14/07/2008

Norwegian director Stian Kristiansen's critically acclaimed film The Man Who Loved Yngve [+see also:
trailer
film profile] is a melancholy story that follows a young man whose feelings of love for a girl and another boy turn his world upside down. The film screened in the Forum of Independents at Karlovy Vary, where audiences responded to its sensitive treatment of sexual ambiguity and retro soundtrack.

The script is adapted from a popular novel by Tore Renberg, who sent a draft of the book to his friend, producer Yngve Sæther. "Given the title of the book (I have the same first name as the character in the title), I was rather quick about reading the first 50 pages. After finding out this was not a book about Tore and me, I could relax," he said. "I soon realized that this was a movie I wanted to make, and we optioned [the book] before it came out."

"I have always wanted to make a coming-of-age film about the period in which I grew up, with a mix of vulnerability and integrity. I was attracted by the originality in the love story, the energy in the characters, the humour everything was filtered through and the bittersweet ending," Sæther said.

"Also the fact that everything takes place during three weeks in 1989, after the Berlin wall came down, with all its atmosphere and music, spoke to me on a personal level," he added.

The film shot in spring 2007 on location in Stavanger, Norway, where the story is set and where Kristiansen grew up. Of the NOK 15.5m budget, NOK 9m came from the Norwegian Film Fund. Nonstop picked up the film for world sales after the Norwegian premiere in February. The film has since seen 170,000 admissions. It is nominated for seven Amandas, Norway’s top film awards.

Kristiansen is working on a script for a comedy/drama about a teenage girl and her first crush, which he is calling Kiss Me You Fucking Moron!. Sæther and Kristiansen are also planning to adapt Renberg's upcoming novel, which follows the main character of The Man Who Loved Yngve.