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Joachim Trier and Eskil Vogt on their successful collaboration with Louder Than Bombs: – A passion for cinema brought us together.
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CEO, and Exec. Dir., Promotion and Int. Relations, Sindre Guldvog and Stine Helgeland, says talent and black humour are staples of the Norwegian film industry.
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Norway’s Producer on the Move Kjetil Omberg is FILMS a self-described CANNES 2015 | NORWEGIAN 1 outsider: My desire is to make films that do and feel - better.
NORWEGIAN FILMS CANNES 2015 Published by the Norwegian Film Institute EDITORS: Tommy Gjerald Vibeke Lj. Rydland EDITORIAL STAFF: Stine Helgeland, Stine Oppegaard, Mette Tharaldsen, Anett Fondevik, Nina Bull CONTRIBUTOR: Jørn Rossing Jensen TRANSLATION: Dag Sødholt DESIGN: Lise Kihle Designstudio AS PRINT: Oslo Digitaltrykk CEO NORWEGIAN FILM INSTITUTE: Sindre Guldvog ISBN: 978-82-8025-038-4 Follow us on Facebook: facebook.com/norskfilminstitutt, and Twitter: @norskfilm - #NorwayCannes Cover photo: Berit Roald / NTB scanpix
Table of content: 4. Norway Got Talent 6. Norway on the Red Carpet 8. Ten Norwegian Talents to Watch 18. From Norway to The World 20. – Film is an International Language 25. 5 Questions With Kjetil Omberg,
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Norway’s Producer on the Move
NORWEGIAN TALENTS
”It is a great honour for me to congratulate Joachim
Trier, and everyone who has contributed to Louder than Bombs. This is a big recognition for Trier, but also for the Norwegian film industry and Norway as a film nation.” Thorhild Widvey Minister of Culture
”I would like to convey my warmest congratulations to Joachim Trier and, by extension, the entire Norwegian film community, on the inclusion of Louder than Bombs in the Official Selection at the Cannes Film Festival. This is a remarkable achievement, and also a testimony of the way in which the Norwegian film industry has evolved as a top class player in international filmmaking.” Børge Brende Minister of Foreign Affairs
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SINDRE GULDVOG & STINE HELGELAND
Norway Got Talent Participation in the Cannes competition puts the Norwegian film industry in the limelight. In a conversation with Sindre Guldvog, CEO of the Norwegian Film Institute, and Stine Helgeland, Executive Director, Promotion and International Relations, they point to talent – and a bit of black humour – as two national qualities that have been a driving force for Norwegian cinema abroad.
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indre Guldvog and Stine Helgeland glow with enthusiasm at the news of a Norwegian entry in the competition. Joachim Trier’s film Louder Than Bombs is the result of a collaboration with long time friend, Eskil Vogt, with good assistance from financial support initiatives administered by the Norwegian Film Institute. Stine Helgeland talks about a Norwegian film industry going through great development. – Since I started out five years ago, the Norwegian film industry has become more international. We co-produce to an ever-greater extent, building networks with the international industry. The Norwegian operators are to a much greater degree financing their films in the international market. This
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has happened through an interaction between the Norwegian industry and the Norwegian Film Institute. We see that Norwegian cinema is doing well abroad, and that Nordic films are in vogue. The interest in Nordic films is steadily increasing, she says. Sindre Guldvog emphasises the importance of the Norwegian film industry’s success in the international arena, both as a political goal and general inspiration for our entire industry. – It means a lot to our filmmakers to see that this quality is present among Norwegian operators. It gives inspiration and showcases Norway as a culture nation internationally. This helps realise the cultural-political goals we have in the film area: highlighting our history
and our distinction, he says. Every film nation is unique and tells stories that are markedly different. Helgeland emphasises, among other things, the variety of Norwegian cinema – from genre films to artistically ambitious stories – as a characteristic of the Norwegian film industry. – When asked about Norwegian movies, international festivals and buyers often mention the humour – especially a bit of black humour. And they say that Norwegians make films within every genre and cannot be pigeonholed as a film nation. There are both high-level crime films, like Headhunters (Morten Tyldum/2011), and action adventures, through films like Trollhunter (André Øvredal/2010).
Photo: Ida Meyn
SINDRE GULDVOG & STINE HELGELAND
In addition to genre variety, Guldvog reminds us that we also make a mark as a nation when we work or participate in international arenas. – One can showcase the distinctly Norwegian, but we also bring Norwegian qualities with us on international terms. We take Norwegian values with us into the world, shoot with a Norwegian script, director and capabilities, interpreting the world through Norwegian eyes. Norwegian cinema has a number of talents, and with a film in the main competition the industry proves that we have succeeded in cultivating our wide-ranging capabilities well. We must continue supporting this, Guldvog states. – It is incredible to have people like Joachim Trier in the midst of a small film nation like ours. He must have extra-
ordinary gifts. It is important to provide him with opportunities and a framework to develop. We hope that the Norwegian Film Institute has provided him such a framework for the development of his very special talents. Helgeland says that the international interest in the Norwegian film industry has led Hollywood, especially, to embrace several Norwegian talents for their projects. – Hollywood asks where all the stories and talents come from in little Norway. One after another, filmmakers appear with interesting stories to tell, people that can realise their ideas at a high level: Morten Tyldum with The Imitation Game, Joachim Sandberg and Espen Rønning with Pirates of the Caribbean, and Harald Zwart and Tommy Wirkola as door openers for Norwegian films abroad. Sørfond also helps open up our industry, and it has been very inspiring
and revitalising for Norway to work with such dedicated and capable people as represented by the Sørfond films. – We are very happy to see that our talents also make it internationally. This follows the same patterns as we see in sports and other art fields – the very best establish themselves abroad. It is important that our best filmmakers do well in Hollywood, for example. This gives guts and wind in the sails for the industry, making it more interesting to put resources into. In this context, we live in an ever more globalised world, in every way. More often, we see that films are co-operative productions between several countries. This goes for the artistic angle as well as for shooting locations and economy. It is therefore important that Norway shows its face in competition, and participates in the important projects in the future, Guldvog concludes. CANNES 2015 | NORWEGIAN FILMS 5
NORWAY ON THE RED CARPET
Norway on the Red Carpet The development of Norwegian cinema shows both in the local and international cinemas and in Norway’s first feature in the Cannes competition for 36 years
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hen Norwegian director Joachim Trier sets foot on the red carpet at Palais des Festivals with his star cast - Gabriel Byrne, Isabelle Huppert, Jesse Eisenberg, Devin Druid – for the screening of his third feature, Louder Than Bombs, at the 68th Cannes International Film Festival, it is the first time since 1979 a Norwegian director has an entry in the official competition on the Côte d’Azur. But he has been on the way since his Oslo, August 31st (Oslo, 31. august/ 2011), was selected for Un Certain Regard; both his previous features, also including the 2006 debut, Reprise, received an Amanda – Norway’s official film award – for Best Directing, and were nominated for the Nordic Council Film Prize. 6 NORWEGIAN FILMS | CANNES 2015
Copenhagen-born into a film family, Trier’s father was Danish sound technician Jacob Trier, his grandfather Norwegian legendary director Erik Løchen (in the 1960 competition with The Hunt (Jakten) – and yes, distantly he is related to Danish director Lars von Trier. Norway’s till today latest feature contender for the Golden Palm was Norwegian director Anja Breien’s Next of Kin (Arven/1979) 36 years ago – of course Norwegian director Bobbie Peers’ Sniffer collected the prize in 2006, but for Best Short, and Norwegian actress-director Liv Ullmann’s Faithless (Trolösa) competed in 2000, but it was a Swedish film. This year’s selection confirms the current position of Norwegian cinema,
which has in recent years increased both domestically and internationally. Last year Norwegian films registered 2.7 million admissions in the local cinemas - the best result since 1975 – controlling 24.4% of the market. Norwegian titles were No 1 on the charts from early April till 10 December, and five domestic productions among the Top Ten films. At the same time statistics from the Norwegian Film Institute showed that from 2002 to 2012 Norwegian film exports had soared by 682%. The reason is talent, and with a group of other Norwegian Directors to Watch, Trier can take the credit for moving the international spotlight to Norwegian filmmakers, including his friend and partner Eskil Vogt, who has co-written
NORWAY ON THE RED CARPET all his features, also Louder Than Bombs. Vogt’s own directorial debut, Blind (2014), which was launched last year, has just been named Best Norwegian Film 2014 by the Norwegian Film Critics’ Association; awarded at Sundance and in Berlin, it has so far been screened at 32 international festivals. Norwegian director Ole Giæver’s Out of Nature (Mot naturen/2014) received the Europa Cinemas Label at this year’s Berlinale (in 2014 it went to Blind), and for his next feature he is leaving wildlife in favour of On the Balcony (Fra balkongen) – his own, for a 12-month shoot. Signing the 2014 family hit, Doctor Proctor’s Fart Powder (Doktor Proktors prompepulver), Norwegian director Arild Fröhlich – also an experienced helmer of TV drama and comedy - will check in at the Grand Hotel for his next 2016 comedy. A frequent festival traveller since her 2010 feature debut Happy, Happy (Sykt lykkelig), which was on show at 39 international showcases; it was the first Norwegian film to win in Sundance, the Grand Jury Prize-World Cinema, Dramatic. Sewitsky’s latest, Homesick (De nærmeste/2015), was just premiered. A graduate from New York University’s Film School, writer-director Vibeke Idsøe is returning to feature filmmaking after 11 years, to adapt Norwegian author Erik Fosnes Hansen’s The Lion Woman (Løvekvinnen/2016). Norwegian-Pakistani actress writerdirector Iram Haq wrote and performed in Trond Fausa Aurvåg’s short, Old Faithful (Trofast), the only Norwegian entry in Venice 2004, and her feature debut I Am Yours (Jeg er din), about a Norwegian-Pakistani single mother, also toured the circuit. Norwegian director Hisham Zaman, of Kurdish descent, has dealt with refugees’ situations since his 2005 short, Bawke, which won 40 international prizes, till last year’s Letter to the King (Brev til Kongen). Twice Haman
Left: Out Of Nature (Mot Naturen, 2014) Photo: Mer film. Above: Dead Snow (Død snø, 2009) Photo: Sveinung Svendsen. Homesick (De nærmeste, 2015) Photo: Erik Aavatsmark.
has received one of the world’s largest film awards, Göteborg’s Dragon Award with SEK 1 million (€110,500). Two Norwegian genre film directors, Tommy Wirkola and Roar Uthaug, have both reached international fame – after Kill Buljo-The Movie (2007) and Dead Snow (Død snø, 2009) Wirkola made the US-German horror-action Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters (2013). Uthaug’s action-adventure-thrillers, ao Cold Prey (Fritt vilt, 2006), and the family film Magic Silver (Julenatt i Blåfjell, 2009) have been both local and foreign bestsellers, and his new disaster film The Wave (Bølgen) will open the Norwegian International Film Festival in Haugesund (15-21 August).
Cannes is not the only festival to observe that something is happening in Norway. Earlier this year 23 January-2 February) Scandinavia’s largest festival – Sweden’s Göteborg International Film Festival – screened a Focus on Norway, “the Nordic film country which has made the strongest progress in recent years, both artistically and audience-wise,” explained artistic director Jonas Holmberg. Norwegian actress-director Liv Ullmann received the Nordic Honorary Dragon Award for “an inspiring Nordic filmmaker whose work deserves special attention, now and forever. Romania’s Transilvania and France’s Les Arcs will also turn the spotlight on Norwegian films in 2015. CANNES 2015 | NORWEGIAN FILMS 7
TEN NORWEGIAN TALENTS TO WATCH
JOACHIM TRIER (b. 1974)
ESKIL VOGT (b. 1974)
2015 Louder than Bombs 2011 Oslo, August 31st 2006 Reprise
2013 Blind
An internationally celebrated director and screenwriter. His critically acclaimed and award-winning feature films Reprise (2006) and Oslo, August 31st (2011), both co-written with Eskil Vogt, have been invited to and won awards at international film festivals such as Cannes, Sundance, Toronto, Karlovy Vary, Gothenburg, Milan, and Istanbul. Oslo, August 31st was selected for Un Certain Regard at the Cannes Film Festival in 2011 and nominated for the César award for Best Foreign Film 2013 after reaching over 180 000 admissions at theatres in France. Reprise received the 2007 Amanda Award (Norway’s top film award) for Best Norwegian Film, Best Director and Best Screenplay. The film was released in the US by Miramax and was the Norwegian Oscar candidate for Best Foreign Film in 2006. Hailed as “a sublimely natural talent“, Trier was named one of 20 Directors to Watch by the New York Times in 2013. Louder Than Bombs (2015) is his English language film debut and his first appearance in the main competition at the Cannes Film Festival.
Aknowledged as one of Norway’s top screenwriters and directors. His directing debut Blind premiered at Sundance in 2014 where it won him The World Cinema Screenwriting Award. The film then picked up the Europa Cinema Label Prize at the Berlinale (Best European Film in the Panorama Section) before going on to win more than 20 international awards and gaining theatrical distribution in as many countries. In addition to writing his own film as a director Vogt also has a longstanding and close collaboration with Joachim Trier, including the screenplays for the features Reprise (2006), Oslo, August 31st (2011) and Louder than Bombs (2015). Vogt is a directing graduate from La Fémis in Paris, the National French Film School.
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TEN NORWEGIAN TALENTS TO WATCH Dead Snow 2; Red vs. Dead. As its predecessor it was also invited to Sundance, and ended up being the most exported film out of Norway through history – only beaten by the Oscar-nominated Kon-Tiki (2012). Wirkola is also one of the co-founders and co-owners of the production company Tappeluft Pictures AS.
TOMMY WIRKOLA (b. 1979) 2014 2013 2010 2009 2007
Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters Kurt Josef Wagle and the Legend of the Fjord Witch Dead Snow Kill Buljo - The Movie
Holds a Bachelor’s degree in Film & Television from Bond University in Australia, and has also studied Media Sciences at Finnmark University College, and Film and Television Sciences at Lillehammer University College. After directing several shorts, both on an amateur basis, and as part of his education, he made his debut as a feature film director with the low-budget Kill Buljo in 2007. The film was a spoof (and an homage) to amongst others Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Billfilms, but with a definitive twist of the typical humor of Wirkola’s home region of Northern-Norway. Wirkola also co-wrote, edited, co-produced and acted in the film. It was an unconventional success, and paved the way for
Wirkola’s next films: Dead Snow (2009), and the mockumentary Kurt Josef Wagle and the Legend of the Fjord Witch (2010). Dead Snow, another box-office hit for Wirkola, was invited to the Sundance Film Festival in 2009, and became one of the best-selling Norwegian features until then, selling to 73 countries around the world. He had made his mark in the ”new wave” of Norwegian cinema of the ”noughties”, and was soon picked up by Hollywood. His first film in the U.S., Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters was produced by Paramount Pictures and premiered in 2012. The film was a major international success and grossed over 225 million USD worldwide. In 2013 he returned to Norway to direct the sequel to his international hit,
Why do you make films? I’ve always loved telling stories and the sensation of entertaining people. Of taking them to another place. My sole goal as a director so far has been just that, to simply entertain and to take the audience for a ride, which was my favorite type of film experience when I was young. Still is. So not only do I get to do what I love the most, and work with amazing people along the way, but I also get to, hopefully, show people a good time. No better feeling than that. What inspires you? When I was young, growing up in the north of Norway, a lot of things inspired me: Nature, the stories, the people, the sense of humor, combined with all the films and books I saw and read, that I was probably way too young to experience. All those things provided me with a vivid and, yes, dark imagination. I still go back to Alta (my hometown) as much as I can for inspiration, as it is truly a unique place. Recently I’ve been very inspired by the fantastic films and TV shows that has come out of Norway and Norwegian directors. It makes me want to try new things myself, and to go new places as a writer and director. What’s next? My next project is a sci-fi called What Happened to Monday, starring Noomi Rapace, scheduled to shoot this summer in Europe. Other than that I also wrote the script for the sequel for Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters, which will go into production soon. I will not be directing this time. CANNES 2015 | NORWEGIAN FILMS 9
TEN NORWEGIAN TALENTS TO WATCH
ANNE SEWITSKY (b. 1978) 2016 2015 2011 2011 2010 2008 2008 2006
Sonja Henie, feature Homesick, feature Norwegian Cozy, television series Totally True Love, feature Happy, Happy, feature Himmelblå, television series Oh, My God!, short Heartcut, short
Studied directing at the Norwegian Film School, graduating in 2006 with the short Heartcut (Hjertekutt) as her diploma film. Her first film after graduating, the short Oh, My God! was given special mention by the children’s jury, and awarded the Special Prize of the Deutsches Kinderhilfswerkin in the Generation Kplus programme of the 2009 Berlin International Film Festival. Her feature film debut came in 2010 with the comedy Happy, Happy, which was awarded the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2011. Her second feature film followed shortly: The children’s 10 NORWEGIAN FILMS | CANNES 2015
drama Totally True Love premiered at the 2011 Berlin International Film Festival, opening the Generation Kplus programme that year, with a great reception. The film was also a winner with Norwegian critics and audiences alike. Sewitsky has also worked in television, directing four episodes of the popular drama series Himmelblå for the Norwegian Broadcasting Company NRK in 2008, as well as four episodes of Norwegian Cozy, an 8-episode drama series produced by Tordenfilm AS, and aired by NRK in early 2011.
Why do you make films? I like to explore the complexity of human relations. Even the strangest actions can be made understandable. I like that challenge. And of course the intensity of creating, the mix of all senses. What inspires you? I guess mostly people around me. But also, I´m a restless person, so a new direction in genre, story, character, something I haven´t done before actually becomes an inspiration of its own. What’s next? In September I start shooting a thriller in the very northern Norway for the Norwegian Broadcasting Company. I´ll be directing the four first episodes, so I am in preparation for that these days. After that, I’ll direct a biopic on the great figure skater and Hollywood star Sonja Henie. So two very exciting projects to dig into.
TEN NORWEGIAN TALENTS TO WATCH
ROAR UTHAUG (b. 1973) 2015 2012 2009 2006 2002 1996
The Wave, feature Escape, feature Magic Silver, feature Cold Prey, feature The Martin Administration, short DX13036, short
Graduated from The Norwegian National Film School in 2002. His graduation film The Martin Administration was nominated for a Student Academy Award. His debut feature Cold Prey (2006) was a huge box office hit in Norway, and was sold to more than 40 countries and spawned two sequels. He went on to co-direct the children’s adventure Magic Silver (2009) which was an even bigger success. The medieval action drama Escape (2012) followed, selling to more than 70 countries and putting Roar on Variety’s list of 10 Euro Directors to Watch. All his films have travelled extensively on the international festival circuit. In between features Roar has directed commercials across
the globe, winning numerous awards. His fourth feature The Wave (2015), the first ever Scandinavian disaster movie, will hit theaters this fall. Why do you make films? Growing up some of my strongest emotional experiences was in front of the silver screen. I have always been fascinated by the magic of movie making and how you can see the world, or a completely different world, through the eyes of someone else for two hours. I guess I make movies to share that joy with the world.
What inspires you? Everything! From the feeling I get watching other movies to articles, photography, art and just what I see around me in my daily life. But I think the biggest inspiration comes from my audience. What’s next? That’s what I’m trying to figure out right now. I would love to find a project that combines my fascination for cinematic spectacle with my love for characters who resonate and have an emotional core. Wherever I might find it, I can’t wait to get started!
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TEN NORWEGIAN TALENTS TO WATCH
HISHAM ZAMAN (b. 1975) 2014 2013 2009 2007 2005 2003
Letter to the King, feature Before Snowfall, feature The Other Ones, short Winterland, short Bawke, short The Bridge, short
A Norwegian director of Kurdish descent. He immigrated to Norway at the age of 17. Zaman is a graduate from the Norwegian National Film School. In 2005 Zaman had his major international breakthrough with the short film Bawke. The film was invited to Sundance and was awarded more than 30 prizes and nominated for Best European Short. In 2007 Zaman directed another noteworthy mid-length film, Winterland, a warm and humorous diaspora-story about a man settling in a godforsaken spot in Northern Norway. Winterland opened Tromsø International Film Festival and won Amanda for Best Actor. Before Snowfall was presented in 2013 at Gothenburg Film Fes12 NORWEGIAN FILMS | CANNES 2015
tival where it received the prestigious Dragon Award for Best Nordic Film. The film also won the award for Best Cinematography at Tribeca and was the most award winning Norwegian film in 2013. One year later he presented Letter to the King, his second feature film, and won the Dragon award for Best Nordic Film for the second time in a row. The film also received the FIPRESCI award at the European cinema festival of Lecce. Zaman is currently working on his third feature film. Why do you make films? Cinema has always been an important part of my life. My perspective on life changed dramatically after I felt the
power behind the craft of telling stories through pictures. What inspires you? Growing up I was inspired by watching films and pictures. As a filmmaker, working with realistic themes has made me more aware of what is valuable and real. For me and my films, life has been the most important source of inspiration. What’s next? I am writing my third Norwegian feature film, where I am exploring a different way of storytelling to challenge my previous work.
TEN NORWEGIAN TALENTS TO WATCH
OLE GIÆVER (b. 1977)
International Film Festival, and has since been screened at several other international film festivals.
What inspires you? I get inspired by everything that touches or engages me. It can be everything from stories I’m told, literature, music, something I read in the newspaper or saw on television, theatre and of course films. The core of these stories or incidents is often that it’s about one person that does something extraordinary, that makes a huge offer or goes beyond his or her limits to reach a higher goal. Basically, the core of all drama, but it’s the very specific and unique stories that makes it relatable and universal.
Why do you make films? There are two reasons. The first one is about a personal need, making films gives me some sort of therapy. Being creative, coming up with and developing ideas, finding ways to communicate and to tell stories that gives meaning to life. It makes me feel vital and that I have something to offer to the world. Which brings me to the other reason that is less self-absorbed; I make films because I want to explore and under-
What’s next? From the Balcony, a film about why we must fight with our kids to make them eat their vegetables even though the sun will burn out in 5 billion years. We started shooting on March 20 this year and will shoot for 365 days, making the earth’s orbit around the sun the framework for the film’s structure and dramaturgy. After that I have a science-fiction coming up, a chamber play in deep space.
2017 From the Balcony, feature 2014 Out of Nature, feature 2011 The Mountain, feature 2008 Summers Past, short 2007 Tommy, short 2006 B Block, short 2004 Foreplay, short 2003 The Pledge, short Studied film at the Nordland Art- and Film College from 1999-2001, before moving on to the Konstfack Art Academy in Stockholm, graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2005. He directed several short films before making his debut as a feature film director with The Mountain in 2011. He was nominated for the European Film Awards for Best Short Film with Tommy in 2007, and the Norwegian National Film Award Amanda for Best Screenplay, for Summer Past, in 2008. His feature film debut, The Mountain made its international premier as part of the Panorama section at the Berlin
stand who we are, why we behave in the ways we do, what our deepest needs are, why we hurt each other and what we long and hope for. I believe film is the most emotional and complex media we have to understand these questions in an intuitive way that makes us all feel connected.
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TEN NORWEGIAN TALENTS TO WATCH
IRAM HAQ (b. 1976) 2013 I Am Yours 2009 Little Miss Eyeflap, short Is an actress, writer and director. She was educated at Westerdals School of Communication. She has worked as an actress for many years on stage, and in feature and TV films. She also wrote and starred in the short film Old Faithful (Trond Fausa Aurvåg/2004) which was selected for the short film competition at the Venice Film Festival in 2004. She made her directorial debut with the short Little Miss Eyeflap in 2009, which won The Ellen Award at Aspen Shortsfest in 2010. I am yours (2013) was her first feature film. The world premiere was in Toronto and it was also the Norwegian Best Foreign Film entry at the Academy Awards in 2013 and it has won many awards, among them Best Nordic Film in Lübeck in 2013.
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Why do you make films? I want to tell stories that touch me, about topics I am concerned with. Through moving images and sound I am able to tell my stories the way I want. What inspires you? I want to make films that touch and engage the audience. Choosing subject matter that I know and care about, finding characters that move me, and therefore also can move and affect the audience. Being educated as an art director it’s important for me to explore how the visuals of the film can help tell the story. I often work with themes that are taboo and characters that are somewhat on the side of society - characters that hide dark secrets and that also have weaknesses. I hope that the audience, through the meeting with such characters and stories, will be touched
and find room to reflect on complex emotions and issues. What’s next? My next film is called What Will People Say and it is a story about a Norwegian-Pakistani girl who lives a double life, both with her Norwegian friends and at home with her family. One day, these two worlds collide in a brutal way. Her parents find her in bed with a Norwegian boy. The consequences become enormous. The family kidnaps her to Pakistan, and her stay in Pakistan becomes very different than expected and she goes through a personal journey that changes her life forever. What Will People Say aim to be an intense, beautiful and painful story about growing up between two cultures: A film about identity and belonging.
TEN NORWEGIAN TALENTS TO WATCH
VIBEKE IDSØE (b. 1965) 2016 2005 2002 1996
The Lion Woman 37 and a Half Karlsson on the Roof Chasing the Kidneystone aka Body Troopers
Studied film at New York University’s Film School, and is both an author and a writer-director. She made her debut as a film director in 1996, with the children’s adventure film Chasing the Kidneystone, which she also wrote the screenplay for, based on her own novel from 1994 by the same title. The film was a great success in Norway, and won a number of awards at various prestigious festivals around the world, including the Adult’s Jury Award at the Chicago International Children’s Film Festival. Idsøe also co-wrote the screenplay for one of Norway’s biggest animation-film hits: Gurin with the Foxtail in 1998, and the screenplay for her own animated film Karlsson on the Roof (2002). In 2005 she made her first film directed at
a more adult audience, the comedy 37 and a Half. Why do you make films? I want to create a memorable experience for people. I like to make stories they can identify with, maybe give them an opportunity to look at something from a different perspective. The kids who saw my first film Chasing the Kidneystone are now adults, and it is so rewarding when they tell me how important this film was to them when they were growing up. And sitting in a theatre, hearing women laugh exactly when you want them to – it’s worth all the hassle. What inspires you? Great stories and working with skilled
craftsmen, like the fantastic cast and crew I am working with at the moment. Hard working people in any kind of profession really, ranging from my doctor to Meryl Streep. And whenever I meet Joachim Trier, of course, he is very inspiring. What’s next? I am shooting The Lion Woman in Germany for the next two months. It’s an adaptation of a novel by Erik Fosnes Hansen. A beautiful story about a girl growing up in a station town in Norway in the 1920s. She has been born with hair all over her body. It’s about being different in a small society. How do you deal with it and how you succeed against all odds. CANNES 2015 | NORWEGIAN FILMS 15
TEN NORWEGIAN TALENTS TO WATCH
ARILD FRÖHLICH (b. 1972) 2016 Grand Hotel 2015 Doctor Proctor: Bubble in the Bathtub 2014 Doctor Proctor’s Fart Powder 2008 Fatso 2005 Pitbull Terje 2002 Utopia - Nobody is Perfect in the Perfect Country 2002 Connecting People, short Has broad experience in the Norwegian film and television industry, directing both drama and comedy shows. His directorial debut for the big screen, the family feature Pitbull Terje (2005), was a huge domestic box-office success, and so was Fatso (2008) and Doctor Proctor’s Fart Powder (2014). In 2011, he was granted a scholarship intended for directors from the Norwegian Film Institute, and he was also the creator of the local success Totally Perfect (2011-2015), a comedy show for TV now running in its fifth season.
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Why do you make films? Ever since I was a kid, going to the cinemas has been my favorite thing in life. It opened up the world to me, and it never stops enriching my life. I want to tell stories. I want to make people feel. I want to capture the audience. Without stories we are nothing, and a film is the most powerful storyteller there is. What inspires you? My children. My wife. Films. Music. Books. Art. Nature. Other people. In other words the same things that also can annoy me the most.
What’s next? I’m currently in post-production on Doctor Proctor: Bubble In the Bathtub, the second film I’ve directed based on Jo Nesbø’s big hit series of children’s books about Doctor Proctor. I am also in pre-production on Grand Hotel, a warm comedy about a pompous, aging alcoholic and a tourettes-inflicted tenyear-old boy who are forced to spend a week together at a high-end hotel. Grand Hotel will start principal photography in August this year, and should be released in Norway during the spring of 2016.
LOOK TO NORWAY – A LOCATION WITH A DIFFERENCE
PHONE: + 47 22 47 45 00 • EMAIL: POST@NORWEGIANFILM.COM • WEB: WWW.NORWEGIANFILM.COM CANNES 2015 | NORWEGIAN FILMS 17 VISIT THE FILM COMMISSION NORWAY AT INTERNATIONAL VILLAGE, PANTIEREO NO 217
From Norway to the World A presentation of some of the Norwegian directors, who have toured the world and established Norway as a film nation in line with other nordic countries.
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orwegian director Anja Breien – who represented Norway in competition in Cannes in 1978 - will be 75 on 12 July, and celebrated at the Norwegian Film Institute (2 June) at a screening of Next of Kin. This year awarded by the Norwegian Critics’ Association for her “tireless commitment to film art” and receiving an honorary Amanda, Norway’s national film prize in 2005, Breien went to film school in Paris, and made her first feature, Rape (Voldtekt) in 1971; 40 years ago she released the first part of feminist comedy Wives (Hustruer) trilogy, and she would follow the three main characters in Wives - Ten Years After (Hustruer – ti år etter, 1985), and Wives III (Hustruer III, 1996), the latter
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for another Amanda. Also credited for a series of shorts and documentaries, Breien was praised by the Norwegian critics for “her independent and personal approach to film as an artistic expression and an opinion former who influenced the Norwegian history of culture in an era of political, social and ideological upheavals.” Norwegian actress-director Liv Ullmann lived with her parents in Japan, Canada and the US, before they returned to Norway, where she started her acting career as Anne Frank at the regional Rogaland Theatre; she still returns to the stage - in 2013 she directed Anton Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya at Oslo’s Nationaltheatret. On screen she has
played in 10 films by Swedish director Ingmar Bergman (with whom she lived for five years), to be nominated for two Oscars ( Jan Troell’s The Emigrants/Utvandrarna, 1971; Bergman’s Face to Face/ Ansikte mot ansikte, 1976). She has directed, among others, two films from his scripts (Faithless, Private Confessions/ Enskilda samtal, 1993, for TV), besides Sofie (1992, in Denmark), Sigrid Undset’s Kristin Lavransdatter (1995, in Norway, where it sold 700,000 tickets), most recently the UK production of August Strindberg’s Miss Julie, starring Jessica Chastain, Colin Farrell and Samantha Morton. A film and stage director from the US’ Emerson College in Boston, Hans Pet-
FROM NORWAY TO THE WORLD ter Moland started making commercials and music videos, before returning to Norway, where he set up Moland Film Co, which would become Scandinavia’s largest producer of commercials. Having won several international top prizes, he directed his first feature in 1993, The Last Lieutenant (Secondløitnanten); his most recent, In Order of Disapperance (Kraftidioten, 2014) was selected for several festivals, from Berlin to Austin, from Chicago to Hawaii. He signed the English-language The Beautiful Country in 2003, and his next will be A Conspiracy of Faith (Flaskepost fra P), in the thriller franchise. Acknowledged as a director who has created his own “Hamer-esque universe,” Bent Hamer has three times won an Amanda – Norway’s national film prize – for Best Feature (+ one for Best Short), adding to the 2013 Honorary Award. Except for his award-winning Factotum (2005) from US author Charles Bukowski’s novel, which was shot in the US with Matt Dillon in the lead, his films have been very Norwegian, also last year’s 1001 Grams (1001 gram), which was launched in Toronto – in total his films have been screened at more than 80 international showcases, and been distributed in over 40 countries. In 1994 Hamer founded his own production company, BulBul Film, which has since produced all his features. A press photographer, Norwegian director Erik Poppe graduated as a cinematographer from Stockholm’s Dramatiska Institutet and shot several films, before he changed to directing in 1995. He won several awards for his commercials, then had his feature debut, Schpaa in 1998 – part one of his award-winning Oslo trilogy, which continued with Hawaii, Oslo (2004) and Troubled Water (deUSYNLIGE, 2008). Based on his own experiences in the press, he made his first English-language feature in 2013, A Thousand Times Good Night (Tu-
Left: A Thousand Times Good Night (Tusen ganger god natt, 2013). Photo: John Christian Rosenlund. Above: Next of Kin (Arven, 1979). Photo: NFI.
sen ganger god natt), launched in Montreal to win the Special Grand Prix of the Jury. His new WWII drama, The King’s Choice (Kongens nei), will open next year. Originally an actor, Norwegian Sámi director Nils Gaup was a co-founder of the Beaivváš Sámi Theatre, the only theatre performing in the Sámi language in the Northern Norwegian region. Gaup’s first feature, Pathfinder (1987), aka Ofelas - the first with a Sámi dialogue ever produced – was Oscar-nominated; his Shipwrecked (1990), was shot in both Norwegian and English and co-produced by Walt Disney Pictures. Turning down offers to direct RoboCop and Not Without My Daughter, he has signed a total of eight films, including his upcoming The Last King (Birkebeinerne), a medieval action-drama. His The Journey to the Christmas Star (Reisen til julestjernen, 2012) is still among the most seen films in Norway – by a 470,500 audience. Norwegian director Erik Skjoldbjærg was educated at London’s National Film and Television School; his featu-
re debut Insomnia (1997) was selected for the Critics’ Week in Cannes, and later remade by UK director Christopher Nolan in 2002. His Norwegian oil adventure drama Pioneer (Pionér, 2013) was also a world traveller, his Prozac Nation (2001) was an American production; he will shortly launch his sixth feature, Pyromaniac (Pyromanen), from Gaute Heivoll’s novel, scripted by Bjørn Olaf Johannessen (who also wrote German director Wim Wenders’ new film Every Thing Will Be Fine). Norway’s most recent export, Norwegian director Morten Tyldum, dropped out of the local historical drama Tordenskjold in favour of the UK production of The Imitation Game, which has since its 28 November, 2014 release grossed $219 million worldwide. The WW2 drama-thriller starring Benedict Cumberbach was nominated for eight Oscars (won one), five Golden Globes and nine BAFTA Awards. Tyldum’s latest Norwegian film, Headhunters (Hodejegerne, 2011), took 530,000 local admissions and toured 29 festivals; the thriller was sold to more than 50 countries. CANNES 2015 | NORWEGIAN FILMS 19
– Film is an International Language Louder Than Bombs is Joachim Trier and Eskil Vogt’s third feature film as collaborators. With a background in a close friendship, they continually experiment with the filmmaking process. Louder Than Bombs continues the filmmakers’ probing of universal human issues with a story dealing with individuality and togetherness in a modern family.
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ince meeting each other as teenagers, the co-operation between director Joachim Trier and screenwriter Eskil Vogt (who is also a director in his own right) have given us film stories that resonate across nationalities. A common characteristic of several of the world’s most acclaimed filmmakers is a great affection for film growing up, and their curiosity about the art form make them discover the range of stories the medium can tell – a discovery they bring with them into their own film careers. Explaining the origin of their prized co-operation, Trier and Vogt say that it was the passion for cinema that brought them together.
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– We met while working as camera assistants for the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, and during the breaks we started to discuss films – at this point, Eskil owned a fantastic VHS collection of American indie films and European art films, Joachim Trier recollects. – We became very good friends and soon started to make short films together. Coming from a film industry family, Joachim had access to cameras and other equipment. This became the start of a co-operation that we have developed ever since, Eskil Vogt adds. Trier says the film friendship that brought them together is as strong to-
day. Taking a break from work to go to the movies together is a pleasure they still share, and art experiences remain a central element of the friendship. – This is not limited to films, but goes for anything cultural. We may call each other in the evening with a strong need to discuss a novel one of us has just read. There is a lasting enthusiasm between us – a great strength in our co-operation, Trier thinks. In other words, their co-operation is built upon a close friendship, but how does this influence their working together? Trier and Vogt emphasise that they have a scriptwriting and directing co-operation that is considerably more
Photo: Helge Hansen/ NTB scanpix
03.01 – 14.02 DAVID LYNCH
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JOACHIM TRIER & ESKIL VOGT stopped in its tracks and the kids lost interest. But if they were asked, «what do you want to show me?», strange and funny stories poured out. I don’t know if this means that Eskil and I are very childish, or if it means that there is something true and inherent in the film medium that is about show, not tell. I think there should be a childlike striving for new narrative techniques and different stories, and we have to try cultivating that in ourselves as filmmakers and creative people. It is important that we have this openness – film as an art form has to develop.
Isabelle Huppert and Gabriel Byrne in Louder Than Bombs. Photo: Jakob Ihre.
dynamic than usual between these disciplines. – The writing process is very different each time. It is very obvious that Eskil is much better than me at putting things into words – he is much more talented in this area and more creatively stimulated by the actual writing. Personally I desire to direct films more often, but we use a long time – maybe a year – to develop ideas, Trier explains. – Even though I also direct films, there is a clear demarcation of roles on the films we write together: Joachim is the director. But what is inspiring about our collaborative writing is that Joachim never vetoes anything, he never demands that this or that must be in a certain way because he is going to direct. We discuss everything and challenge each other, until we have a script both of us are totally behind. Joachim is such a capable and confident director that he is not afraid of losing control by listening to others. When he takes our ideas and elaborates on them with ot22 NORWEGIAN FILMS | CANNES 2015
hers while shooting or editing, he still allows me to chime in from the sidelines, Vogt says. Vogt goes on to explain the reason for the extensive periods of idea development: their films seldom begin with a clear and defined story they want to tell, but rather develop through a number of fragments they want to realise. – We start with visual concepts, images we want to create, characters, situations, themes – the story often comes towards the end. We gather a lot of material and then try to link it together – the goal is to include as much as possible of what we like, in a way that makes it as effective as possible. Trier further explains that they are not so concerned with film as a plot machine, and recollects a story about an experiment where kindergarten kids were challenged to make a film. – If you asked the children what they wanted to tell in the film, everything
As filmmakers Trier and Vogt work in a peculiar way, and they tell us that it has been very important to have the opportunity to work undisturbed, to allow the development process to unfold in a natural way. They point to the public funding schemes under which they have worked as decisive for the realisation of Louder Than Bombs. – It would probably have been impossible to do Louder Than Bombs without support from the package financing deal from the Norwegian Film Institute. It has made it possible for us to formulate a long-term plan for our work. The ones who start the projects, in our case films of a more personal nature, are the screenwriter and director in co-operation with a producer. To realise such a co-operation, often over several years, it is a great advantage to have the space to work undisturbed, which the package financing deal has given us, Trier thinks. – The difficulty with our projects, when the story comes in last, is that it is not so easy to pitch the project in early stages. You really must have a finished script before you can start showing things to people. We are dependent on people’s trust that what we are doing will result in something exciting, Vogt elaborates. Their previous feature films as writing
JOACHIM TRIER & ESKIL VOGT partners and directed by Trier, Reprise and Oslo, August 31st, drew a lot of attention abroad. The same goes for Vogt’s 2014 directorial debut Blind, with Trier as one of the producers. And with Louder Than Bombs in the Cannes main competition, international attention has reached new heights. Answering our question of how this feels, they confidently respond that this is a goal they have been working towards since the beginning. – In fact, we were very international from the outset: Joachim attended The National Film & TV School in London, and I went to Paris to La Fémis. In the beginning we thought that we never would make any films in Norway, and we were writing an English-language project when Joachim finished in London. But then we had so many ideas and thoughts that didn’t fit in, they were so inherently Norwegian. So we went back and made Reprise. It came as an incredible surprise that it did so well abroad, Vogt says. – We have always regarded film as an international language – regardless of the spoken language it would transcend national borders. It has always been our dream and desire to join the international discussion on film storytelling. Ironically enough, with Reprise we had a desire to tell something very specific about Norwegian culture: issues of young identity and ambition, which are characteristic of a great number of young people in Norway. It turned out to be a more universal human issue, and we saw that people all around the world recognised themselves in this. The film was distributed to more than 30 countries and was a great international success. That made us very happy, Trier adds.
In Louder Than Bombs they continue exploring issues that are easily identifiable from experiences in their own lives. – This is a film about the conflict between individuality and togetherness in a modern family. It is about parents, children and sibling relationships, and how we deal with memories and identity. When the film starts, the mother in the family, who was a famous photographer, has been dead for three years. The father is left with his two sons and they all have to find a way to live on, coping with all the unanswered questions about their mother and wife, while trying to figure out who they are. We are dealing with universal issues, family themes, Trier explains. – The dynamics between family members is something everyone knows from their own lives, as parents or children or both. How to communicate across generations? How to take responsibility for one’s own children while giving them enough freedom to live? We wanted to build on the now almost extinct tradition of US family dramas with well observed and identifiable characters, but at the same time we pushed even further the desire we have always had to take risks, to try to find new ways with which to enter the mind of our charac-
ters, Vogt describes. These internationally oriented and acclaimed filmmakers still have their origins in Norway. Do they have any thoughts about where Norway is today as a film nation? – Norwegian cinema today has a broader range and a higher number of interesting ambitions than when we wanted to escape the country in the 1990s – something I hope the two of us are part of. Look at Ole Giæver in Out of Nature, where you see a filmmaker who dares to risk being personal, and therefore develops a personal film language. I hope this is something that Norway as a film nation will continue to cultivate, Vogt thinks, and that we don’t throw all that over board to catch the Nordic Noir wave. – I think that as a film nation we are now ready to look at filmmakers the way we look at our writers, where we don’t ask national questions, but rather who they are? And what do they tell us? We have to look at them as film storytellers and not just as national examples. I think that we are heading in that direction now, and this is a great feeling, Trier concludes.
Jesse Eisenberg and Devin Druid in Louder Than Bombs. Photo: Jakob Ihre.
Also with the second film, Oslo, August 31st, Trier and Vogt touched a universal nerve: the story about existential crisis resonated in a number of countries. CANNES 2015 | NORWEGIAN FILMS 23
Visit the Norwegian Film Institute at the Scandinavian Terrace, 55 la Croisette
STINE HELGELAND
Executive Director Promotion and International Relations +47 957 44 173 stine.helgeland@nfi.no
STINE OPPEGAARD
Head of International Relations Feature films C+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
ASTRI DEHLI 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
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www.norwegianfilms.no
Visit Film Commission Norway at International Village, Pantiereo no 217
Photo: Helge Hansen
PRODUCER ON THE MOVE: KJETIL OMBERG
5 Questions with Kjetil Omberg Norway’s Producer on the Move First, may I congratulate you with becoming a Producer on the Move? – Thank you very much! It was fun, and a bit unexpected. I have always felt that a Producer on the Move is a more established producer than me, but perhaps I too finally have become one? How would you describe yourself as a producer? – I hope and believe I’m a producer with an open door. A producer that values the people I work with, and hopefully I’m good at showing it. All on my own I probably don’t amount to much. You are described as a man of the people, and this is reflected in your background as a producer concentrating on genre films. What was your motivation for applying to become a Producer on the Move?
– Without doubt, to get a wider network. Making films is an international exercise, for art films as well as genre movies. The audience is big if you add up the target groups from all of the world, and if you can also meet fellow professionals that can strengthen your project – nothing is better. I think genre films and artistically ambitious films behave quite similarly out in the world, even though saying so might be regarded as swearing in church. You’re a producer who loves genre films and a self-described outsider. Now you’re going to participate in a recognised networking platform. Would you say that reflects a development in the Norwegian film industry towards supporting a wider range of talent? – You can always hope. I have to admit that I don’t exactly feel like a mem-
ber of the “good society” at home yet, but we have been working internationally for a good while, and it has obviously made us better. We just have to hope that the industry attempts to embrace all kinds of talented people and opportunities that present themselves, in a wider as well as narrower range. What are your future plans as a producer? – My desire is to make films that do better, and, not least, feel better. It is a risky business, so my plan is simply to become a better producer in all areas – so I’ll sleep better at night and become a better person. I believe that this will be advantageous both to myself and the people I have around me every day and work with.
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NORWEGIAN FACTS & FIGURES 2014
Population of Norway, 5.1 million
Market share
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. Pick up your paper copy of Facts & figures 2014 at the Scandinavian Terrace 55 la Croisette or download it from nfi.no/english/downloads.
Number of screens
Average cinema admissions per Norwegian is 2.2
191 Norwegian feature-length films
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Number of cinemas
Admissions Norwegian films
The Norwegian Film Database Everything you want to know about Norwegian film available on the screen you prefer Search directly on Norwegianfilms.no or download our App
Dronningens gate 16, P.O.Box 482 Sentrum, N-0105 Oslo Tel: +47 22 47 45 00 Mail: int@nfi.no www.norwegianfilms.no
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GA B R I E L BY R N E I S A B E L L E H U P P E RT JESSE EISENBERG
LOUDER THAN BOMBS 28 NORWEGIAN FILMS | CANNES 2015
A F I L M BY JOACHIM TRIER