Countrymen

Countrymen
Jordbrukerne
Norway, 2021, 8x45’
Nominated writers: Izer Aliu, Anne Bjørnstad
Broadcaster​s: NRK, ARTE France 

Produced by: Rubicon
Producers: ​Mikael Diseth, Fridrik H. Mar
Directors: Izer Aliu, Aurora Gossé, Brwa Vahabpour
Premiere: October 28, 2021
Sales: Banijay Rights

Countrymen follows a group of young men from inner city Oslo, who move to a farm in picturesque Telemark. While pretending to be driven by a shared interest for agriculture, their real intention is something entirely different. One thing leads to another, and against their will the guys from Oslo end up as founders of Norway’s first halal cheese making business. Countrymen is a story about community and belonging, and about finding meaning in your life where you least expect it.

Izer Aliu's bio
Izer Aliu is a Norwegian-Macedonian director and scriptwriter. His debut To Guard A Mountain was awarded the Amanda Prize for Best short film, and in 2017 his feature film Hunting Flies won the prize for Best Director and was nominated for the Nordic Council Film Prize. Izer has also received Anders Jahre’s award for young artists.

Anne Bjørnstad's bio
Anne Bjørnstad is a writer/director/executive producer. Over the past decade she has co-created, written and produced a number of series, most notably the NRK/Netflix series Lilyhammer and HBO Max’s Beforeigners. Since 2018 she has also served as Head of Drama in Rubicon.

Read our interview with the nominated writers Izer Aliu and Anne Bjørnstad HERE.