Youth culture, coming of age explored by the Nordic talents of tomorrow in Haugesund
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The Norwegian International Film Festival kicked off its 49th edition on Saturday in the coastal town of Haugesund, an opportunity for industry cinephiles and Nordic cinema aficionados to discover new projects from top talent in the world. region.
One of the highlights of the festival is its Next Nordic Generation, a selection of the best graduation shorts from various Nordic film schools.
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10 short films were selected this year, produced by creators perceived as the region’s filmmakers of tomorrow.
Three of the films are from Westerdals, Kristiania University College in Oslo, Norway, another trio from Aalto ELO Film School in Helsinki, Finland, and two each from HDK-Valand at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden and The National Film School of Denmark in Copenhagen. This means that – with the exception of Iceland – all countries in the Nordic region are represented.
This selection was made by a jury made up of Håkon Skogrand, former program director of the Norwegian Film Festival, producer Khalid Maimouni and musician and director Elle Márjá Eira. The whole process was overseen by Christian Høkaas, Assistant Program Director at the Norwegian International Film Festival.
With films addressing themes ranging from coming of age, complex family dynamics, exile, migration and sexuality, Høkaas said Variety that various social problems in the Nordic countries are âfairly well illustratedâ in these films and show âdifferent types of talentâ.
Credit: Eetu Linnankivi /Haugesund Film Festival
Høkaas noted the disparity in the selected films. For example, âWhen the trees of Mill Hill spoke to meâ and âDeath dictate silenceâ are both directed by students at the same film school in Sweden. Yet they tackle very different issues – the former focuses more on nature, is slower and wistful, while the latter, about an Afghan refugee, has obvious political overtones.
Since these films were made by students, it is no coincidence that many focus on youth, adolescence and childhood. There are two notable animated shorts: âFavorite Daughterâ and âI Don’t Have Time For Thisâ, selected from many submissions. They were both made by graduate students of the Danish National Film School, which Høkaas says produces amazing experimental animated film experiences that take the genre to new heights.
All of the other films are real-life shots, but all also revolve around a coming-of-age narrative exploring issues such as parental control (“Mother’s Wrath”), emotional farewells in times of transition ( “Goodbye Tornio”), sadistic love stories taken to the extreme (“Mad from the Sun”), war games invented to protect childhood friendships (“Burn!”), Pregnancy among adolescents in a weak family (“Fittefaen”) and how masculinity can cope with sexual orientation (“Pecking Order”).
These films explore youth culture in the Nordic countries through various styles, with captivating cinematography set in cities and nature. All, however, engage with the material of the story in authentic and original ways.
Courtesy of the Haugesund Film Festival
Høkaas tells Variety that this selection of exciting new Nordic filmmakers underlines the continuing trend in Nordic cinema to place young people as central characters. In doing so, filmmakers often position the stories from a child’s perspective, drawing inspiration from other notable contemporary works from the region, such as âLet the Right One Inâ and âBecoming Astridâ.
âThey were inspired by general trends in Scandinavian cinema,â says Høkaas. âThere are a lot of movies with good kids playing, seeing movies through the eyes of the kids and supporting characters – highlighting them in a way that they become the eyes of the audience in a way. “
The films will be screened in Haugesund in the presence of the directors on Wednesday 25 August. At the awards ceremony the following day, the top winner will receive 10,000 Norwegian crowns ($ 1,109). Here is the complete list of the 10 graduation shorts included in the 2021 Next Nordic Generation component of Haugesund.
“Mother’s Wrath” (“Perintö”; director: Tuuli Sirkeinen; producer: Janne Lähteenmäki; Finland)
âGoodbye Tornioâ (âHei Hei Tornioâ; director: Emilia Hernesniemi; production: Eveliina Mauno; Finland)
“Mad from the Sun” (“Auringonpistos”; dir: Anna Ãärelä; prod: Pilvi Kuusrainen; Finland)
“When the trees of Mill Hill spoke to me” (dir-prod: Kirsikka Paakkinen; Finland, Sweden)
“Death, dictate silence” (“Döden dikterar tystnad”; dir-prod: Javid Sina; Sweden)
“Favorite Daughter” (“Yndlingsdatter”; dir: Susi Haaning; prod: Sophie D’Souza; Denmark)
âI Don’t Have Time for Thisâ (âJeg har ikke tid til det herâ; dir: Mathias Rodrigues Bjerre; prod: Mads-August Grarup Hertz; Denmark)
“To burn!” (âBrenn!â; Director: Syver Flem; production: Markus Langlo; Norway)
“Pecking Order” (“Hønekamp”; dir: Johannes Veine Wiig; prod: Kjetil Jore; Norway)
“Fittefaen” (dir: Ingrid Storrønningen; prod: Amanda Malmbekk; Norway)
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