15/03/2005

The children adventure film The Junior Olsen Gang at the Circus (Olsenbanden på circus) produced by Nordisk Film and the comedy Maria’s Men (Marias menn) produced by Maipo Film have both received NOK7.5M each from the Norwegian Film Fund (NFF) in its last round of production support.
The new film following the adventures of the Junior Olsen Gang will be the last of the successful Norwegian children franchise but also the first feature film that will celebrate Nordisk Film’s 100 year jubilee in 2006. The NOK17.1M budget film will reunite the same production and creative team behind the previous episode The Junior Olsen Gang Rocks It which scored over 406,000 admissions in Norway last year: producer Rune H.Trondsen, scriptwriter and director Arne Lindtner Naess, DoP Kjell Vassdal, set designer Martin Gant and editor Helge Billing. The Junior Olsen Gang at the Circus will start filming on 24 May and its Norwegian premiere is set for 10 February 2006.

Maria’s Men will be the directorial debut of Vibeke Ringe based on a script co-written by Siv Rajendram Eliassen and novelist/playwright Kjetil Indregard. The NOK 15.3M project is produced by Maipo Film’s Synnøve Hørsdal who made Just Bea the new film by the director of Elling Petter Naess.
According the NFF, there is a real need for films with a strong female lead targeting wide audiences in Norway, and I>Maria’s Men should fill this gap. It’s the story of Maria, a very free-minded woman with a full time job and three children to feed who is trying to sort out her hectic sentimental life between Frederik, Jonas and Lasse. The film will start shooting on 30 August 2005 and the Norwegian release is set for March 2006.