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| Ice Kiss |
| Original title |
Iskyss |
| Alternate title |
Husker du våre drømmer | Our Lost Dreams |
| Type |
Features |
| Genre |
Drama |
| Director |
Knut Erik Jensen |
| Short summary |
Iskyss is a strong and poetic love story based on Gunvor Galtung Haavik’s double life through 30 years. During the Cold War, she was employed by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and assigned to the Norwegian Embassy in Moscow. With the information she had access to in the capacity of her position as interpreter and secretary, she frequently fed the KGB secret information, in her role as a Russian agent. Knut Erik Jensen has made this film leaning on documentation and inspiration from Alf R. Jacobsen’s book Iskyss, and Gunvor Galtung Haavik’s own letters to her secret Russian lover Vladimir Kozlov. |
| Summary |
Haavik was educated as a nurse. Prior to being employed by the Ministry, she had worked with Russian prisoners of war at a hospital in Bodø. This was how the two of them met. They became allies in the struggle against nazism, and not least, they fell head-over-heels in love. The relationship proved to be extremely problematic; relationships between Norwegian embassy employees and Russians were strictly prohibited. But as is well known, love is never ruled by political power, and Haavik and Kozlov’s relationship continued. Even after Haavik was employed by the Norwegian embassy in Moscow. When the KGB got wind of the relationship, they made use of exactly this to put pressure on Haavik in order to make her work for them as a spy. If she would only collaborate with them, they would not harm her beloved Volodchik – which was Haavik’s pet name for him. This is a film which depicts the immense power love may hold. That is what Iskyss is all about. It tells the story of a woman who sacrifices everything in order to protect the one she loves.
This film is about Gunvor Galtung Haavik, but in the form of an artistic narration based on the story of her life. For this reason, the main character in the film has been given the name Vera Våge. Vera’s story in Iskyss depicts the kind of thoughts and reminiscences Gunvor Galtung Haavik may have had on her deathbed after she was arrested. Her reflections on the crime pale altogether compared to her memories of her beloved Volodchik.
Knut Erik Jensen has made a powerful and beautiful film, which, like human thoughts, moves freely in time and space.
It does not portray Galtung Haavik’s life as a traitor and a spy, but as a human being in its purest form. The main theme is not what she did or how she did it; it is why she did it.
Iskyss is a film about warm love during a cold war.
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| Cast |
Ellen Dorrit Petersen (Vera Våge), Aleksander Bukharov (Vladimir), Per Egil Aske (Evanger), Evgeny Sidikhin (Tchevchenko), Vladimir Chernyshov (Garliok), Morten Traavik (Brynjulfsen) |
| Screenplay |
Knut Erik Jensen, Alf R. Jacobsen |
| Based on |
Alf R. Jacobsen's novel Ice Kiss |
| D.O.P |
Svein Krøvel |
| Editor |
Inge-Lise Langfeldt |
| Composer |
Olga Petrova |
| Sound |
Sigrun Merete Mongstad |
| Costume designer |
Bente Winther-Larsen, Vaida Venckute |
| Scenography |
Galius Klicius |
| Producer |
Egil Ødegård |
| Line producer |
Aamund Johannesen |
| Production company |
Filmhuset Produksjoner AS | Riddervoldsgt. 10 1 N-0258 Oslo
Tel: +47 22 54 33 20 | Fax: +47 22 54 33 51
Mail. filmhuset@filmhuset.no, www.filmhuset.no |
| Co-producer |
Robertas Urbonas for Baltic Film Group | Aamund Johannesen | Anders Graham |
| Country of origin |
Norway |
| Release date (national) |
2008-10-03 |
| Release date (international) |
2008-09-10 |
| Technical information |
| Format |
35mm |
| Screen ratio |
1:1,85 |
| Colour |
Colour |
| Sound System |
Dolby SRD |
| Length in min's |
83 |
| Length in meters |
2249 |
| No. of reels |
5 |
| Distributor (Norway only) |
SEG Distribusjon |
| Festival participation |
2009 Festival of Festivals, St. Petersburg
2009 Reykjavik International Film Festival
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Director biography:
 Knut Erik Jensen is one of Norway’s most acknowledged film directors, and the recipient of a number of Norwegian and international film awards. He was born on October 8 1940, in Honningsvåg in Finnmark county, and consequently he witnessed the war, the burning of Finnmark, and the subsequent Cold War. This has marked a large part of his film production.
Also, Knut Erik Jensen has all his life been preoccupied with the relationship between Norwegians and Russians. Among other things, he studied the Russian language in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) in the 70’s. Hence, during the filming of Iskyss, he was able to instruct Russian actors in Russian!
Among his films may be mentioned:
Stella Polaris (1993) which landed him both the Norwegian and the international
Film Critics Award.
Brent av frost [Burnt by Frost](1997), the Rainer Werner Fassbinder Award
Når mørket er forbi [Passing Darkness](2000)
The novella film Rosornas väg [Road of Roses](2000)
The cinematic documentary Heftig og begeistret [Cool & Crazy](2001) received among other awards 2 Amanda prizes, the Main Award and the Audience Award at Göteborg Film Festival, the Gold Hugo Award at the Chicago Film Festival, the Petter Dass Medallion, the Aamot Statuette, and Sølvklumpen, being the Cinema Managers’ Award for Best Film, in 2001.
På sangens vinger [Cool & Crazy on the Road](2002), a sequel to Heftig og begeistret.
På hau i havet (2004), about the cabaret scene in Nordkapp municipality.
Among his latest works are Ruiner i paradis (2004) and Vi er her for å dø (2004),
about Russian prisoners of war.
In 2009, he will complete a documentary series on Knut Hamsun’s life and authorship,
for NRK Television.
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