After several years of scarce representation in Cannes, and a last-minute addition of You, the Living at Un Certain Regard in 2007, Sweden comes back in force this year with two films in major sections: Ruben Östlund's Involuntary at Un Certain Regard and the French/Swedish co-production Grown Up at the International Critics' Week, both co-financed by Film i Väst, and supported by the Swedish Film Institute.
Östlund had his breakthrough with his feature debut Guitar Mongoloid, nominated for a Nordic Council Film Prize in 2005. Involuntary (De ofrivilliga) is a tragic comedy about the influence of groups on individuals, depicted through five separate stories. Östlund and Erik Hemmendorff, his partner in Plattform Produktion co-signed the original script. International sales are handled by The Co-production Office, and SF will release the film domestically in the autumn.
Grown Ups is the directorial debut of 27 year-old Anna Novion, daughter of French cinematographer Pierre Novion and a Swedish mother. The film entirely shot in Sweden last summer, was produced by France's Moteur s'il vous plait, in co-production with DFM Fiktion (see other news story). Memento Films handles French and international distribution.
Norway is represented by Bent Hamer's O'Horten in Un Certain Regard. Hamer is an habitué of Cannes. His three previous selections were at the Directors Fortnight in 1995 with his feature debut Eggs, in 2003 with Kitchen Stories, and in 2005 with his US set Factotum. O'Horten was released in Norway last December and won several awards at home. The film was produced by Hamer's BulBul Film in co-production with Germany's Pandora Film, with co-financing from Arte, NRK, Scanbox, support from the Norwegian Film Fund and Nordisk Film & TV Fond. The Match Factory handles world sales.
Denmark has the 43 minute Young Man Falling at the Critics Week's Special screenings. The story of a troubled teenager told from the inside of his brain, is directed by first timer Martin de Thurah, a graduate from Denmark's National Film School. The film was produced by Tju Bang Film for the Danish Film Institute's New Danish Screen.
Iceland has a chance to win a Palme d'or in the official short film competition programme, with Two Birds directed by Rúnar Rúnarsson. The 31 year old filmmaker travelled the world in 2004 for his short film The Last Farm, nominated for an Oscar. Two Birds is described by production outfit Zik Zak Filmworks as ‘a companion piece' to The Last Farm, in that the main protagonist makes an ultimate sacrifice out of love. Among the jury members who will judge Two Birds is Denmark's star filmmaker Suzanne Bier.