The largest Norwegian cultural initiative internationally ever culminates with Norway as a guest country at the Frankfurt Book Fair. Norwegian films are also an integral part of this presence.
2019 is the year when Norwegian culture became visible in Germany and around the world. First during the film festival in Berlin in February, where Norway was the focus country of the European Film Market and as the first focus country built its own house for the occasion. After that, Norway was the country in focus at Jazz Ahead in Bremen in April before Norway as a guest country will make its strong mark at the Frankfurt Book Fair now in October. Among other things, Crown Princess Mette Marit visits the book fair with her literary train, filled up with key Norwegian authors.
In the film field too, a lot of Norwegian is happening in Frankfurt.
"We are proud of the great Norwegian cultural initiative in Germany this year and are pleased that Norwegian films, series and film artists form such a large part of this initiative," says Stine Helgeland, Head of Department for Communications, Strategic Insight and International Relations in the Norwegian Film Institute. In particular, she highlights the good collaboration with the Film Museum in Frankfurt and the art cinema B3 as some of the reasons why Norwegian film gets such a prominent place in Frankfurt during the book fair.
Norwegian retrospective at the film museum
The German Film Museum is located in Frankfurt. It began its Norwegian screenings with a retrospective series of all Bent Hamer's feature films in September. And throughout October, the museum shows Norwegian films daily. These are films dating back to 1928 and up to the feature film Utøya July 22, from 2018. The films are curated by personnel at the museum with input from the Norwegian Film Institute. Among the titles shown are classics such as The Wayward Girl (Ung flukt) with a young Liv Ullmann in the lead role, Jakten and Betrayal (Løperjenten). In addition, newer films such as Telegrafisten, Junk Mail (Budbringeren, Oslo, August 31 and Utøya July 22 will be shown. There is also an international premiere, when Elsa Kvamme's documentary about 80-year-old Jan Erik Vold is shown outside Norway for the first time.
Norwegian program at art cinema - and Out stealing horses nominated
The Norwegian Oscar candidate Out Stealing Horses, who got a good audience turnout in Norwegian cinemas and is now premiering in both Denmark and Germany these days, also gets a lot of attention in Frankfurt during the book fair. The film opens a film program at the art cinema B3 Art Cinema with producer Turid Øversveen, as well as actors Jon Ranes and Sjur Vatne Brean present, and is joined by other recent Norwegian films such as Harajuku, Hurry Slowly, Blind Spot and the drama series Magnus. This art cinema program ends with an award ceremony where, amongst others, OutStealing Horses is nominated for an award for best adaptation. Present at this award ceremony is director and screenwriter Hans Petter Moland, actor Bjørn Floberg, producer Turid Øversveen and the writer whose novel the film is based on, Per Petterson.
Networking day
"A book is a movie is a game". This is something that has already been a much debated topic at the Berlin Film Festival for many years, and during the Frankfurt Book Fair there will be a separate Film Networking Day. Three Norwegian producers are invited to the event to build networks with international literary agents. The three are Kristin Emblem (Einar movie), Heidi Palm Sandberg (Qvisten Animation) and Ingvild Evjemo (4 ½ Fiction). On this network-building day, Turid Øversveen and Signe Pahle will also sit in the panel for the debate "The Revolution has begun" and the same day, Øversveen together with Out Stealing Horses director Hans Petter Moland will be interviewed in depth by the stage personality Syd Atlas from Books at Berlinale.
24 Norwegian short films at Museum Angewandte Kunst
Also on the occasion of Norway as a guest country at the book fair in Frankfurt, the entire Museum Angewandte Kunst has been made an exhibition area for Norwegian art, design, architecture, crafts - and film. Here, during the exhibition period between 11 October and 26 January 2020, 24 Norwegian short films will be shown.
Read more about the Norwegian presence in Museum Angewandte Kunst here:
https://www.museumangewandtekunst.de/en/visit/exhibitions/house-of-norway/