In a rare move the Norwegian Film Festival in Haugesund (August 18-24) has allotted its opening and closing slots as well as the opening of New Nordic Films to new Norwegian directors. 

The festival’s opening film The Quake (screening on August 19) is the first solo directing experience for seasoned cinematographer John Andreas Andersen, episodic director of the TV drama Occupied. The much-anticipated sequel to the 2015 mega-hit The Wave will hit national screens on August 31st via Nordisk Film. 

On Tuesday 21st, the mini-market New Nordic Films will kick start with the screening of Phoenix  by actress turned director Camilla Strøm Henriksen. The film about the complexity of family structures stars Sverrir Gudnason, Maria Bonnevie and Ylva Bjørkaas Thedin.

Another actress, Swedish-born Tuva Novotny will present on Monday 20th her directorial debut Blind Spot dealing with mental health issues. Novotny will attend the Nordisk Film gala premiere with Blind Spot’s co-stars Pia Tjelta and Anders Baasmo Christiansen. 

After four full days of screenings of more than 60 films, Magnus Meyer Arnesen will close the festival with As I Fall, his graduation film from a Master’s programme at the Norwegian Film School of Lillehammer. SF Studios will release it domestically. 

The festival’s main programme has a total of 21 films of which many Cannes entries, such as the Palme d’or winner Shoplifters by Japan’s Hirokazu Kore-eda. The film will be released locally by Another World Entertainment, which has a record eight titles in the main section.  

Festival director Tonje Hardensen told nordicfilmandtvnews.com: “Haugesund remains a major launch pad for the Norwegian market, well attended by local exhibitors, distributors, the press and the cinema audience. Cannes was a good year and the programme reflects this, with many Cannes titles having their Norwegian premiere at Haugesund."

Other popular sections are the French Touch (with 6 films) and Nordic Focus, with 11 titles, such as Becoming Astrid, And Breathe Normally, Bergman a Year in a Life and The Charmer.

For the second year in a row, Haugesund will host the announcement of the 2018 Nordic Council Film Prize Nomination, co-organised by Nordisk Film & TV Fond, to be held on Tuesday 21st. The five nominated films will be introduced at Haugesund by their respective director or main cast and producer. 

The TV Drama section will premiere the first Norwegian true crime documentary series Who Killed Birgitte? set to air on TV2 Norway in the fall.  Award-winning journalist Bjørn Olav Jahr has written a book about the unsolved murder of the 17-year-old Birgitte Tengs in 1995, and co-directs the series with Bjørn Eivind Aarskog. The series paint a realistic image of what may have happened on the island of Karmøy, Western Norway, on the night of the murder. Who Killed Birgitte? will premiere at Haugesund on August 22.

Another new section launched last year: Books in Haugesund will expand from 5 to 10 projects pitched by their authors, with ten Nordic literary agencies in attendance. 

Finally this year’s film political conference held on August 20 will focus on the ‘Social responsibility of Culture’. The introductory speech from Norway’s State Secretary Jan Kristian Kolstø will be followed by several debates with panellists such as Annette Trettebergstuen (The Labour Party), Kristin Ørmen Johnsen (The Conservative Party), director Erik Poppe, producer Khalid Maimouni, and Lars Løge, Head of the Development and Production Department at the Norwegian Film Institute. 

Hugh Forrest, Chief Programmer Officer at the US indie festival SXSW will also explain how a cultural event can have a positive impact on the local community. A topic that Hardersen hopes will raise political awareness as Haugesund is still struggling with restrained financing, although attendance figures continue to increase and reached 23,000 visitors in 2017.