Norsk filminstitutt

Documentary film Johansen Brothers
(Brødrene Johansen)

Johansen Brothers is a film about brotherhood and belongingness. A tender and somewhat alternative coming-of-age story, where countrymen bloom by breaking and maintaining old traditions.  

On an island far north, within a fjord, lies Kråkrøhamn. The once populous village, now counting merely 25 inhabitants, is home to the Johansen family. Five brothers have shared sunny and rainy days at the family farm with their mom and dad for nearly half a century. The fisherman Jan Ivar likes the way it has always been, while the goat farmer Idar is longing for love. Johansen Brothers is a heartwarming portrait of the brothers, with the omnipresent influence of materfamilias Kjellrun. The documentary, focusing closely on the brothers, also places their lifestyle and the rural village they are part of in a larger context of today's arctic society.   

Production and distribution

Production Year:
2023
Production country:
Norway
Release date (national):
2023-05-05
Production company:
Koko Film AS
Financing company:
Norwegian Film Institute
Nordnorsk Filmsenter AS
Filmfond Nord
Fond for lyd og bilde
Producer:
Trude Berge Ottersen
Film consultant:
KriStine Ann Skaret
Helle Hansen
Jesper Bergom-Larsson
Ingrid Dokka
Gjermund Gisvold

Director

  • Trude Berge Ottersen

    Trude Berge Ottersen runs Koko Film in Tromsø in Northern Norway. Her film debut, Sealers -  one last hunt (2016), premiered at IDFA, won the Audience Award at Tromsø International Film Festival, had a theatrical release, and was made into a series for NRK. Johansen Brothers is her second feature as a director. In 2021 she produced the short documentary Resurface. 

    Trude Berge Ottersen

Awards

2023:
National Film Award Amanda for Best Documentary

Festivals

2023:
TIFF - Tromsø International Film Festival
2023:
The Norwegian Documentary Film Festival
2023:
Nordic/Docs

Crew

Director:
Trude Berge Ottersen
Cinematographer:
Trude Berge Ottersen
Babang Deshommes
Editor:
Rachel Andersen Gomez
Marte B. Aasen
Helge Billing
Robert Stengård
Composer:
Ville Langfeldt
Sound Design:
Nathanael Gustin
Sound Recording:
Gry Elisabeth Mortensen
Trude Berge Ottersen

Technical information

Format:
DCP 4k
Colour:
Colour
Length in min's:
80'
Language:
Norwegian
Subtitles:
English

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