Norwegian Film Autumn with 16 new features  

“The season's great variety of films for all audiences, made by directors at different stages of their careers, shows that we have a strong range of talented filmmakers, whose works we will now be able to experience,” said ceo Sindre Guldvog, of the Norwegian Film Institute, when he opened the introduction of the Norwegian autumn repertoire at Oslo’s Film House.

 “The 16 premieres scheduled for the coming months include eight dramas, four family features, one disaster movie, one thriller, one adventure film and one documentary - one was stop motion, three were animated films,” he added. The themes range from a mega-earthquake in Oslo and a voyage to the moon to family crises and a teacher-student love affair; from the fates of youngsters and refugees to troll adventures and a biopic of Norwegian skating star and actress Sonja Henie. Children’s and family features are strongly represented.

 “For us as an audience, it is very nice that we can watch movies and shows on many different platforms, when and where we want. But for feature and documentary films, the cinema is still the most important meeting place between a film and its audience. Here the viewing conditions are optimal, we enjoy good movies in common and we can have discussions about them on the way out.”

 “During the first half of 2018, the Norwegian cinemas sold almost 5.5 million tickets – 1.4 million, or 25.2%, were for local films. So we are sure we will have very good overall visit to Norwegian films this year,” he concluded, before feature film and drama series consultant Silje Riise Næss took over the presentation with representatives from each of the 16 productions.

 
The Norwegian Film Autumn 2018

Casper and Emma`s Treasure Hunt

(Karsten og Petra – på skattejakt)

Family feature. 80mins. Dirs: Aurora Gossé, Arne Lindtner Næss Scr: Birgitte Bratseth (based on the books by Tor Åge Bringsværd and Anne G Holt. Prod: Silje Hopland Eik, for Cinenord Kidstory. Cast: Oliver Dahl, Alba Ørbeck-Nilssen, Janne Formoe, Ivar Nørve, Hilde Lyrån, Markus Tønseth, Anna Celine Bredal, Sigrun Enge. Release: 10. august 2018. Local distr: SF Studios. Int sales: SF International (Stockholm)

- Casper spands the summer holiday with Petra’s family on an island in southern Norway, and on the beach they find a box which her grandfather and his best friend dug down when they were boys. The contents send them on a treasure hunt, where they learn about life in the old days – an a big surprise is waiting for them.

Blind Spot

(Blindsone)

Drama. 100 min. Dir/Scr:  Tuva Novotny. Cast: Pia Tjelta, Anders Baasmo Christiansen, Nora Mathea Øien, Oddgeir Thune, Per Frisch, Teodor Barsnes-Simonsen, Marianne Krogh. Prod: Elisabeth Kvithylll, for Nordisk Film Production. Release: 24. august 2018. Local distr: Nordisk Film Distribusjon. Intl sales: TrustNordisk (Copenhagen)

- A story of a gray area in a psychiatric disease, which is difficult to observe: a mother must fight to understand that her daughter has much worse problems she has realised till now. The daughter’s crisis affects the entire family.

The Quake

(Skjelvet)

Disaster drama. 110 min. Dir: John Andreas Andersen. Scr: Harald Rosenløw Eeg, John Kåre Raake. Cast:  Kristoffer Joner, Ane Dahl Torp, Edith Haagenrud-Sande, Kathrine Thorborg Johansen, Jonas Hoff Oftebro. Prod:  Martin Sundland, for Fantefilm Fiksjon. Local distr: Nordisk Film Distribusjon. Intl sales TrustNordisk (Copenhagen)

- In 1904 an earthquake (5.4 on the Richter scale) hit Oslo and the surrounding areas – it had its epicenter in Oslo-Graben that crosses through the capital. What if a significantly larger earthquake is waiting now, when the infrastructure and population densities are considerably more vulnerable today than in 1904.

Louis and Luca - Mission to the Moon 

(Månelyst i Flåklypa)

Animated family feature. 75  mins. Dir: Rasmus A. Sivertsen. Scr: Karsten Fullu (based on Kjell Aukrust’s universe). Cast: Kari-Ann Grønsund, Trond Høvik, Per Skjølsvik, Fridtjov Såheim, Kåre Conradi, John Brungot, Bjarte Hjelmeland. Prods: Synnøve Hørsdal, Cornelia Boysen, for Maipo Film (with Qvisten Animation, Kari and Kjell Aukrust’s Foundation. Release: 21 September. Local distr: Nordisk Film Distribusjon. Intl sales: Sola Media (Stuttgart)

- The last chapter of the stop-motion trilogy follows Norway’s participation in the international moon race, led by Reodor, the inventor, from Flåklypa, with Solan as the brave astronaut and Ludvig among the. Crew. But with secret passengers and hidden agendas, nothing seems to go right after the plan.

As I Fall

(Når jeg faller)

Drama. 94 mins. Dir: Magnus Meyer Arnesen. Scr: Magnus Meyer Arnesen, Kristian Landmark. Cast: Preben Hodneland, Marius Aandal Pedersen, Alexandra Gjerpen, Vidar Sandem, Morten Svartveit, Trine Wiggen, Kjærsti Oden Skjeldal, Selome Emnetu, Ola G Furuseth, Ingeborg Sundrehagen Raustøl. Prods: Jan Lindvik, Gyda Velvin Myklebust, for The Norwegian Film School. Release: 21. September. Local distr: SF Studios. Intl sales: tba

- On the verge of a breakdown, 25-year-old Joachim struggles to manage a heroin addiction. He hates the drug and the control it has over him, but it removes his pain - his loneliness.  One day he gets an unexpected call from his ex-girlfriend, Maria, who begs him to take care of their five-year-old son, Lukas, until she’s released. Joachim hasn’t seen Lukas since he was born, but without much of a choice he agrees. And to his own surprise he wants to keep him – he wants to become a responsible man. A sober man. A father.

Battle

Drama. 97mins. Dir: Katarina Launing. Scr: Maja Lunde, (with Karsten Fullu). Cast: Lisa Teige, Fabian Svegaard Tapia, Vebjørn Enger, Charlott Madeleine Utzig. Prods: Pål Røed, Christian Fredrik Martin, Frederick Howard, for Friland Produksjon and Storm Films. Release: 28 September. Local distr: Nordisk Film Distribusjon. Intl sales: tba

- Double life, dance and love: Amalie is an upper-class girl who has everything: looks, money, a handsome boyfriend and a big dance talent. But life is turned upside down, when her father goes bankrupt. Amalie tries to pretend nothing has happened. One day she meets Mikael, a hip hop dancer and the best to battle - completely different from everything she has ever known. For the first time Amalie must really dare to trust her own feelings, dare to break rules, and dare to show the world who she really is.

The Men`s Choir

(For vi er gutta)

Documentary. 75mins. Dirs/Scr: Petter Sommer, Jo Vemund Svendsen. Cast: Mannskoret. Prods: Kari Anne Moe, Gudmundur Gunnarsson, for Fuglene. Release date: 28 September. Local distr: Norsk Filmdistribusjon, Intl sales: Wide House (Paris)

Every Tuesday, 25 friends meet to drink beer, tell jokes and sing rock and punk at Oslo’s Kampen Bistro in Oslo. The Men’s Choire (as they sometimes call themselves) has now been asked to warm up for a Black Sabbath concert in front of 10,000 people, and suddenly the brotherhood becomes more important than ever: one of the guys is fatally ill and may not end the concert. Their promise to sing at each other's funerals has suddenly become serious.

An Affair

(En affære)

Thriller. 93mins. Dir/Scr: Henrik Martin Dahlsbakken. Cast: Andrea Bræin Hovig, Tarjei Sandvik Moe, Anneke von der Lippe, Carsten Bjørnlund, Agnes Kittelsen. Prod: Dahlsbakken, for Filmbros Europe. Release date: 5 October. Local distr: SF Studios. Intl sales: SF International Sales (Stockholm)

- At the beginning of a new school year, a newly-appointed high school teacher feels the she is being followed whereever she goes, and she discovers that one of her own students is obsessed with her. A dangerous game between teacher and student.

Phoenix

(Føniks)

Drama. 90mins. Dir/Scr: Camilla Strøm Henriksen. Cast: Ylva Bjørkaas Thedin, Casper Falck-Løvås, Maria Bonnevie, Sverrir Gudnason. Prod: Gudny Hummelvoll, for Hummelfilm. Release date: 12 October. Local distr: Euforia Film. Intl sales: tba

From she was very young, Jill has been the responbile adult in her small family, caring for her mentally unstable mother and her younger brother. The news that their estranged father will be visiting gives the children much-needed hope, and when the family is struck by tragedy, Jill keeps it a secret.

Cattle Hill

(Kutoppen)

Animated family feature. 62mins. Dir: Lise Osvoll. Scr: Anne Elvedal. Cast:  Henriette Faye Schøll, Fridtjov Såheim, Bjarte Tjøstheim, Jan Martin Johnsen, Mats Eldøen, Sigrid Bonde Tusvik, Marita A Andreassen, Charlotte Frogner, Fredrik Steen. Prods: Ingvild Evjemo, Anja Nicolas, for Qvisten Animation, with Kristiansand Dyrepark. Release date: 19 October. Local distr: Nordisk Film Distribusjon. Intl sales: tba

- Klara is a young city calf with a big dream of becoming a star. One day she is invited to visit her father Mosk the ox, at his farm Kutoppen, whom she has not seen for many years. Her mother has told her that he is a rock star, but when she arrives she finds out he is an ordinary peasant who is about to lose his farm.

Congo

(Mordene i Kongo)

Drama. 120mins. Dir: Marius Holst. Scr: Nikolaj Frobenius, Stephen Uhlande. Cast: Aksel Hennie, Tobias Santelmann. Prods: Christian Fredrik Martin, Asle Vatn, for Friland Produksjon. Release date: 26 October. Local distr: Nordisk Film Distribusjon. Intl sales: TrustNordisk (Copenhagen)

- Based on the socalled Congo-case in 2009, when two Norwegians, Joshua French and Tjostolv Moland, lost their hired driver during a trip in eastern Congo. Arrested by the police and sentenced to death for espionage and the murder of the driver, they caused a diplomatic crisis, where the Norwegian government was accused of sending them to Congo to spy on the Congolese state.

Benjamin Falck and the Ghost Dagger

(Benjamin Falck og dødsdolken)

Adventure. 95mins. Dir/Scr: Martin Sofiedal. Cast:

Fredrik Skogsrud, Caroline Glomnes, Hamid Karimi, Henrik Plau, Carl Filip Stav Amundsen, Trond Fausa Aurvåg, John Smoth Kabashi. Prods: Sofiedal, Øyvind Runestad, Julie Helene Mjåvatn, for Benjamin Falck Film. Release date: October 2018. Local distr: SF Studios. Intl sales: tba

Benjamin is a dreamy and incredibly eager, but unfortunately unfortunate treasure hunter, and his career-conscious girlfriend Jenny begins to get bored. He is about to give up everything, when he receives a message leading the way to find the legendary "death sentence", an ancient weapon belonging to a feared pirate who died in Mallorca in 1561. Still - some treasures are not meant to be found.

The Tower

(Tårnet)

Animaion. 80mins. Dir/Scr: Mats Grorud. Cast: Romina Adl Kasravi, Michalis Koutsogiannakis, Mohammed Bakri, Najila Said, Morad Hassan, Aissa Maiga, Hana Chamoun, Kardo Razzazi. Prod: Frode Søbstad, for Tenk.tv. Release date: 2 November. Local distr: Europafilm. Intl sales: Jour2Fête (Paris)

- Based on true stories of Palestinian refugees in a Lebanese Camp, the film follows an 11-year-old girl, Wardi, already a 4th generation refugee. Her dying great-grandfather tells that ”to find your future you must look at your past.” So Wajda begins journey up The Tower, through the different floors and generations of her family. For every new generation there is a new story to be told.

Harajuku

Drama. 82mins. Dir: Eirik Svensson. Scr: Sebastian Torngren Wartin. Cast: Ines Høysæter Asserson, Nicolai Cleve Broch. Prods: Synnøve Hørsdal, Cornelia Boysen, for Maipo Film. Release date: 9 November. Local distr:  Nordisk Film Distribusjon. Intl sales: Charades (Paris)

-It is the a before Christmas Eve at Oslo Central Station, where 15-year-old Vilde – purple hair, heavy make-up – is spending time with her friends. After her mother has had an accident, she has had to contact her biological father, and with a single ticket to Tokyo she is aboot to meet him for the first time.

Sonja - The White Swan

(Sonja)

Drama. 100mins. Dir: Anne Sewitsky. Scr: Mette M Bølstad, Andreas Markusson. Cast: Ine Marie Wilmann. Prods: Synnøve Hørsdal, Cornelia Boysen, for Maipo Film. Release date: 25 December. Local distr: Nordisk Film Distribusjon,. Intl sales: TrustNordisk (Copenhagen)

- In 1936, 24-year-old Sonja Henie – already thenone of the world's greatest athletes, the inventor of modern figure skating -  decides to go to Hollywood to become a movie star. Her first performance becomes the selling the best-selling film in the word.  In 1956 she lies on the ice in Rio – everything is lost for a remarkable, iconic person who sacrificed everything to stay in the spotlight. Was it worth it?

Troll - The Tale of a Tail

(Troll – Kongens hale)

Animated family feature. 85mins. Dirs: Kristian Kamp, Kevin Munroe. Scr: Jørn Kolsrud, Kristian Kamp, Jonny Westernes, Johnny Carlsen, Kevin Munroe. Cast: tba.  Prods: Jean Aubert, Claudio Castravelli, Kamp, Kolsrud, for Sagatoon. Release date: 25 December. Local distr: SF Studios. Intl sales: Global Genesis Group (US), Timeless Films (UK)

- King Grom, of the Ervod troll valley, has been tricked into a trap and become a rock in the sun by Grimmer, his cousin, who wants to take power and is about to control the valley. The king’s son Trym hopes to save both his father and Ervod, but first he must find his father’s lost troll tail. So with the troll girl Freia and the two-headed troll Jutul, he embarks on a dangerous journey in the forbidden forest.