The Norwegian producer of The Worst Person in the World and this year’s Un Certain Regard entry Sick of Myself will take part in the European Film Promotion’s event in Cannes.

The exclusive promotional initiative EFP Producers on the Move is back physically in Cannes and online, after two years of virtual events.

After an online pre-festival programme held May 03-05, the 20 selected producers will meet IRL May 19 to 23 in Cannes and attend case-studies as well as social events.

This year Oslo Pictures’ Andrea Berentsen Ottmar is the only Nordic producer invited to take part in the exclusive promotional and networking event.

The young Norwegian producer studied history of ideas and business economics while working as a production manager and film coordinator. She set up the production company for young talents Frokost Film before joining Oslo Pictures in 2018.

At her current production home, she has produced Joachim Trier’s Worst Person in the World, for which Renate Reinsve collected a Best Actress prize at last July's Cannes Film Festival, and this year, she’s back in the official selection with the Un Certain Regard entry Sick of Myself by Kristoffer Borgli. The film stars Kristine Kujath Thorp (Ninjababy) and the artist Eirik Sæther, in his acting debut.

Among the 20 producing movers and shakers is also Dutch producer Derk-Jan Warrink of Keplerfilm, co-producer of the Finnish film at the Critics’ Week The Woodcutter’s Story by Mikko Myllylahti.

We spoke to Andrea Berentsen Ottmar.

What does it mean for you to represent Norway at the Producers on the Move in Cannes?
ABO: It’s a great privilege of course, and a lot of producers I admire have been here before me. I will do my best to be a good ambassador.

What drives you and what do you feel are the essential skills needed for a producer to make his project stand out in the market?
ABO: I believe the essential skill would be to recognise a good project or a talent, and to be able to unleash its potential. And that’s really what drives me. Without a good project or talent, it’s hard to stand out, and then you of course need to understand how to communicate it. I guess all producers have different skill sets, some producers are really great salesmen and -women, and I don’t see that as my strength. I focus my energy on the team, the process and the creative work, and I truly believe that’s the most precious task, but I know how important it is to team up with people who know the market place in and out as well. We have to cast the project team just as thoroughly as the cast; every part of the chain is important.

You’re bringing Sick of Myself to Cannes’ Un Certain Regard. How did you get involved in the project, and what were the biggest challenges on the film?
ABO: I knew Kristoffer from his previous work and always loved what he was doing. When he approached me with the script I was eager to make whatever he wanted to make, but it was great to discover that the script was already such a good read, from the very first draft.

One of the biggest challenges was also apparent from the beginning - the main character is such a complex figure and a really difficult casting job. Luckily Kristine [Kujath Thorp] came on board and really nailed it. And then it was the SFX that was the other ‘make or break’ element. Covid could have made it a totally different story, but we managed to get Izzi Galindo overseas from the US and we knew we were in good hands.

What projects are you currently working on?
ABO: I am currently working on Armand, the first feature of director Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel, another great Norwegian talent. He has developed the script for some time now and it’s truly time for it to come to life. The whole story takes place in an elementary school, where single mother Elizabeth is called in for a meeting, and learns that her son Armand is accused of assaulting his best friend. It’s a story about boundaries - not mainly between the kids, but between the adults involved. Who decides where to set them? What is an assault, what is play, what is consent, what is privacy? How do we decide where boundaries go when we don’t really share the perspective of what has happened, or what is happening?

The film is in financing stage, with development funding from the Norwegian Film Institute. We have an international sales agent attached, but we are looking to secure the rest of the financing the coming months.”