Norsk filminstitutt

A Fairytale Western about the times we live in. 

In a remote desert town everyone suddenly turns rich from a nearby mine. This new gained wealth has pushed the town into a standstill, as nobody cares to work anymore. When a man rides into town he decides to play the citizens against each other. This is the beginning of the city’s absurd and tragic downfall, and in the end it will only be one winner. Lake Over Fire is a fairytale western where people rides mopeds instead of horses. And it’s a quirky vision of the time we live in. 

Lake Over Fire is a comedy set in a timeless western-like world, where horses are replaced by mopeds. The story takes place in a small desert town where life has come to a standstill because of the overwhelming wealth. No one is willing to work or take responsibility for running the town. As a result this little village has become a lawless, dirty and almost anarchistic place.
When the alcoholic cowboy Kristoffer rides in to town he is forced to take on the job as mayor, to make up for an unpaid bar bill. Together with the wealthiest man in the village, Olec, he comes up with a solution to the city's problem; they will throw out the demanding residents from their homes, and import cheap labour from the outside.
Our hero, the pacifist cowboy Cato, has escaped to the forest for some time, but is forced to return to the village when the local sheriff imprisons his wife. Her imprisonment is part of the evil plan. The new mayor Kristoffer starts pitting Olec against Cato, which results in Cato involuntarily killing Olec's assistant and the fight between good and evil is ignited.

Production and distribution

Production Year:
2018
Production country:
Norway
Release date (national):
2018-06-08
Production company:
Ape&Bjørn AS
Financing company:
Norwegian Film Institute
Mediefondet Zefyr
Filmkraft Invest
Producer:
Isak Eymundsson
Ruben Thorkildsen

Director

  • Joern Utkilen

    Joern Utkilen (b. 1971) graduated from both the Edinburgh College of Art and Screen Academy Scotland and has gone on to write and direct a range of comedic films that have been presented at numerous international film festivals and broadcast on several television channels including ARTE and Canal +.

    Joern gained a BAFTA Scotland nomination for his controversial film Little Red Hoodie, which was part of the Cinema Extreme scheme. Joern has further developed his style with his black comedy Asylum, funded by Film4 and Creative Scotland. He was in 2012 awarded the “Underground Spirit Award” at the Palic European Film Festival.

    Joern also writes and directs under the pseudonym 'Jeorge Elkin' and won the Audience Award at the Clermont-Ferrand Lab Competition for the film Wind Over Lake.

    Joern has recently completed Earth Over Wind, a medium-length film financed through the Norwegian Film Institute’s 'New Paths' scheme.

    LAKE OVER FIRE is Utkilens debut feature.

    Filmography: 

    2017 Lake Over Fire

    2015 Statement Too

    2014 Earth Over Wind

    2011 Asylum
    2011 Wind Over Lake
    2008 Little Red Hoodie
    2007 No Coke
    2007 My New Job
    2005 Size 5
    2004 Paper Anniversary
    2003 Terrorist
    2001 My Job III
    2000 Paperclipmaker
    2000 My Job II
    2000 My Job

    Joern Utkilen

Cast

Cato Skimten Storengen
Ole Christoffer Ertvaag
Nina Ellen Ødegård
Kristoffer Joner
Arthur Berning
Helga Guren
Edward Schultheiss
Morten Liene
Ole Johan Skjelbred
Jørgen Foss
Kamilla Grønli Hartvig
Laura Vallenes

Festivals

2018:
Filmfest München - Munich Film Festival
2019:
Cinequest Film Festival
2019:
Duluth Superior Film Festival

Crew

Director:
Joern Utkilen
Screenplay:
Joern Utkilen
Cinematographer:
Martin Radich
Editor:
Colin Monie
Composer:
Schneider TM
ProductionDesigner:
Julie Lozach Asskildt
Costume Designer:
Hedda Virik
Tanja Huglen
Sound Design:
Fredric Vogel
Casting:
Stella Casting
Celine Engebrigtsen
VFX supervisor:
Julian Vargas

Technical information

Genre:
Comedy
Contemporary Western
Format:
DCP 2k
Screen ratio:
1:2,39
Colour:
Colour
Length in min's:
89'
Language:
Norwegian
Subtitles:
English

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