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| Long Flat Balls |
| Original title |
Lange flate ballær |
| Alternate title |
Playing Wide |
| Type |
Features |
| Genre |
Comedy |
| Director |
Bjørn Fast Nagell |
| Short summary |
Long Flat Balls is a story of six men working together in a garage – the EdGarage, owned by
Edgar, the father figure of their brotherhood. All of them except one are big soccer fans. In spite of the garage being threatened by hostile takeover or bankruptcy, they decide to go on a company trip to support the Norwegian national soccer team during the final matches of the World Championship.
The garage, the brotherhood and the characters face various challenges during the trip, as a group as well as individually. The greatest challenge is the fate of the garage, as the characters are not the most qualified mechanics and car salesmen, and therefore not guaranteed a job after a takeover or bankruptcy. |
| Summary |
Long Flat Balls is a story of six men working together in a garage – the EdGarage, owned by Edgar, the father figure of their brotherhood. They are all except one, big time soccer fans. In spite of the garage being threatened by hostile takeover or bankruptcy, they decide to go on a company tour to support the Norwegian national soccer team during the final matches of the World Championship.The garage, the brotherhood and the characters face various challenges during the tour, mutually as well as individually.The biggest is the destiny of the garage, as the characters are not the most qualified mechanics and car salesmen, and therefore not guaranteed a job after a takeover or bankruptcy.
The second mutual problem arrives as one of them – Freddy – decides to pursue a part time career as a musician. He is not only a part of the brotherhood, he is also the letter ‘N’ in their building of the word NORWAY, painted on their naked upper bodies. Freddy’s replacement, Helge, is Edgar’s nephew, and turns out to be the arrival of another problem. Helge’s lack of empathy and his hypocrisy is constantly provoking the group.Oyvind – the letter ‘O’ – lives with his dominant mother, and experience problems towards the opposite sex. As a car salesman, he has never succeeded inn selling a car to a woman. And he has never experienced sex. Karsten – the letter ‘R’ – is a self-centered freeloader with an always present demand for money and food, and a constant need for knowing better than the rest. Petter – the letter ‘W’ – is the Romeo of the group. He lives together with adorable Laila, but in their relationship, as in every, there is some small problems. Petter is proposing an intermission in their relationship, during the tour, and much to his surprise, Laila agrees. He realizes what she means to him, so he desperately – and in vane tries to contact her during the tour. He suffers deep depression when he learns that Laila is seen with another man at the place of Freddy’s first gig. Kai – the letter ‘A’ – is a nervous alcoholic, who tries to stay on the wagon. He suffers big anxiety whenever confronted with booze, and is constantly nervous about losing his job when they return home. The only reason he still got his job, is that he is an old shipmate of Edgar’s. He is the only one of the group who knows Edgar’s dark secret. Edgar – the letter ‘Y’ – is the constantly worrying father figure of the group. He has a second agenda behind the tour – he is trying to find his lost, German son, born by a German woman Edgar met some 20 years ago. Edgar believes that not even his wife – Kari knows about this secret. He turns out to be wrong. |
| Cast |
Jan Edgar Fjell, Anders Fjell, Petter Jørgensen, Eirik Tobiassen, Kai Helge Hansen, Frank Lie |
| Screenplay |
Pål Sparre Enger |
| D.O.P |
Geir Hartley Andreassen |
| Editor |
Jens Christian Fodstad |
| Sound |
Ad Stoop |
| Scenography |
Billy Johansson |
| Producer |
Harald Zwart |
| Line producer |
Odd Ween |
| Production company |
Zwart Arbeid | Kirkegt. 27 | N-1632 Gamle Fredrikstad
Tel: +47 69 32 22 33 | Fax: +47 69 32 20 50
Mail: anne@zwartarbeid.com | www.langeflateballer.no | www.zwartarbeid.com |
| Co-producer |
Medieparken | SF Norge |
| Country of origin |
Norway |
| Release date (national) |
2006-03-31 |
| Technical information |
| Format |
35mm |
| Screen ratio |
1:1,85 |
| Colour |
Colour |
| Sound System |
Dolby SR |
| Length in min's |
100 min |
| Length in meters |
2738 |
| No. of reels |
6 |
| International sales |
NonStop Sales | Döbelnsgatan 24 | SE-113 52 Stockholm | tel: +46 8 673 9980 | fax: +46 8 673 9988 | info@millenniumgroup.se | www.nonstopsales.net |
| Distributor (Norway only) |
SF Norge AS |
| Festival participation |
2006 Kosmorama Film Festival, Trondheim
2006 Internationale Hofer Filmtage
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Director biography:
 Before entering the commercials business, Bjørn Fast Nagell ran his own video workshop in his hometown Fredrikstad, where he was making experimental short films and teaching youngsters while he himself was still in the process of learning. He started making commercial films in 2003, after winning The Young Directors Award, for commercials produced by Harald Zwart, in Cannes the same year. Long Flat Balls is Bjørn's first feature film.
Creative Producer: Harald Zwart has directed hit movies such as One Night At McCool's with Michael Douglas (also producer) and Liv Tyler, and Agent Cody Banks with Frankie Muniz and Hilary Duff, for MGM, which grossed 50 mill USD domestically. Harald has his own company Zwart Arbeid.
Long Flat Balls is based on a commercial Zwart directed in 2003 for Norwegian Telecom. The commercial turned into such a big hit, and turned the actors into such big stars, that Zwart decided to make a feature based on them. Zwart's long time friend Bjørn Nagell worked as an assistant for Zwart on his commercials until Zwart gave him the chance to direct his first feature - LONG FLAT BALLS. Harald Zwart is the un-credited co-director on the movie.
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