11/05/2007

Norwegian director Bård Breien’s feature debut, The Art of Negative Thinking, will be among the 15 contenders for the Crystal Globe, the top award of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (June 29 - July 7).

Breien, whose short film Frank prolaps was nominated for an Amanda Award in 2003, also wrote the script for The Art of Negative Thinking, which was produced by the established Dag Alveberg (Maipo Film & TV), with support from the Norwegian Film Fund and the Nordic Film & TV Fund.

The film centres on Geirr, who is left handicapped after a car accident. Geirr feels it necessary to publicly display his miserable state through isolation, a weapons fixation and self-medication. To save their relationship and her boyfriend’s sanity, Ingvild invites a municipal positive-thinking group into their home.

Last year, another emerging Norwegian talent, filmmaker Joachim Trier, had his breakthrough at Karlovy Vary with his first feature Reprise [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Joachim Trier
interview: Karin Julsrud
film profile] winner of a Crystal Globe, Best Director Award and a Don Quixote Award.

Three other Norwegian films will also screen at the Czech film festival this year. Alexander Eik’s comedy youth film Cold Feet is among the 10 European films featuring in Variety’s Critics’ Choice, Erik Richter Strand’s multi-awarded feature debut Sønner [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] will screen in the festival’s Another View sidebar, and Roar Uthaug’s thriller and local hit Cold Prey [+see also:
trailer
interview: Roar Uthaug
film profile] will give shivers to night-owls watching the Midnight programme.

Both The Art of Negative Thinking and Cold Feet are sold by Nordisk Film International Sales; Sons is sold by Bavaria Film International and Cold Prey by AB Svensk Filmindustri.