Cannes 2019
14.05 - 26.05
Norwegian Doc Showcase at DOC corner in Cannes
Norwegian Doc Showcase at DOC corner in Cannes
Norway is experiencing a new wave of documentary production and distribution as well as a new breed of internationally ambitious filmmakers. During a Norwegian showcase at DOC corner in Cannes on Monday May 20th, four projects will be presented. Read about them here.
The last five years has seen an exponential growth in the industry, claiming several international main awards, and making numerous sales to territories all over the globe for a welcoming audience.
The self portrait
Lene (30) suffers from severe anorexia. Since the age of ten she has been hiding from the Norwegian Health Care System. Then she taught herself the art of photography. Read more...
Apache!
Apache! is a visually stunning true crime-inspired adventure that will take you into the drug cartel ridden mountains of Sierra Madre and the border area between US and Mexico on an adventurous journey to search for the mythical lost Apache tribe. Read more.....
Blue Code of Silence
Forty years ago, policeman Bob Leuci and a group of prosecutors brought down New York’s most corrupt police unit. The case launched the careers of the prosecutors but made Leuci the most hated cop in America. Read more...
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a-ha – The movie
a-ha is Norways biggest pop success ever and their hit Take On Me is still one of the most played songs of the last millennium. Everybody remembers the iconic video, of course, and the band is still selling out arenas around the world. Read more...
Interview with Manila Lover director Johanna Pyykkö
Interview with Manila Lover-director Johanna Pyykkö
Director, screenwriter and UP participant Johanna Pyykkö's short film The Manila Lover has been released to Critic’s week at Cannes Film Festival for its world premiere. In this interview, Pyykkö tells about the process towards the finished film and about her artistic work.
Can you tell us a little about how you have worked strategically with the film to reach the goal of getting the film in program in Cannes?
We always had Cannes as a goal. We creatively pushed everything as far as we could, but "always in our way" - the photographer, production designer, the editor, sound designer and I talked about the film and process like that, “doing it our way”. In the writing process I also had a similar strategy, I told myself that I should take the wildest ways my intuition could.
The producers and co-producer also agreed that Cannes was our dream premiere. I also knew that we needed the best actors we could get. I wanted to work with a male actor in the lead who dared to enter something intimate and sensual - a room "private" for the character. Therefore, I'm thrilled that our Norwegian caster, Luise Nes, found Øyvind Brandtzæg - he is fantastic. I remember how our Philippine co-producer Bianca Balbuena-Liew (Epicmedia) looked at the monitor during the shoot of one of the scenes I like the most, and she said "Øyvind as Lars will go all the way, I think this film is going to Cannes».
How has the process been?
It has been fun. We have worked incredibly much over a long time. The pre-production period was 2 years. During this period, the producers Nina M. Barbosa Blad and Lotte Sandbu from Barbosa Film, and our co-producer Bianca Balbuena-Liew from Epicmedia, worked hard to get a good shoot and production. I was focused on keeping life in the vision alive during this long pre-production, while at the same time working in writer’s rooms on a couple of drama-series. The shoot in November 2018 in the Philippines and the post production in Norway, went very quickly and smoothly.
The shoot in the Philippines was a thrill, I got a huge crew, three times bigger than I have had before. The crew had a lot of experience from feature films and drama-series, and with a crew this big we really could push the artistic result even more and everything went fast. I loved the collaboration with the cinematographer Torbjørn Sundal Holen and production designer Ana Lou Sanchez, they have such good ideas and understood my vision from the start.
The editing of the film was also playful and fun, I co-edited together with Brwa Vahabpour and Margrete Vinnem and the sound designer Inger Elise Holm (from the post-production house Shortcut) did a fantastic job.
Why did you make The Manila Lover?
I meet a Filipino woman in my hometown who told me about Nordic men approaching her with prejudice. She told me that these men did not see her real personality. This made a strong impression on me. I have partly a working-class background, and therefore I know these men. I saw both sides in this situation as complex and interesting. This inspired me and from there I got the idea. From the start of the story process, I wanted both characters – the Nordic man and the Filipina – to surprise each other and the audience, with their personalities.
You develop many projects and have recently received development funding from The Norwegian Film Institute - Nye Veier, and you have also had a feature film project selected for Focus Pro' in Cannes, can you tell us about your upcoming projects?
The new feature film, "Mirror on Evy”, that has received New Paths Idea Development, is a kind of futuristic science fiction. It's about a woman in her 60s, who lives in an alternative reality in Oslo. I don't even have a reference that is similar, so it feels in many ways like a “new take" on the sci-fi-genre, for me.
The feature film EBBA & THE LOVER, which I have pitched at Focus Pro' in Cannes, has also received script development from The Norwegian Film Institute. It is produced by Verona Meier at Ape&Bjørn production company and I co-write the story together with screenwriter Jørgen Færøy Flasnes. It's fun to be in Cannes with two projects. The theme of EBBA & THE LOVER is similar to short The Manila Lover, it’s nice to show both projects here and Cannes has a good program for both films.
I also develop a sci-fi drama series for youth, produced by Kristoffer Sindre Vittersø, at Nordisk Film Production and a Swedish feature film produced by Verket Produktion. I like working with several projects at the same time, projects develop faster, and it becomes more joyful for me.
The Critic’s Week also provide their Next Step feature film lab for us who have short films in the competition. It is really a good program around that lab with international script mentorship. So I’m looking forward to taking part in the lab with one of my projects.
Can you tell a us about who you are as an artist?
Topics that I continue working with is power, exclusion/belonging and identity. I think I return to these topics because I have Finnish background and I had difficulties speaking proper Swedish during childhood in Sweden. I had a feeling of exclusion back then. That does a lot with your identity. I guess I develop characters and stories that have something similar to my own experience. My stories therefore contain questions about identity and some kind of power-games.
I’ve returned to a method I used when I made my first short films in Sweden: I have always drawn and painted pictures and now in the writing process of The Manila Lover I tried to draw the scenes with words, in a way similar to my painting style. The paintings I do are often sensual and abstract, I tried adding that tone in the script. It gave a lot of life to the cinematic language in the film.
You are also a member of the UP, Talent Norway and the Norwegian Film Institute's development program for female filmmakers. How is it to be there?
I applied for the UP because they offer a professional program over a long time in Oslo and Norway - with development funding, mentor scholarships, workshops and networking with other participants. The program also focuses on you as a filmmaker and on your projects. All that in one package, is very helpful. Everyone in the film industry seeks various labs and workshops with their projects, and as filmmakers. These labs and workshops are often over a short period of time, sometimes too short time. Therefore, I really like the UP program and I also like the fact that we in the program develop each other through sharing experiences and talking processes.
We have heard that you will, among other things, meet Agnieszka Holland and Jane Campion for an interview - which UP has organized for you. What are you going to ask her for?
UP has a mentor grant. When I applied for UP, I wrote that I wanted to do interviews and get mentorship from successful directors and creators for drama-series. I want to ask about film politics, about their processes and how they work with their voice over a long time. Jane Campion and Agnieszka Holland were on the top of my list of names, and they agreed to meet me. I had a fantastic first meeting with Jane Campion in Cannes. I love all her work and have seen her films several times. I’m also a fan of Agnieszka Holland’s wonderful job as an episode-director on The Wire.
Dyveke Bjørkly Graver is Norway’s Producer on the Move in Cannes
Dyveke Bjørkly Graver is Norway’s Producer on the Move in Cannes
Each year at the Cannes Film Festival, 20 promising, up-and-coming producers from throughout Europe are selected to participate in Producers on the Move. Norway’s Dyveke Bjørkly Grave from Oslo Pictures is among this year’s partakers.
After graduation with a BBA from Handelshøyskolen BI and a bachelor’s degree in Event Management from Høgskolen in Lillehammer, Graver produced children films for Cinenord productions and co-produced the drama “The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open” for Oslo Pictures, which premiered at Berlin International Film Festival in February. Currently she is working on projects with directors Dara Van Dusen and Jonas Matzow Gulbrandsen.
Encouragement and recognition
“For me, it’s brilliant encouragement and recognition to be selected for the Producers on the Move,” says Dyveke Bjørkly Graver. “I am developing many exciting projects in need of good international partners, and I hope that this programme will strengthen interest in my projects and create new, exciting possibilities.”
Since 2000, European Film Promotion (EFP) has arranged Producers on the Move in order to connect enterprising young producers with possible international coproduction partners. Between May 16-20, this year’s participants will take part in a five-day networking programme that includes a range of workshops and seminars.
In order to take part in Producers on the Move 2019, the participant needed to have made at least one international co-production that was screened at a major festival. The selection process was based on the producer’s experience, his or her films’ international sales and distribution, as well as the applicant’s film festival participation.
Since the programme’s start, 400 young producers have taken part.
Previous Norwegian partakers are: Turid Øversveen (2000), Edward Dreyer (2001), Bjørn Eivind Aarskog (2002), Bent Hamer (2003), Gudny Hummelvoll (2004), Jørgen Storm Rosenberg (2005), Christian Fredrik Martin (2006), Eric Vogel (2007), Silje Hopland Eik (2008), Yngve Sæther (2009), Asle Vatn (2010), Maria Ekerhovd (2011), Brede Hovland (2012), Hans-Jørgen Osnes (2013), Teréz Hollo-Klausen (2014), Kjetil Omberg (2015), Bendik Heggen Strønstad (2016), Åshild Ramborg (2018) and this year Dyveke Bjørkly Graver (2019).
Norwegian talents presented in Cannes
Norwegian talents presented in Cannes
During the film festival in Cannes, five talented Norwegian directors were presented. Read about them and their upcoming projects here.
Silje Salomonsen
Silje Salomonsen (b. 1978) is a Norwegian actress, musician and film director from Stavanger, known for her work on films like Now It’s Dark, It’s Only Make Believe and Monsterthursday. She plays the leading role in Jannicke Systad Jacobsen’s new film 110% Honest, and is a frequent collaborator of Thomas Dybdahl, who also has scored her upcoming directorial debut Sisters.
Two sisters set off on an epic journey across the Norwegian wilderness to find help for their father who has fallen into a mountain crack.
Family film 72 min Original title Søstre Directors Silje Salomonsen, Arild Østin Ommundsen Screenplay Silje Salomonsen, Arild Østin Ommundsen Cast Billie Østin, Vega Østin, Thomas Skjørestad, Mette Arnstad, Oddgeir Thune Production Gary Cranner for Chezville Release 2020 Sales tba
Jannicke Systad Jacobsen
Jannicke Systad Jacobsen (b.1975) is a Norwegian writer/ director based in Oslo. She studied directing at FAMU – The Czech National Filmschool and London International Film School. She also studied theatre science and anthropology at the University of Oslo. She directed several documentaries and shorts with a great humorous flair, before making her feature film debut with the comedic youth drama Turn me on, goddammit in 2011. The film had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival where it was given the award for Best Screenplay in the World Narrative Competition. It was sold to quite a few territories, amongst others USA, Canada, Germany, France, Australia and Japan. Turn me on, dammit also did very well at the local box office and received the national film award Amanda for Best Picture and Best Cinematography.
Systad Jacobsen’s second feature 110% Honest is a dark comedy about a doping scandal in cycling. Her next project is a romantic comedy centered on a woman her 70s, written by Ragnhild Tronvoll (Happy, Happy).
In 110% Honest we meet former pro cyclist Kim Karlsen (39) just moments before she holds a press conference admitting use of performance enhancing drugs in her career. This dark comedy takes us behind the scenes of a doping scandal as it starts rolling, and observes how Kim tackles her fall from grace. Rather than accepting the consequences of her actions, our antiheroine sticks to her guns and refuses to alter her mindset. The film chronicles the ups and downs of Kim’s annus horribilis.
Dark comedy 85 min Original title Hjelperytteren Director Jannicke Systad Jacobsen Screenplay Jannicke Systad Jacobsen Cast Silje Salomonsen, Espen Klouman Høiner, Kjersti Tveterås, Agnes Kittelsen, Nader Khademi Production Isak Eymundsson, Ruben Thorkildsen for Ape&Bjørn Release Aug 30, 2019 Sales tba
Yngvild Sve Flikke
Yngvild Sve Flikke (b. 1974) made shorts, music documentaries and children shorts for NRK for 15 years, before her debut feature, Wonen In Oversized Men`s Shirts (Amanda for best actress in a supporting role) in 2015. She then went on to direct the short Apple (Award for best screenplay, the Norwegian Short Film Festival) in 2016 and directed several episodes of the internationally acclaimed drama series Home Ground season 1 and 2 in 2018 and 2019. Her upcoming The Art of Fallingwill go into production in October 2019.
The Art of Falling is based on the graphic novel ‘Fallteknikk’ by Inga Sætre (winner of Brageprisen for best youth literature in 2012). Rakel (23) finds out way too late that she is 6 months pregnant, and that the father is not her boyfriend. When she decides not to keep the baby, an animated Ninjababy turns up and makes her everyday life difficult.
Mariken Halle
Mariken Halle (b.1982) in Oslo, Norway. Wanted to be an actress as a child constantly making films with her friends and family. Educated at Rødkilde (2002), Nordland Art and Filmschool (2003-2005) and Akademin Valand in Gothenburg (2007-2011).
Made Maybe tomorrow (2011) - a feature length mix between documentary and fiction together with Clara Bodén as exam project at Valand. Made the feature The World is Waiting (2014) and produced documentaries, shorts, exhibitions and books together with Clara and Ronja from 2011 - 2014.
Mariken is now based in Oslo and part of the production collective ALTERNATIVET together with Guro Bruusgaard, Magnus Mork and Katja Eyde Jacobsen. Currently in production of the feature We are Here Now.
A fiction film following a group of babies and their parents during a year, the Scandinavian parental leave. Many of the adults are in a crisis, trying to relate to each other and to the world.
Existential comedy - Original title Vi er her nå Director Mariken Halle Screenplay Mariken Halle Cast Leif Edlund, Marte Germaine Christensen, Thomas Holtermann Østgaard, Magnus Mork Production Mariken Halle, Magnus Mork, Guro Bruusgaard, Katja Eyde Jacobsen for Alternativet Produksjon Release Fall 2019 Sales tba
Nini Bull Robsahm
Nini Bull Robsahm (b. 1981) based in Oslo, Norway. She was educated at NISS - Nordic Institute of Stage and Studio in Oslo, and worked primarily as an assistant director until she wrote the screenplay and starred in Manhunt (2008). Her feature debut was in 2014 with the thriller Amnesia starring Pia Tjelta (Blind Spot), Good reviews, and remake rights were sold to Europe and USA. In 2011, she co-directed the feature film You Said What? which opened to good reviews at Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas.
She has her own company, Canopy Film, and is one of the young talents who works with the extremely popular Scandinavian crime genre.
Lake of Death is a remake of the first first and most successful thriller to have been made in Norway from 1958 på Kåre Bergstrøm, witch has everything Scandinavian crime is known for: dark forests, gloomy landscapes, tension, mystery, remote areas and ice cold murder.
Lillian’s twin brother Bjørn dies a mysterious death alone at the old family cabin. Now, one year later, Lillian and her friends arrive at the cabin to say their goodbyes and finally sell the place. Shortly after their arrival, strange things start happening. Lillian sleepwalks and her dog disappears. When the group goes swimming, a black mass from the water sticks to their skin. It seems as though someone or something is watching them.
Thriller 90 min Original title De dødes tjern Director Nini Bull Robsahm Screenplay Nini Bull Robsahm Cast Iben Akerlie, Jakob Schøyen Andersen, Sophia Lie, Jonathan Harboe, Elias Munk, Ulrik von der Esch Production Nini Bull Robsahm, Axel Mustad, Fredrik Pryser, Thomas Robsahm for Pryserfilm Release Nov 2019 Sales TrustNordisk
The Manila Lover
The Manila Lover - In La Semaine de la Critique competition