An upcoming exhibition to celebrate photographer Isabelle Reed three years after her untimely death brings her eldest son, Jonah, back to the family home, compelling him to spend more time with his father, Gene, and his withdrawn younger brother, Conrad, whom he hasn’t seen in years. With the three of them under one roof, Gene tries to connect with his sons, but they struggle to reconcile their feelings for the woman whom they all remember very differently.

The motivation for the Nordic jury 2016’s choice is the following: “Joachim Trier and his team embark on an artistic enterprise that takes storytelling to a new level. Its complexity of structure, its emotional probing and its ability to tear clichés apart should make it part of the curriculum in film schools around the world.”

Nordic jury members: Per Juul Carlsen (Denmark), Jaana Puskala (Finland), Hilmar Oddsson (Iceland), Silje Riise Næss (Norway) and Jannike Åhlund (Sweden).

National Jury motivation: Joachim Trier’s Louder Than Bombs is a study of grief that centres around a father and his two sons three years after their mother has passed away. She has left behind a small, loving family with some complex relationships. They struggle to connect with one another and to speak about their grief and their own existence. Trier and his regular screenwriter, Eskil Vogt, portray events subtly through lucid, organic, original cinematography that addresses the different emotional state of each character.  Memories of, longing for, and loss of a dead woman are central to the care that Triers shows for his characters.

National Jury members: Silje Riise Næss, Kalle Løchen, Britt Sørensen

For full press release, production notes and high res photos of director, producer and poster see Press kit. The information is available in the Nordic languages and English.