17/08/2009

Seventy percent of the films screening at the 37th Norwegian International Film Festival in Haugesund (August 20-27) are of European origin, an absolute record for programme artistic director Håkon Skogrand.

“It is marvellous to be able to present the strongest European programme ever. As many as 50 of the 70 feature films in the official programme come from our own part of the world,” he said. These include the 2009 Cannes Palme d’Or The White Ribbon [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Michael Haneke
film profile] (to be released by Arthaus in Norway) and Grand Prix winner A Prophet [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jacques Audiard
interview: Jacques Audiard and Tahar R…
film profile] (Walt Disney Studios Norway).

Norwegian films will naturally feature predominantly across the whole programme. Sara Johnsen’s second feature film, Upperdog [+see also:
trailer
film profile], will screen on August 23 as a world premiere during the opening gala attended by Norway’s Culture Minister Trond Giske. The following day, Ásleik Engmark’s children’s film Knerten [+see also:
trailer
film profile] will open the Children’s programme and Arild Østin Ommundsen’s finance thriller Rotternetter (“Rat Nights”) will close the festival on August 27.

Special guests announced include French director Sylvie Verheyde and actor William Wayrolle from her film Stella [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (Norwegian distributor Tour de Force), one of six films part of the French Touch sidebar; as well as Italian directors Federico Bondi (Mar Nero [+see also:
trailer
film profile]) and Marco Amenta (The Sicilian Girl [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]), who will present their films in Cinema Italia. Germany’s Hans-Erich Viet (Made in Deutschland) and Luki Freiden (A Thousand Oceans [+see also:
trailer
film profile]) will attend the new From Emden to Haugesund section, a collaboration with the Emden-Norderney Film Festival in Germany.

Haugesund is also where Norwegian films from the past year are celebrated, with the national Amanda Awards to be given out on August 21. Upcoming films from the Nordic region will screen in the parallel New Nordic Films Market from August 20-23.