Norsk filminstitutt

 Songs of Earth is a majestic symphony for the big screen. 

With Olin's 85-year-old father as a guide, we experience Norway's most scenic valley, Oldedalen in Nordfjord. This is where he grew up and where generations before him have lived in balance with nature. Majestic images of wild mountains, calving glaciers, and bustling wildlife go side by side with the parents' stories about the generations who trod the trails, the relationship we have with nature, and what is valuable in life. The music is composed of unique sound recordings – nature's own melodies, translated and performed by the London Contemporary Orchestra.  

Production and distribution

Production Year:
2023
Production country:
Norway
Co production country:
UK
Release date (national):
2023-09-01
Release date (international):
2023-03-18
Production company:
Speranza Film AS
Co production company:
BBC Storyville
Financing company:
Norwegian Film Institute
Executive producer:
Wim Wenders
Liv Ullmann
Producer:
Margreth Olin
Film consultant:
Klara Nilsson Grunning
Sales agent:
Cinephil - Distribution & Co-Productions

Director

  • Margreth Olin

    Margreth Olin (b. 1970) studied media and mass communication at the University of Bergen and the University of Oslo, and media, journalism, and documentary filmmaking at Volda University College. She made her debut as a documentary filmmaker with her graduation film In the House of Love in 1994. 

    Her first feature-length documentary, In the House of Angels (1998), garnered Olin (among several other awards) her first National Film Award Amanda for Best Documentary in 1999. She has since written and directed several award-winning documentaries, including My Body (2002) and the feature-length documentaries Raw Youth (2004), Nowhere Home (2012), and Self Portrait (2020). Among many other awards and accolades, My Body won Olin her second Amanda for Best Documentary in 2002, while Raw Youth was nominated for the same award, as well as for the European Film Awards in 2005. Both Nowhere Home and Self Portrait won the Amanda for Best Documentary,   

    Olin has also directed fiction films, making her debut in this field with the short film Gluttony, as part of the portmanteau film The Seven Deadly Sins in 2000. Her first feature fiction film, The Angel, premiered in 2009 and was another tour de force from Olin, winning over the critics, audience and award-juries alike. The highly acclaimed drama was also selected as the Norwegian candidate for the 2010 Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film.    

    Olin is the managing director of Norwegian production company Speranza Film AS, producing shorts, feature films, and television series. She is also a highly sought-after lecturer, both in Norway and abroad, often focusing on topics from her films, and techniques of storytelling.  

    Margreth Olin

Awards

2023:
Nordic/Docs
Best Cinematography in a Documentary Feature

Festivals

2023:
CPH:DOX
2023:
Trento Film Festival
2023:
Krakow Film Festival
2023:
New Horizons International Film Festival
2023:
DokuFest - International Documentary and Short Film Festival Kosovo
2023:
Sarajevo Film Festival
2023:
MakeDox Creative Documentary Film Festival
2023:
The Norwegian International Film Festival Haugesund
2023:
Herceg Novi Montenegro Film Festival
2023:
Toronto International Film Festival
2023:
Nordisk Panorama
2023:
Nordic/Docs
2023:
Hamptons International Film Festival
2023:
Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival
2023:
Festival International du Film de la Roche-sur-Yon
2023:
Cambridge Film Festival
2023:
Nordic Film Days Lübeck
2023:
Denver Film Festival
2023:
Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival
2023:
IDFA - International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam
2023:
DOC NYC
2023:
Cork International Film Festival
2023:
European Film Forum Scanorama
2023:
LIFFe - Ljubljana International Film Festival
2023:
Verzio International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival
2023:
Cork International Film Festival
2023:
Auteur Film Festival
2024:
Palm Springs International Film Festival
2024:
TIFF - Tromsø International Film Festival
2024:
DocPoint - Helsinki Documentary Film Festival
2024:
Antenna Documentary Festival
2024:
Thessaloniki International Documentary Film Festival

Crew

Director:
Margreth Olin
Screenplay:
Margreth Olin
Cinematographer:
Lars Erlend Tubaas Øymo
Editor:
Michal Leszczylowski
Sound Design:
Tormod Ringnes
Composer:
Rebekka Karijord

Technical information

Format:
DCP 4k
Colour:
Colour
Length in min's:
90'
Language:
Norwegian
Subtitles:
English

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