The film directed by Martin M. Dahlsbakken for The Film Company, will be released in Norwegian cinemas via Scandinavian Film Distribution January 27 and on Viaplay March 24.

The biopic about the expressionist painter, most famous for his iconic work The Scream, is a true collaborative work, on an artistic, financial and distribution standpoint.

Based on an idea by the prolific and eclectic Dahlsbakken (Returning Home, An Affair), the film is co-written by the director with four writing partners: Frederik Høyer (Home for Christmas), Mattis Herman Nyquist (Headhunters), Gine Cornelia Pedersen (Norsemen, Young & Promising) and Eivind Sæther who have divided the artists life into four periods. Munch at different stages of his life, is played on screen by Alfred Ekker Strande (Ida Takes Charge), Mattis Herman Nyquist (Headhunters), Ola G. Furuseth (Made in Oslo) and even female actor Anne Krigsvoll (Lilyhammer).

In other starring roles are Anders Baasmo (The King’s Choice) and Jesper Christensen (Spectre).

The film opens with the story of a young Edvard Munch who falls in love with a married woman, before showing the controversy around one of his early exhibitions. We then follow Munch’s admission to a psychiatric clinic in Copenhagen, where he is forced to make the biggest decision of his life. The final part tackles the artist’s battle at the end of his life to save his works from the Nazis during WW2.

“The public will not be presented with a truth, but rather our story about his life and work,” said Dahlsbakken. “You can read a great deal about Munch in several preserved letters, diaries and various biographies, without it giving a truthful picture of a man with many facets. We wanted to explore what drove him, what inspired him, and what kept his inner flame alive.“

The film was produced for Viaplay by Dahlsbakken’s The Film Company, established in 2021 with The Oslo Company (see our separate story: CLICK HERE). Executive producers are The Film Company's Trond Kvernstrøm and Åsmund Kjos Fjell, and Viaplay Group's Kari Moen Kristiansen.

Split distribution model
Munch is Viaplay’s latest biopic of a world-famous Nordic artist after Lasse Hallström’s Hilma, which also benefitted from a domestic theatrical launch prior to its exclusive premiere on Viaplay’s streaming service.

While the hold-back between cinemas and VOD in Sweden was one month for Hilma (October 19 - November 18), with Munch, Norwegian cinema-goers will have two months to watch it on the silver screens before its Viaplay premiere.

“Munch is almost like a classic theatrical release for us,” said Scandinavian Film Distribution’s CEO Michael Fleischer to nordicfilmandtvnews.com. “I can’t take the credit for that deal struck by the producers with Viaplay, however this is a great opportunity to give the film a proper chance in cinemas before its streaming on Viaplay. Now we have to see how the audience will react, if they will be willing to pay NOK 120 for a ticket, knowing that the film will be on Viaplay two months later."
Fleischer sees the Munch release as a distribution test case, that hopefully will inspire SVOD players “to take a bigger responsibility in the theatrical market as well, by being part of the financing model,” he says.

“If the film gets positive reviews, a decent audience in cinemas, a greater marketing spend and awareness, then it can only be beneficiary for the streamers as well,” he stressed.

Viaplay Content Distribution is handling international sales.