Six years after the Utøya terrorist attack of 22 July 2011 in Norway, Rakel, Mohammed, Jenny, and Torje – all Utøya survivors – gather in northern Norway to remember and reconstruct what happened. They are joined by twelve young Norwegians who want to help and understand. A psychologist is involved throughout the entire project. Together, in a film studio, they reconstruct the survivors’ memories of what happened on Utøya. The survivors tell their story for their own sake, as well as for ours. For the present, as well as for the future. Reconstructing Utøya documents that process. 

National Jury's motivation: Darkness and light, reality and fantasy. Despair and anticipation, weight and relief. Reconstructing Utøya has all these. With intelligence, acute sensitivity, and deep respect for the survivors, director Carl Javér has tackled this Nordic trauma head on. The result is something so gripping and engaging that it borders on the unbearable. Together with the young people in front of the camera, he has created a secure and permissive space where the interaction between the contributors and their respect for and trust in each other simply beams compassion out into the world.

National Jury: Kristina Börjeson, Emma Gray Munthe, Gunnar Bergdahl (did not participate in 2019 because of a conflict of interest)