Film fra Nord / Films from the North

Film fra Nord

FILMS FROM THE NORTH

Film fra Nord presenterer de beste nye kort- dokumentar- og spillefilmene fra nordområdene, med filmer fra det nordlige Norge, Sverige, Finland, Russland, Canada, Grønland og Island. Slik vi i de andre programmene viser perler fra hele verden, viser vi her det beste fra vår egen utvidede nærregion. Tromsøpalmen gis til beste kortfilm i konkurranse.

Films from the North presents the best of new shorts, documentaries and feature films made in the Barents region and other polar areas. In our other sidebars we present highlights from all parts of the world; this sidebar showcases the best of the High North. The Tromsø Palm Award is presented to the best short film in competition.

2020 PROGRAM

Opening Night

Shorts in Competition

Documentaries in Competition

Overdrive

Young Directors / Student Films

Features

(p. 103)

(p. 104)

(p. 109)

(p. 113)

(p. 114)

(p. 117)

EVERYTHING THAT COULD HAVE BEEN

ALT SOM KUNNE HA VÆRT

NORWAY 2020 DIRECTOR: Trond Kvig Andreassen CINEMATOGRAPHY: Audun Fjeldheim CAST: Magnus Eliassen RUNNING TIME: 55m PRODUCERS: Tom Marius Kittilsen, Knut Inge Solbu SOURCE: Fenomen TV Film & Scene DIALOGUE: Norwegian

I 2014 flyttet Magnus Eliassen til Lofoten for å skrive ny musikk. Etter flere suksessrike år med Sirkus Eliassen hadde han behov for å gjenfinne seg selv. Flykte fra forventninger og virkelighet. Etter ukevis i Lofoten reiser han til Los Angeles for å produsere plata med produsenten Nasty Kutt. Sparsomme låter fra kassegitaren begynner å høres ut som hits.

Filmskaper Trond Kvig Andreassen fulgte Magnus på hele reisen. Vi får på nært hold følge med på den innbitte kreative prosessen hans. Men etter Los Angeles ble det bare stille. Det kom aldri noen ny musikk. Hva var det egentlig som skjedde på den musikalske reisen? Og hvorfor ble det stille fra Magnus? Nå, fem år etter ukene i Lofoten kommer endelig musikken fra havgapet og LA ut. Magnus skal holde sin første konsert på mange år. alt som kunne ha vært er en stilfull livsskildring om forventninger, flukt og selvrealisering.

In 2014 musician Magnus Eliassen moved to a remote island in Lofoten, in the north of Norway. After several succesful years with his band Sirkus Eliassen he needed to re-connect with himself. Run away from expectations and reality. After weeks on his own in Lofoten he travels to Los Angeles to record his new album with producer Nasty Kutt. Modest songs written on his acoustic guitar are starting to sound like hits.

Filmmaker Trond Kvig Andreassen followed Magnus on this journey. Up close and personal we get to take part in his determined creative process. But after Los Angeles everything went quiet. The new music never surfaced. What actually happened on this musical journey, and why did Magnus decide to disappear yet again? Now, five years after those weeks in Lofoten the music is coming out as Magnus prepares to do his first concert in many years. everything that could have been is a coming of age story about expectations, escape and self-realization.

REGISSØREN

Trond Kvig Andreassen (f. 1986) er en prisvinnende filmskaper fra Bodø. Hans filmer har blitt vist på festivaler verden over samt på TV. Han har også laget flere musikkvideoer, blant annet for artister som Kråkesølv og Sondre Justad. Flere av hans tidligere filmer har vært vist på TIFF, senest SIX DEGREES i 2015 og NABOER på TIFF 2018.

THE DIRECTOR

Trond Kvig Andreassen (b. 1986) is an award-winning filmmaker from Bodø, Norway. His films have been screened at festivals all around the world as well as on television. He’s also directed music videoes for acts such as Kråkesølv and Sondre Justad. Several of his previous films have been screened at TIFF, most recently SIX DEGRESS in 2015 and NEIGHBOURS which was screened at TIFF 2018.

FILMOGRAPHY (UTVALG/SELECTION):

2018 NEIGHBOURS 2015 SIX DEGREES 2013 GROWING HOME 2012 REALITY REFUGEE

FFN - Shorts 1

SHORT FILMS IN COMPETITION

SILENCE OF THE FISH ÞÖGN SILUNGSINS

ICELAND, DENMARK, GERMANY 2019 DIRECTOR: Hilke Rönnfeldt PRODUCER: Anna Sæunn Ólafsdóttir RUNNING TIME: 19m

Teenager Saga lives with her mother Hildur on a remote trout farm in the Icelandic fjords. Summer has come to an end and, as the days become colder and darker, Saga observes her mother drifting deeper into her own darkness.

POOLBOY

NORWAY 2019 DIRECTOR: Margareta F. A. Orkan PRODUCERS: Hanna Suni, Margareta F. A. Orkan, Rasmus Eilertsen Bergli RUNNING TIME: 8m

A young lifeguard, Mikael, at the end of the day is closing the pool when a woman suddenly appears. She asks for a few extra minutes to swim and after some persuasion, Mikael agrees. When her time is up, she refuses to get out of the pool. She pulls him into the water and starts running her hands across his body. Mikael must now confront, or give in to the situation.

ROADS VÄGAR

SWEDEN 2019 DIRECTOR: Bo Johan Sörensen PRODUCER: Bo Johan Sörensen RUNNING TIME: 12m

Two childhood friends who have not seen each other for a long time meet again. One moved to the big city, one stayed behind. During a car ride they discover that perhaps they have drifted too far apart to still remain friends.

ROUND 0

ICELAND, ITALY 2019 DIRECTOR: Sonia Ladidà Schiavone PRODUCER: Sonia Ladidà Schiavone RUNNING TIME: 19m

Kolbeinn and his friends are young Icelandic boxers, training for the Nordic Championship. A serious accident risks compromising their future, both as boxers and men.

WHAT IF YOU DANCED HVA OM DU HADDE DANSET

NORWAY 2020 DIRECTORS: Laurens Perol, Fredrik Johansen PRODUCERS: Fredrik Johansen, Laurens Perol RUNNING TIME: 20m

Despite being a couple, Sturla and Alma lead quite different lives. Sturla is restless after finishing his studies in Oslo, while Alma is enjoying care-free days in Lofoten. When Sturla comes to visit, it becomes clear to both of them that the distance between them has not just been geographical. When is it too late to re-connect with one another?

AWAITING DEATH I VÄNTAN PÅ DÖDEN

SWEDEN 2019 DIRECTOR: Lars Vega PRODUCER: Isabelle Björklund RUNNING TIME: 12m

A son arrives at the hospital to watch over his father’s death bed. When the son wants one last nice moment, his father would rather find out what to do with the two opened cans of mustard.

FFN - Shorts 2

SHORT FILMS IN COMPETITION

IVO

NORWAY 2019 DIRECTOR: Christina Lande PRODUCER: Mona Steffensen RUNNING TIME: 18m

Iben, a sixty-four-year-old school teacher lives alone with her dog Ivo in a small coastal community in Lofoten, Norway. She’s always felt like an outsider in the village, and life doesn’t get any easier when one of her students claim he’s been bitten by her dog.

AWARENESS

FINLAND 2019 DIRECTOR: Arttu Nieminen PRODUCER: Arttu Nieminen RUNNING TIME: 4m

A neurocinematic dive into surreal prophecy, where awareness of mankind reaches to the heavens.

PERHAPS IT’S A BEGINNING DET KANSKE ÄR EN BÖRJAN

SWEDEN 2019 DIRECTOR: Rasmus West PRODUCER: Clara West RUNNING TIME: 28m

Malin is on her way home for her father’s 70th birthday party. Their relationship has always been tense, so she is anxious, but with hopes of reconciliation. When she discovers that the party has been organized by a friend of her father, who does not know she is coming, she escapes the uncomfortable situation. But neither Malin or her father can let go of the feelings that arise.

THE TONGUES TUNGENE

NORWAY 2019 DIRECTOR: Marja Bål Nango PRODUCER: Elisa Fernanda Pirir RUNNING TIME: 15m

During a blizzard on the tundra, a Sámi woman is herding her reindeer when she is raped by a man. Her sister who is far away senses that something is wrong and starts looking for her. Wrapped in fear and confusion, both women will unite in their fight for revenge.

HUMAN HABITAT

NORWAY 2019 DIRECTOR: Flavia Devonas PRODUCER: Aleksander Olai Korsnes RUNNING TIME: 9m

human habitat has its origin in the clash between untouched nature and growing industry in the Arctic, and explores the oscillation between human resistibility and fragility. A female dancer, who represents mankind, takes us on an associative, non-narrative journey from a sustainable to a destructive way of life and reminds us of the fact that all our individual actions are knitted together on a global level.

DOVETAIL NÝR DAGUR Í EYJAFIRÐI

ICELAND 2018 DIRECTOR: Magnús Leifsson PRODUCER: Lárus Jónsson RUNNING TIME: 14m

Aron, a man in his forties, has become trapped in a life that no longer properly fits him. In search of serenity, he imitates male stereotypes and dives into all the clichés of the material world. However, underneath all the success and the perfect appearance, lies something tragic and unexpected.

FFN - Shorts 3

SHORT FILMS IN COMPETITION

ORIGIN OF MAN MENNESKETS OPPRINNELSE

NORWAY, SWEDEN 2019 DIRECTOR: Pjotr Sapegin PRODUCER: Merete Korsberg RUNNING TIME: 13m

origin of man tells the story about how humans are immigrants from another place, a planet square as a box. When a hostile creature threatens the planet, the denizens had to evacuate, leaving their identities and memories behind. Without any recollection of their past they have become restless, always searching for something without knowing what it is. They no longer remember the square planet, but keep building square boxes here on earth.

TOP 3 TOPP 3

SWEDEN 2019 DIRECTOR: Sofie Edvardsson PRODUCER: Simon Österhof RUNNING TIME: 44m

In this funny, bittersweet romantic animated comedy from the north of Sweden, perpetual list-maker Anton falls in love with David. But things start to go wrong when Anton realizes that his dreams in life might be in direct opposition to David’s.

FFN - Doc 1

DOCUMENTARIES IN COMPETITION

UNTITLED (BURNED RUBBER ON ASPHALT, 2018)

FINLAND 2019 DIRECTOR: Tinja Ruusuvuori PRODUCER: Marja Pihlaja RUNNING TIME: 20m

In a remote Norwegian village the weaving roads have become the subject of controversy. Assuming the role of detective, the documentary investigates the bewildering phenomena of car skid marks and their mysterious appearance. Winding, looping, curving, the hypnotising patterns reveal unexpected frictions in the village. Some brand the skid marks as an irresponsible and dangerous act, while others view the mesmerizing marks as a form of art.

HEROES

FINLAND, USA 2019 DIRECTOR: Karoliina Paatos PRODUCER: Karoliina Paatos RUNNING TIME: 7m

The American West has been the home of many countercultures. Gay rodeo is one of them. Still marginal and little known even among the gay community it contradicts the prevailing idea of the cowboy, which does not include different roles or sexual identities. It was born out of discrimination in the 1970’s but became a chosen family for many who do not feel at home in regular rodeos and whose families still do not accept their sexual identities.

WANDERING IN THE WHITE VAELTAJAT

FINLAND 2019 DIRECTOR: Otto Heikola PRODUCER: Valtteri Munkki RUNNING TIME: 28m

Two top orienteers from decades past travel to Lapland to set out on a four-day skiing expedition. But when the couple is struck by a blinding snowstorm in the wilderness, they are forced to make tough choices in life-threatening circumstances. The once safe and familiar trip turns into an impossible navigational task: which direction is the right one and how to find home when you can’t tell earth from sky?

MY GAZA ONLINE

NORWAY, PALESTINE 2019 DIRECTOR: Mohamed Jabaly PRODUCER: Mohamed Jabaly RUNNING TIME: 22m

Over the course of five years, Palestinian director Mohamed Jabaly has been distant from his family and friends while living in the far north of Norway. Now the internet has become the only way to communicate with them, but it is difficult and challenging due to the situation in Gaza.

FFN - Doc 2

DOCUMENTARIES IN COMPETITION

THROUGH DARKNESS

NORWAY 2019 DIRECTORS: Melissa Brandner, Manuela Mandl PRODUCER: Melissa Brandner RUNNING TIME: 22m

High up in the northern part of Norway, above the Arctic Cirle, five young snowboarders are out in the mountains during the polar night. Immersed in darkness, we join their journey to find the light within the dark, both physically and mentally.

STEKENJOKK AND THE GUARDIANS OF THE EGGS STEKENJOKK OCH ÄGGVAKTARNA

SWEDEN 2019 DIRECTORS: Alexander Rynéus, Per Bifrost PRODUCER: Malla Grapengiesser RUNNING TIME: 29m

In Swedens windiest place, the valley of Stekenjokk, rare birds try to breed while their eggs are threaten by poachers. Two dedicated guards are always on duty to ensure that the eggs are safe. A real life detective drama set in a bird watching environment!

PULLING IN THE BELT RIBADIT

NORWAY 2019 DIRECTOR: Elle Sofe Sara PRODUCER: Elle Sofe Sara RUNNING TIME: 9m

Ribadit (to pull in the belt) was a tradition in the Sami village Guovdageaidnu. In this film we meet two elders who have experienced this. Director Elle Sofe gives this old tradition new life in an unexpected way, together with Sami youth and dancers.

INTO THE DARK

NORWAY, USA 2019 DIRECTOR: Michael Snyder PRODUCERS: Eli Kintisch, Michael Snyder RUNNING TIME: 28m

Battling subzero temperatures and forty-foot seas, a team of scientists embark on a perilous winter expedition into the darkest regions of the Arctic. Their mission: to understand how trace amounts of light may be radically altering the mysterious world of the polar night. What they discover has implications for the global climate and the future of the Arctic.

FFN - Doc 3

DOCUMENTARY IN COMPETITION

NORTH

FRANCE 2019 DIRECTOR: Leslie Lagier PRODUCER: Nicolas Brevière RUNNING TIME: 49m

People in the Yukon, in the far northwest of Canada, live in a vast and breathtaking mountain landscape, where winters are cold and long, and summers short. A few decades ago, people from all over the world would come to earn money in this prosperous mining area. Now, most mines are closed down, and the landscape looks abandoned and violated.

NORTH tells the story of this Canadian territory in a poetic but nonetheless confronting way. We hear the memories and stories of the former mine workers, and of the original and current inhabitants of the area. They tell of the craving for freedom and the fever for gold, and the consequences both can have. Together, they form the story of an intimate but ultimately destructive relationship between humans and the natural world. Innbyggerne i Yukon, høyt oppe i det nordvestlige Canada, bor i kolossalt og overveldende vakkert fjellandskap, hvor vinteren er lang og kald, og sommeren kort. For noen tiår siden kom mennesker fra hele verden hit, for å tjene penger på den blomstrende gruvedriften i området. Nå er de fleste gruvene nedlagt, og landskapet står forlatt og skjendet igjen.

NORTH forteller historien om dette spesielle territoriet i Canada på en poetisk, men likevel konfronterende måte. Vi hører om minner og historier fra tidligere gruvearbeidere, og fra innbyggerne som valgte å bli værende og fortsatt kaller stedet sitt hjem. De forteller om begjæret etter frihet og det vedvarende febersøket etter gull, og konsekvensene begge disse tingene fører med seg. Tilsammen utgjør de historien om et intimt, men samtidig destruktivt forhold mellom mennesker og deres naturlige omgivelser.

FFN - Doc 4

DOCUMENTARY IN COMPETITION

EVERYTHING THAT COULD HAVE BEEN

ALT SOM KUNNE HA VÆRT

NORWAY 2020 DIRECTOR: Trond Kvig Andreassen PRODUCERS: Tom Marius Kittilsen, Knut Inge Solbu RUNNING TIME: 55m

In 2014 musician Magnus Eliassen moved to a remote island in Lofoten, in the north of Norway. After several succesful years with his band Sirkus Eliassen he needed to re-connect with himself. Run away from expectations and reality. After weeks on his own in Lofoten he travels to Los Angeles to record his new album with producer Nasty Kutt. Modest songs written on his acoustic guitar are starting to sound like hits.

Filmmaker Trond Kvig Andreassen followed Magnus on this journey. Up close and personal we get to take part in his determined creative process. But after Los Angeles everything went quiet. The new music never surfaced. What actually happened on this musical journey, and why did Magnus decide to disappear yet again? Now, five years after those weeks in Lofoten the music is coming out as Magnus prepares to do his first concert in many years.

everything that could have been is a coming of age story about expectations, escape and self-realization. I 2014 flyttet Magnus Eliassen til Lofoten for å skrive ny musikk. Etter flere suksessrike år med Sirkus Eliassen hadde han behov for å gjenfinne seg selv. Flykte fra forventninger og virkelighet. Etter ukevis i Lofoten reiser han til Los Angeles for å produsere plata med produsenten Nasty Kutt. Sparsomme låter fra kassegitaren begynner å høres ut som hits.

Filmskaper Trond Kvig Andreassen fulgte Magnus på hele reisen. Vi får på nært hold følge med på den innbitte kreative prosessen hans. Men etter Los Angeles ble det bare stille. Det kom aldri noen ny musikk. Hva var det egentlig som skjedde på den musikalske reisen? Og hvorfor ble det stille fra Magnus? Nå, fem år etter ukene i Lofoten kommer endelig musikken fra havgapet og LA ut. Magnus skal holde sin første konsert på mange år.

alt som kunne ha vært er en stilfull livsskildring om forventninger, flukt og selvrealisering.

FFN - Overdrive

DESPERATE TIMES CALL FOR DESPERATE MEASURES

SHALLOW WATER BLACKOUT DEN VEGANSKE TANNBØRSTEN

NORWAY 2019 DIRECTOR: Trygve Luktvasslimo PRODUCERS: Anže Peršin, Trygve Luktvasslimo RUNNING TIME: 37m

As residential cruise vessel The World sails by Lofoten, climate revolutionary children Amelia and Steven hijack the ship as part of their plan to rid society of what they consider its worst enemy: ignorant adults. In shallow water blackout the familiar arguments from the climate debate are growing hollow. CO2 utopians, religious, sceptics and denialists, warriors and eco liberals - they are all in grave risk of ending up at the ocean floor as the children take over The World.

CENTARIUM

NORWAY 2020 DIRECTOR: Aleksander Johan Andreassen PRODUCER: Aleksander Johan Andreassen RUNNING TIME: 23m

centarium explores the Norwegian shopping center as a cultural, social, and aesthetic phenomenon. Staged and filmed in chosen shopping centers during mostly normal opening hours, a chain of events is started by a mannequin coming to life. A cleaner observes this, and the film follows these two characters’ meetings and movements in, at times, identical settings.

CLENCH SVARTÖGA

SWEDEN 2019 DIRECTOR: Emelie Boman PRODUCER: Emelie Boman RUNNING TIME: 9m

A mother goes out looking for her daughter, who hasn’t returned from her bike ride. What she finds in the dark forest is far from anything she could ever imagine. The search for her daughter quickly turns into a nightmare.

FARCE

NORWAY 2019 DIRECTOR: Robin Jensen PRODUCERS: Lise Fearnley, Tonje Skar Reiersen RUNNING TIME: 11m

A man, a woman and a meat grinder. Love is messy.

FFN – Young Directors/Student Films

SIX EXCITING FILMS FROM UP AND COMING FILMMAKERS

I WANT TO SEE GÄLLIVARE BURN JAG VILL SE GÄLLIVARE BRINNA

SWEDEN 2019 DIRECTOR: André Vaara PRODUCER: Annakarin Ruisniemi RUNNING TIME: 13m

Under the amber summer sun, teenage misfits Amandus and Johan find solace in an unconventional friendship, challenging the norms of their provincial northern Swedish town.

SOFIES PLANET

NORWAY 2019 DIRECTOR: Mathias Løvdal Ingvoldstad PRODUCER: Johanna Nyström RUNNING TIME: 23m

Sofie is working the graveyard shift at a gas station outside of Svolvær in the north of Norway. The shifts are characterized by a feeling of emptiness and loneliness. An unexplainable event loosens her grip on reality and sends her into a hallucinatory dreamscape.

OH, BELOVED ARMCHAIR ÅH, ÄLSKADE BOHAG

SWEDEN 2019 DIRECTOR: Niklas Edor Karlsson PRODUCER: Niklas Edor Karlsson RUNNING TIME: 15m

Georg is a graphics designer living his best life. But he still can’t find a meaning. One day, a demented old man shows up in his apartment and becomes a hard break in that lifestyle.

EBB AND FLOW FLO OG FJÆRE

NORWAY 2018 DIRECTOR: Henriette Dybwad PRODUCER: University of Tromsø – The Arctic University of Norway RUNNING TIME: 10m

Arne-Børge is retiring after a life at sea. His son Tom-Richard, having spent his entire adult life in an office, is taking over his father’s fishing boat. EBB AND FLOW is a story about the relationship between father and son, and the importance of our attachment to the sea.

TEOREMA TEOPEMA

RUSSIA 2019 DIRECTOR: Nikolay Flotskiy PRODUCER: Anatoly Konychev RUNNING TIME: 19m

A lonely fisherman comes across a woman lying on the shore of the White Sea in Russia. He brings her home and quickly becomes trapped by the woman’s beauty, and struggles in his efforts to make contact with her.

HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE ALIVE HUR KÄNNS DET ATT LEVA

SWEDEN 2019 DIRECTOR: Oliver Herdberg PRODUCER: Felicia Bärgh RUNNING TIME: 15m

Joakim and Elin seem to have a healthy and romantic relationship, and are planning to get married. But underneath the surface, Joakim’s dark thoughts are haunting their potential happiness.