Norsk filminstitutt

The elk hunt has always had a sacred aura to the people in Engerdal, a small village in Norway. The hunt for the biggest animal in the forest brings the hunters closer together and creates the annual main event in the village. Sigrid is moving back home after studies in Oslo. She is hunting together with her father, but she is not sure if she wants to shoot the beautiful animal. Halvard and Nelly are seasoned hunters facing other challenges. The Elk Forest is an intimate story, exploring the need to feel belonging in a fragile, shrinking community.  


The elk hunt has always had a sacred aura to the people living in Engerdal, a small village in Norway. The hunt for the biggest animal in the forest brings the hunters closer to each other, and creates the yearly main event in the village.  Sigrid has hunted elk for years, but is still not sure if she actually wants to shoot the beautiful animal.  She’s hunting with her father, Geir, who is faithfully doing everything he can to facilitate for his daughter’s first kill. Sigrid is moving home after studies in Oslo, hoping to be able to combine life as a professional folk-musician with the life close to nature in her home village. 

Halvard has hunted for a lifetime. He is starting to feel his body ageing, but it will take a lot of him to put his rifle away for good. Giving up the hunt is a bit like letting go of a part of yourself. 

Nelly was one of the first female hunters in the village. Now she has prosthesis in both of her knees, and can barely walk, but declares that “as long as the will to hunt is greater than my wits, I will continue to hunt”.

The Elk Forest is an intimate and warm story, exploring the need to feel a sense of belonging in a fragile, shrinking community.   

Production and distribution

Production Year:
2020
Production country:
Norway
Release date (national):
2021-03-02
Production company:
Motlys A/S
Co production company:
Trad Film AS
Financing company:
Norwegian Film Institute
Producer:
Sigve Endresen
Co producer:
Sven Arild Storberget
Film consultant:
Eirin Gjørv

Director

  • Ane Helga Lykka

    Ane (b. 1986) grew up in the small village Engerdal deep inside the forests of Eastern Norway. She has studied social antropology at Oslo University, and documentary film at European Film College in Denmark and ZeLIG school for documentary, television and new media in Italy. Since 2013 she has worked as a director and editor in TV. Her graduation film Anderswo was screened at Trento Filmfest, Bozner filmtage and RAI Südtirol.   

    Ane Helga Lykka

Crew

Director:
Ane Helga Lykka
Cinematographer:
Espen Øyen
Alvilde Horjen Naterstad
Editor:
Lisa Ekberg
Composer:
Ola Kvernberg
Sound Design:
Mats Lid Støten
Other Music:
Sigrid Stubsveen

Technical information

Format:
DCP 2k
Screen ratio:
16:9
Colour:
Colour
Sound format:
Stereo 5.1
Length in min's:
58'
Language:
Norwegian
Subtitles:
English

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