 20/11/15 22/11/15 23/11/15 25/11/15
15:30 17:00 22:15 11:15 22:30
Brakke Grond Expoozaal Brakke Grond Expozaal Munt 05 Munt 10 Tuschinski 2
IDFA COMPETITION FOR KIDS & DOCS / IDFA JUNIOR DANCING FOR YOU
By Erlend E. Mo | 25 min | 2015 21/11/15 24/11/15 27/11/15 28/11/15
18:45 16:15 12.45 10.30
Tuschinski Tuschinski Tuschinski Tuschinski
2 6 5 5
VARICELLA
By Victor Kossakovsky | 25 min | 2015 21/11/15 24/11/15 27/11/15 28/11/15
28 NORWEGIAN FILMS | DOCUMENTARIES 2016
www.norwegianfilms.no
21:15 17:45 14:45 22:45
18:45 16:15 12.45 10.30
Tuschinski Tuschinski Tuschinski Tuschinski
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