Norsk filminstitutt

Two Norwegian audience favourites – a car racing comedy and musical animation  received production support from the Norwegian Film Institute

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Norwegian directors Hallvard Bræin’s car racing comedy Børning 3 and Rune Spaans’ musical-animated Two Buddies and a Badger 2 (Knutsen & Ludvigsen og Det Store Dyret) – both audience favourites at the local box-office – have both been supported by the Norwegian Film Institute. The Børning franchise staged by Oslo’s Filmkameratene cashed in €1.6 million (NOK 15 million) for its third part, while Oslo’s Tordenfilm can draw €0.7 million (NOK 7 million) state support for its No 2.

Starring Anders Baasmo Christiansen

Scripted by Kjetil Indregard, starring Børning regulars headed by Anders Baasmo Christiansen, adding Swedish, Danish and German actors, the third film in the Norwegian Børning action-comedy series will soon be ready to roll on a €6,1 million (NOK 60 million) budget.

Confrontation at Nürburgring race track

Again produced by John M Jacobsen, with Ellen Alveberg. for Oslo’s Filmkameratene, which instigated the franchise, Børning 3 is mainly set in Germany, still focusing on car racing – high speed, fierce competition, with an exciting confrontation at the famous Nürburgring race track.

 In 2014 Børning, the first Nordic car racing comedy in the Cannonball Run (1981) tradition, sent 26 drivers from Oslo to the North Cape; for the sequel the route went  from the Norwegian West Coast through Sweden and Finland to Murmansk in Russia.

Most popular Norwegian film in 2015

Cinematographer-turned-documentary director Hallvard Bræin’s first fiction film, Børning became the most popular Norwegian film 2015 (No 2 on the Top 10 charts from 381,648 admissions, also winning four Amanda national film prizes).

Norwegian producer John M Jacobsen had promised ”hot cars, unbelievable driving, comedy, charming characters and an engaging human background story” for Børning 2 sold 435,315 tickets in Norway, enough to become No 3 on the Top 10 charts 2016.

Two Buddies

Based on the work of almost 50 years by Norwegian famous duo Knutsen & Ludvigsen, Spaans’ first Two Buddies film, co-directed by Rasmus A Sivertsen – Two Buddies and a Badger (Knutsen & Ludvigsen og den fæle Rasputin) registered 224,000 admissions at the local cinemas in 2015.

The animated musical road movie, which won India’s Golden Elephant Trophy, was scripted by Øystein Dolmen, a member of the original duo, with Thomas Moldestad. They have also contributed the screenplay for the sequel, which Spaans will direct with Gunhild Enger, for Tordenfilm’s Ingunn Sundelin and Erik Vogel to produce. International sales will be handled by Sola Media. 

Living in a railway tunnel

Living in a railway tunnel, the Tootson and Ludiwood duo are facing a crisis, when they realise they could lose it, and only the legendary pirate Captain Knutsen can save it. The duo embarks on a major adventure to find him, still the rescue is close: it lives in the tunnel, has a hundred heads and at least 14 legs.

“I know that many parents took their children with them to the theatre and watch something they had grown up with, introducing a new generation to our work,” said Dolmen. The sequel of Two Buddies, which has also been launched as a board game, has a production budget of €2.5 million (NOK 24 million).