Norsk filminstitutt

Documentary film The Mum in Me
(Mammaen i meg)

The Mum in Me starts where other debates about the topic ends; when the dream about having a child just has to be set aside –  what then?     


The Mum in Me is a touching, brave and hyper relevant documentary about a taboo topic: What happens to a woman’s mind, her emotional life and her identity when she is hit by involuntary childlessness?   The director is the storyteller taking the audience on a challenging, but also humorous and heartwarming journey, together with three other childless women, showing that 15-25% of the population is childless. The documentary tells us why the need for children is so immense for so many, and how it shapes us as human beings when it does not materialize. Sorrow, desperation, and isolation is part of the everyday life for the involuntary childless. At the same time, this documentary is about reconciliation, alternative motherhood and newfound zest for life. Not many filmmakers dare to invite into such a vulnerable state of mind.  

Production and distribution

Production Year:
2022
Production country:
Norway
Release date (national):
2022-11-11
Production company:
Haugtussa Film
Co production company:
AmodeiVisual
Financing company:
Fritt Ord Foundation
Stiftelsen Damm
Fond for lyd og bilde
Sørnorsk Filmsenter
Bergesenstiftelsen
Executive producer:
Hilde Merete Haug
Producer:
Tore Killingland
Co producer:
Malene Oppheim

Director

  • Hilde Merete Haug

    Hilde Merete Haug (b. 1963) is originally educated as a social scientist and has worked with development aid for many years. Since 2012 she has worked as a documentary filmmaker. She has directed and produced two mid-length documentaries; Mother’s Faith, My Destiny, and God Cannot be Googled. Both have been screened and presented at several national and international festivals and some TV channels. The Mum in Me is Hilde's first feature documentary. The common thread in Hilde’s documentaries are topics that have immense significance in people’s lives but are taboo or not openly shared or debated in the public sphere. Hilde is now developing a visually powerful documentary on how the shifting flow of the river Brahmaputra in Bangladesh strongly influences the life of the inhabitants in the area, and the songs and music created there. Hilde is the founder of Haugtussa Film.  

    Hilde Merete Haug

Awards

2022:
Nordic/Docs
Audience Award
2023:
BIFF - Bergen International Film Festival
Best Norwegian Documentary
2023:
Pembroke Taparelli Art & Film Festival
Best International Feature Award

Festivals

2022:
Nordic/Docs
2023:
Human International Documentary Film Festival
2023:
The Norwegian Documentary Film Festival
2023:
BIFF - Bergen International Film Festival
2023:
Pembroke Taparelli Art & Film Festival

Crew

Director:
Hilde Merete Haug
Screenplay:
Hilde Merete Haug
Editor:
Jonas C. E. Kiplesund
Thomas Hasselstrøm
Mathilde Fridlund
Margrete Vinnem
Composer:
Anna Nilsson
Sound Design:
Eirik Mordal
Sound Recording:
Lars Erlend Tubaas Øymo
Still photographer:
Lars Erlend Tubaas Øymo
Cinematographer:
Lars Erlend Tubaas Øymo

Technical information

Format:
DCP 2k
Screen ratio:
16:9
Colour:
Colour
Sound format:
Stereo 5.1
Length in min's:
83'
Language:
Norwegian
Swedish
English
Subtitles:
English

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