Inaugural Nordic Film Festival
The inaugural Nordic Film Festival begins in Melbourne at Cinema Nova on October 30, showcasing films from Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. The festival is a joint project of The Royal Danish Embassy, the Finnish Embassy, the Royal Norwegian Embassy and the Swedish Embassy in an effort to introduce a slice of Nordic culture to Australia, and will screen in Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra.
The festival opens with the Danish noir Flame and Citron from
director Ole Christian Madsen (Prague) stars Mads Mikkelsen (Casino Royale, After the
Wedding) and Thure Lindhart (Into the Wild) as two resistance fighters (described by the
Guardian as ‘a pair of patriotic loose cannons’) in Nazi occupied Copenhagen. One of the
biggest budget Danish films of all time and the biggest hit of the year, Flame and Citron is based on true events and has screened to great acclaim at Toronto, Telluride & London
International Film Festivals.
Sauna (Finland) from director AJ Annila (Bandidas) is a thrilling horror
film, bathing in Finnish Sauna culture in the murky zone between Christianity and paganism. A
hit of the Toronto Film Festival in 08 and a further 30 festivals since, Sauna approaches
themes such as sin, repentance and atonement – themes deeply rooted in the mythical
Finnish gloominess – via a genre that has until now been almost non-existent in Finnish
cinema.
Fresh from Toronto 09 is Norway’s biggest budget blockbuster of all time Max Manus, the
true story of the resistance fighter of the same name, who in spite of being one of the most
wanted men by the Gestapo in Norway, participated in some of the most daring attacks
during WWII.
Described by Variety as comparable to the work of the Coen Brothers and David Lynch is the
Danish black comedy Terribly Happy from Oscar® nominated director Henrik Ruben
Genz. Winner of 7 of the 2009 Danish Robert Awards (Danish Oscars) & the Grand Prix
Award at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, Terribly Happy follows Robert, a
Copenhagen cop who takes the job of constable in a small town to help him bury the
skeletons in his closet. However, village life and the macabre provincial order don’t quite fit
into his plans...Terribly Happy is Denmark’s official entry for the 2010 Academy Awards® Best Foreign Language Film nomination and the English language remake is in the pipeline
so get in quick and see the original!
From Sweden is the Golden Globe® nominated film Everlasting Moments by Oscar® nominated director Jan Troell (The Emigrants), a touching film about a working-class woman
in the hard days of early 1900’s Sweden who wins a camera in the lottery, allowing her to see
the world through new eyes. Once in a Lifetime, also from Sweden and directed by
Susanne Bier (After the Wedding, Open Hearts, Brothers), is a riotous romantic comedy
about Mona who is an assistant to handicapped David. When the song they secretly create is
accepted for the Eurovision Song Contest their lives are drastically altered.
Starring a who’s who of young Norwegian cinema, The Man Who Loved Yngve is a
warm, humorous ensemble drama and emotional coming out for 17 year old protagonist
Jarle. In Stavanger following the fall of the Berlin Wall Jarle and his mates are set to launch
the town’s toughest punk band when the new boy in class, Ynvge, turns Jarle’s world upside
down.
Finland’s entry to the 2009 Academy Awards, the sweet and touching drama The Home of
Dark Butterflies is based on the best-selling novel about 14yr old Juhani who, after a
traumatic childhood experience, ends up in a Boy’s Home on a strange island with barely any
other inhabitants.
For more information regarding tickets and screenings click here.