Bergman – a Year in a Life[/caption]
Provocative cinema, historical film epics, and an homage to Swedish master director Ingmar Bergman are the hallmarks of the Specials section of the 60th Nordic Film Days Lübeck, which runs from October 30 to November 4. In honor of the centenary of Bergman’s birth, the festival, which showed the maestro’s classic “Sawdust and Tinsel” at the very first NFL in 1956, will this year screen two relatively unknown Bergman gems – “From the Life of the Marionettes” (GER/SWE 1980), and “The Touch” (SWE/US 1970), in some cases newly digitized. In addition, the documentaries “Bergman – a Year in a Life” (SWE/NOR 2018), “Ingmar Bergman” (SWE 1971), and “The Memory of Ingmar Bergman” (FIN 2018) use personal remembrances, or special times in the director’s life, to take a look back at his life and work. Another film takes a very different approach to Bergman’s oeuvre. “Bergman revisited” (SWE 2018) is a compilation of short films – some irreverent, some experimental, some classic – by six Swedish filmmakers that completely reinterpret motifs from Bergman’s life and art.
The Specials section also has a showcase for another world-renowned Swede. Pernille Fischer Christensen’s film “Becoming Astrid” is a complex portrait of beloved children’s and young adult author Astrid Lindgren, with Alba August giving an outstanding performance in the title role. The film focusses on the author’s early writing years, which were formative in her later life and work. The Specials section is also screening “Border”(SWE/DEN 2018), directed by Ali Abbasi, which won the main prize in the “Un Certain Regard” section at Cannes, and Sweden’s submission for the 2018 Oscar “U – July 22” (NOR 2018), Erik Poppe’s controversion treatment of the massacre at a Norwegian youth camp.
Two period dramas from Denmark will take audiences back to the past: Bille August’s “A Fortunate Man” (DEN 2018), an adaptation of the eponymous Danish book classic, and the German-Danish co-production “In Love and War” (DEN/GER/CZE 2018), which was the first production to benefit from the new German-Danish Coproduction Development Initiative. The Specials section is rounded out with the newest film adaptation of a Jussi Adler Olsen book – “The Purity of Vengeance” (DEN/GER 2018), directed by Christoffer Boe, was shot partially in Hamburg. It’s another thrilling case for Detective Carl Mørck and his Department Q team.
Nordic Film Days Lübeck (Nordische Filmtage Lübeck)
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Specials Program of 60th Nordische Filmtage Lübeck to Feature Provocative Cinema + Ingmar Bergman Retrospective
[caption id="attachment_32353" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Bergman – a Year in a Life[/caption]
Provocative cinema, historical film epics, and an homage to Swedish master director Ingmar Bergman are the hallmarks of the Specials section of the 60th Nordic Film Days Lübeck, which runs from October 30 to November 4. In honor of the centenary of Bergman’s birth, the festival, which showed the maestro’s classic “Sawdust and Tinsel” at the very first NFL in 1956, will this year screen two relatively unknown Bergman gems – “From the Life of the Marionettes” (GER/SWE 1980), and “The Touch” (SWE/US 1970), in some cases newly digitized. In addition, the documentaries “Bergman – a Year in a Life” (SWE/NOR 2018), “Ingmar Bergman” (SWE 1971), and “The Memory of Ingmar Bergman” (FIN 2018) use personal remembrances, or special times in the director’s life, to take a look back at his life and work. Another film takes a very different approach to Bergman’s oeuvre. “Bergman revisited” (SWE 2018) is a compilation of short films – some irreverent, some experimental, some classic – by six Swedish filmmakers that completely reinterpret motifs from Bergman’s life and art.
The Specials section also has a showcase for another world-renowned Swede. Pernille Fischer Christensen’s film “Becoming Astrid” is a complex portrait of beloved children’s and young adult author Astrid Lindgren, with Alba August giving an outstanding performance in the title role. The film focusses on the author’s early writing years, which were formative in her later life and work. The Specials section is also screening “Border”(SWE/DEN 2018), directed by Ali Abbasi, which won the main prize in the “Un Certain Regard” section at Cannes, and Sweden’s submission for the 2018 Oscar “U – July 22” (NOR 2018), Erik Poppe’s controversion treatment of the massacre at a Norwegian youth camp.
Two period dramas from Denmark will take audiences back to the past: Bille August’s “A Fortunate Man” (DEN 2018), an adaptation of the eponymous Danish book classic, and the German-Danish co-production “In Love and War” (DEN/GER/CZE 2018), which was the first production to benefit from the new German-Danish Coproduction Development Initiative. The Specials section is rounded out with the newest film adaptation of a Jussi Adler Olsen book – “The Purity of Vengeance” (DEN/GER 2018), directed by Christoffer Boe, was shot partially in Hamburg. It’s another thrilling case for Detective Carl Mørck and his Department Q team.
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Children’s and Youth Program of 2018 Nordic Film Days Lübeck to Showcase 36 Films
[caption id="attachment_32293" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
Paradise 89 by Madara Dislere[/caption]
This year’s Children’s and Youth program at the 2018 Nordic Film Days Lübeck comprises 36 films, including 16 feature narratives and 20 shorts. The 11 German and international premieres among the features alone are impressive proof of the festival’s importance to the children and youth film industry.
“The selection of films for the Children’s section of the has rarely been as serious, and yet so diverse and entertaining as it is this year”, says long-term section curator Franziska Kremser-Klinkertz. Numerous filmmakers have taken on serious subjects this year, tackling them in ways that make them accessible and tangible to young people. One example is the political-historical film “Paradise ‘89” (LV/GER 2018). Set in the summer of 1989, amid sea changes in Europe and Latvia’s pursuit of independence, it depicts events from the children’s point of view, and is a worthy complement to the NFL focus on the Baltic states this year. “Summer Children” (ICE/NOR 2017) also has an historical perspective, addressing a dark chapter in Iceland’s post-war history.From football to super-heroes with environmental leanings, all the way to science-fiction for kids, the palette of films covers almost everything that children’s films have to offer. Sometimes in animated form, and sometimes with formidable performances by young actors.
This year’s films for young adults are authentic and stirring. In “Money Problem” (SWE 2017), two girls think having enough will solve all their problems. It’s a dramatic journey as they learn just how wrong they are. This unconventional film by Swedish director Nikeisha Andersson is as much a milieu study as it is an absorbing story about friendship. “The Comet” (SWE 2017) and “Adam” (GER/ICE/US/MEX 2018), meanwhile, are proof that touching movies can be made on small budgets and with limited production facilities.
Variety is also on hand in the short film programs, targeting an assortment of age groups. “Shorts for Shorties” features films for children from four to six years old. The films in the program “Stories of Meetings and Friendship” have been selected for children 10+, while the shorts for the 14+ age group deal with “Love, Death, and Togetherness”.
Two prizes are awarded in the Children’s and Youth film section. The recipient of the Children’s and Youth Film Prize of the Gemeinnützigen Sparkassenstiftung is chosen from among all features in the section. This year’s jury includes director Thomas Heinemann (“Lola on the Pea”), up-and-coming actor Tristan Göbel (“Goodbye Berlin”, “Bright Nights”), and Marjo Kovanen, director of the Finnish school cinema association.
60th Nordische Filmtage Lübeck Feature Films Children’s and Youth program
Adam / Adam / Adam Deutschland / Island / USA / Mexiko / 2018 / 72 Min. Director(s): Maria Solrun Drug abuse landed Adam’s mother in an institution. Now he is responsible – for her and for himself. A drama with strong performances and a driving techno beat. Alone in Space / Ensamma i Rymden / Allein im All Schweden / 2018 / 84 Min. Director(s): Ted Kjellsson The Earth of the future is uninhabitable. So Gladys and her brother Keaton travel to a distant planet. The problem is, they are alone in space. Or are they? Captain Morten and the Spider Queen / Morten Lollide laeval / Käpt’n Morten und die Spinnenkönigin Estland / Irland / Belgien / Großbritannien / 2018 / 78 Min. Director(s): Kaspar Jancis Morten wants to be a ship’s captain, just like his father. His dream is fulfilled when a scientist shrinks the young boy down to the size of an insect. Land of Glass / Landet af glas / Land aus Glas Dänemark / 2018 / 87 Min. Director(s): Marie Rønn, Jeppe Vig Find More than just wolves lurk in the foggy Danish forests. A 13-year-old boy makes a supernatural discovery in this modern mystery-adventure story. Money Problem / Para Knas / Abgebrannt Schweden / 2017 / 78 Min. Director(s): Nikeisha Andersson Money here, money there – everybody needs dough. But in this film, two friends from the outskirts of Stockholm learn the hard way what really counts in the end. Monky / Monky / Monky Schweden / 2017 / 87 Min. Director(s): Maria Blom A boisterous film about a difficult subject – a monkey turns the life of a family in mourning upside down and, in the process, puts them back on the right path. Paradise ’89 / Paradīze ’89 / Paradies ’89 Lettland / Deutschland / 2018 / 90 Min. Director(s): Madara Dišlere Latvia in the summer of 1989: Four girls enjoy the liberty of the countryside. But there are major changes in the air, both private and political. Summer Children / Sumarbörn / Sommerkinder Island / Norwegen / 2017 / 84 Min. Director(s): Gu∂rún Ragnarsdóttir After their parents separate, Eydís and Kári are sent to a care home. In the film’s magical images, real hardship meets the power of children’s imagination. Super Furball / Supermarsu / Supermeerschweinchen Finnland / 2018 / 85 Min. Director(s): Joona Tena Emilia’s boring life comes to an abrupt end when she’s bitten by a guinea pig. Suddenly she has super powers – not to mention a set of killer incisors! Team Albert / Team Albert / Team Albert Dänemark / 2018 / 90 Min. Director(s): Frederik Nørgaard Law? An MBA? No, Albert’s career plan is YouTube. In this coming-of-age comedy, Danish Internet star Albert Dyrlund plays the lead – with a lot of self-mockery. The Ash Lad: In the Hall of the Mountain King / Askeladden – I Dovregubbens hall / Espen und die Legende vom Bergkönig Norwegen / Irland / Tschechien / 2017 / 100 Min. Director(s): Mikkel Brænne Sandemose A very special kind of legendary hero – in order to free a princess from the claws of a giant troll, inept Espen Ash Lad has to take his courage in hand. The Comet / Kometen / Der Komet Norwegen / 2017 / 72 Min. Director(s): Bård Røssevold Gustav is searching for his father, who disappeared twelve years ago as a comet was passing Earth. Was he really kidnapped by extra-terrestrials? The Falcons / Víti í Vestmannaeyjum / Die Falken – alle für einen Island / Schweden / 2018 / 95 Min. Director(s): Bragi _ór Hinriksson Set on an island off Iceland’s coast, when 10-year-old Jon’s team enters a children’s football tournament, he learns about fairness and friendship. The Heart / Hjärtat / Das Herz Schweden / 2018 / 100 Min. Director(s): Fanni Metelius Mika and Tesfay fall in love, move in together, drift apart, and find each other again. They realize more and more how very different they are from each other. The War Game / Krig / Kriegsspiel Schweden / 2017 / 84 Min. Director(s): Goran Kapetanović Eleven-year-old Malte gets caught between two children’s gangs. A talented military strategist, he has no problem making sure the situation escalates. Vitello / Vitello / Vitello Dänemark / 2018 / 72 Min. Director(s): Dorte Bengtson Monster attacks, kidnapping kitties, a day lived in reverse. Vitello is a rascal with a million ideas. But most of all, he wants to find out who his father is.
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60th Nordic Film Days Lübeck Documentary Lineup Focused on Life in Nordic and Baltic Countries
[caption id="attachment_32252" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
Fuck Off 2 – Images from Finland[/caption]
The documentary program for this year’s 60th Nordische Filmtage Lübeck (Oct. 30 – Nov. 4, 2018) promises to deliver an exciting cross-section of films on ways of life in the Nordic and Baltic countries, as well as vivid histories in Europe over the last 100 years. Of the 28 documentaries in the section, 16 will be in the running for the Documentary Film Prize awarded by the Lübeck trade unions.The award, to be presented at the 60th Nordic Film Days Lübeck on November 3, 2018, is given to a “socially and politically committed film”.
Among this year’s documentarians is one of Finland’s most renowned directors and producers, Jörn Donner, who attempts in “Fuck Off 2 – Images from Finland” (FIN 2017) to capture the enormous changes that have occurred in the country since he made the classic documentary “Fuck Off – Images from Finland” in 1971. As he journeyed around the country and spoke with a wide diversity of people, he shed light on immense income disparity, rural depopulation, and attitudes towards migrants – subjects that are also addressed in some of the section’s other films. Jörn Donner, born in 1933, will be guest in Lübeck. Husband and wife team Janus Metz and Sine Plambech, who won the NFL Documentary prize in 2009, have also made a sequel of sorts with “Heartbound – a Different Kind of Love Story” (DEN/HOL/SWE 2018). The film shows an anthropological bent as it looks at marriages between Danes and Thais, providing deep insight into those special inter-cultural relationships in Denmark’s northern reaches.
The films in the documentary section also look at other topical issues, such as the de-population of isolated European regions in “Estonian Stories. Kerro 40” (EST 2017) and “690 Vopnafjörður” (ICE 2017). The ramifications of technological progress for residents is the subject of “The River, My Friend” (SWI 2018) and “The Illuminators”, while changes to the working world in traditional trades such as commercial fishing play a role in “The Ocean – Fishing with Love” (DEN/FAR 2018) and “The Last in a Line of Fishermen” (SWE 2018).
Lastly, the rise and fall of a modern high-tech company is examined in “Nokia Mobile – We Were Connecting People” (FIN/NOR/GER 2017).
The importance of a structured life, education, and school systems for children and young adults is the subject of the two films “14 Cases” (EST 2017) and “To Be Continued” (LAT 2018), while by contrast, “My Heart Belongs to Daddy” (NOR/SWE 2018) and “The Night” (NOR/BEL/SWE 2017) look at the effects of drug addiction on families.
Among the films that look back at history are “Bad Circumstances” (DEN 2018), about the conquest of Greenland, and “The Raven and the Seagull” (DEN/GL 2018) about the relationship between colony and colonial powers. Other films on historical subjects are “The Eyes of a War” (FIN 2018) by Jouko Aaltonen and Seppo Rustanius, about child soldiers in Finland’s civil war, as well as “Iceland Defense Force – Cold War Frontier” (ICE 2017), in which directors Guðbergur Davíðsson and Konráð Gylfason take a close look at a NATO base in Keflavik, Iceland.
The 100th anniversary of the founding of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, as well as Icelandic independence provides the perfect occasion for other films in the documentary section. For instance, directors Raimo Jõeran and Kiur Aarma look back at the first Estonian government, portraying it as a wild “Rodeo” (EST/FIN 2018). “Bridges of Time” (LAT/LIT/EST 2018) also brings back memories – in this case of the Baltic New Wave cinema that provided a counterpoint to the official Soviet film regime of the time. It’s a documentary about documentaries whose directors developed a poetic cinematic language in the 1960s. One of those filmmakers is Lette Ivars Seleckis, born in 1934, who is expected in Lübeck this year, where he will not only join director Kristine Briede to present “Bridges of Time”, but also screen his newest documentary “To Be Continued” (LAT 2018), which observes Latvian children as they go through their first school year.
A very special relationship is at the centre of this year’s Master Class on “Reality and Morality”, which focusses on the latest documentary by Norwegian director Erik Poppe, who recently created a bit of a sensation with “U – July 22” (NOR 2018, showing this year in the Specials section). In “Per Fugelli – I Die” (NOR 2018), Poppe accompanies his friend, the Norwegian physician and public health pioneer, through the final stages of Fugelli’s fatal cancer. The resulting film is both profound and absorbing. Erik Poppe himself will be at the Master Class to talk with young filmmakers about how to deal with highly sensitive subjects, and the filmmaker’s responsibility to his protagonists. He will also discuss the use of narrative filmmaking methods on documentary storytelling.
60th Nordische Filmtage Lübeck Documentary Program
14 Cases / 14 Käänet / 14 Fälle Estland / 2017 / 85 Min. Director(s): Marianna Kaat Life between two cultures – for more than four years, this film followed Estonians of Russian descent, who have important decisions to make for their children. 690 Vopnafjör∂ur / 690 Vopnafjör∂ur / 690 Vopnafjör∂ur Island / 2017 / 57 Min. Director(s): Karna Sigur∂ardóttir The highs and lows of daily life. The film is an honest portrait of a small, isolated fishing village in eastern Iceland, which shatters many an Iceland cliché. Ahto. Chasing a Dream / Ahto. Unistuste jaht / Ahto. Chasing a Dream Estland / 2018 / 92 Min. Director(s): Jaanis Valk In 1938, Ahto Valter set out to circumnavigate the globe with his family and a crew hired via newspaper ads. Kodak sponsored the film to record his 18-month trip. Bad Circumstances / Slette omstændigheder / Widrige Umstände Dänemark / 2018 / 58 Min. Director(s): Max Kestner Hobby historian Holberg is trying to track down a mystery from the history of the Greenland expeditions. But the closer he comes to it, the more mysterious it becomes. Bridges of Time / Bridges of Time / Brücken der Zeit Lettland / Litauen / Estland / 2018 / 80 Min. Director(s): Kristine Briede, Audrius Stonys A documentary film about documentary films, made up of scenes from the Baltic New Wave, a group of directors who developed a poetic cinematic language in the 1960s. D Is for Division / Mūris / Unruhige Grenze Lettland / Tschechische Republik / 2018 / 87 Min. Director(s): Dāvis Sīmanis Latvia’s eastern border is regarded by many as a cultural dividing line between Russia and Europe. Davis Simanis visited it with his camera. A borderline experience. Fuck Off 2 – Images from Finland / Perkele 2 – Kuvia Suomesta / Fuck Off 2 – Bilder aus Finnland Finnland / 2017 / 93 Min. Director(s): Jörn Donner Is it worth living, loving and dying in today’s Finland? Jörn Dönner once again zeros in on social conditions in this sequel to the cult documentary “Fuck Off”. Heartbound – A Different Kind of Love Story / Hjertelandet / Herzensland – Eine etwas andere Liebesgeschichte Dänemark / Niederlande / Schweden / 2018 / 90 Min. Director(s): Janus Metz, Sine Plambech Between Thy and Thailand – a touching long-term film observation of Thai women who have sought a better life by marrying men from faraway, cold Denmark. Iceland Defense Force – Cold War Frontier / „Varnarliðið“ kaldastríðsútvörður / Iceland Defense Force – Vorposten des Kalten Kriegs Island / 2017 / 89 Min. Director(s): Gu∂bergur Daví∂sson, Konrá∂ Gylfason A meticulously researched documentary about a NATO base that existed in Keflavík, Iceland, from 1951 – 2006, giving the small country a role in the Cold War. Maj Doris / Maj Doris / Maj Doris Schweden / Norwegen / 2018 / 72 Min. Director(s): Jon Blåhed She is a star in the Sami community. The film is a warm-hearted portrait of artist and reindeer herder Maj Doris Rimpi as she moves through the arctic winter. My Heart Belongs to Daddy / Røverdatter / Räubertochter Norwegen / Schweden / 2018 / 83 Min. Director(s): Sofia Haugan How a young filmmaker tries to get her drug-addicted and criminal father back on the right track again. Disturbing, tragic – and funny. Nokia Mobile – We Were Connecting People / Nokia Mobile – Matkapuhelimen tarina / Nokia Mobile – We Were Connecting People Finnland / Norwegen / Deutschland / 2017 / 92 Min. Director(s): Arto Koskinen Once proud to work for Nokia, today some of them are ashamed of it. Former employees talk about the rise and fall of the Finnish mobile telephone giant. Per Fugelli – I Die / Per Fugelli – siste resept / Per Fugelli – Das letzte Rezept Norwegen / 2018 / 110 Min. Director(s): Erik Poppe In 2009, the doctor Per Fugelli became ill with cancer. In 2015, he stopped the treatment. In his view, health is all to do with the world in which we live. Rodeo / Rodeo / Rodeo Estland / Finnland / 2018 / 74 Min. Director(s): Raimo Jõerand, Kiur Aarma Government policies as a wild rodeo: This real political thriller reconstructs the term in office of Mart Laar, Estonia’s first prime minister after the Soviet era. Roots / Juured / Wurzeln Estland / 2018 / 102 Min. Director(s): Nora Särak, Aljona Suržikova, Heilika Pikkov, Anna Hints, Moonika Siimets, Kersti Uibo What are our roots? Six highly varied pieces by female Estonian documentary filmmakers on the subjects of home and family, shot for the country’s centenary. The Illuminators / Valontuoja / Die das Licht brachten Finnland / 2017 / 68 Min. Director(s): Antti Haase The documentary film maker Antti Haase tells the remarkable story of how his grandfather became Lapland’s father of light after the second world war. The Night / Natta pappa henta oss / Die Nacht, als uns Papa abholte Norwegen / Belgien / Schweden / 2017 / 65 Min. Director(s): Steffan Strandberg An autobiographical story about his childhood – director Steffan Strandberg’s mother was an alcoholic. In his film, he tackles difficult memories. The Ocean – Fishing with Love / Havi∂ – Kærleiki umbor∂ / Das Meer – Liebe an Bord Dänemark / Färöer / 2018 / 42 Min. Director(s): Eir í Ólavsstovu It’s the end of a tradition – only a single fishing boat still plies the waters of Eiði in the Faroe Islands. It belongs to Sonni and his wife Jenny. The Raft / Flotten / Das Floß Schweden / Dänemark / USA / Deutschland / 2017 / 98 Min. Director(s): Marcus Lindeen In 1973, eleven people crossed the Atlantic by raft. The reconstruction of a controversial social experiment, awarded at the CPH:DOX festival in Copenhagen. The Raven and the Seagull / Lykkelænder / The Raven and the Seagull Dänemark / Grönland / 2018 / 71 Min. Director(s): Lasse Lau A cinematic observation of relations between Greenland and Denmark. Echoes of colonial history resound along the coasts and icy landscapes of the far north. The River, My Friend / Älven min Vän / Der Fluss, meine Freundin Schweden / Schweiz / 2018 / 47 Min. Director(s): Hannah Ambühl A portrait of four women who live along Sweden’s Lule River. When the river opened to commercial traffic, their lives changed and traditions began to disappear. The Snowball Rolled South / Riedėjo gniūžtė į pietus / Der Schneeball rollte gen Süden Litauen / 2018 / 52 Min. Director(s): Ieva Balsiūnaitė The Lithuanian capital Vilnius was once a thriving centre of Jewish life. But at the end of the 19th century, tens of thousands of Jews left – for South Africa. To Be Continued / Turpinājums / Fortsetzung folgt Lettland / 2018 / 97 Min. Director(s): Ivars Seleckis This documentary film has five main protagonists. Ivars Seleckis followed children from various parts of Latvia throughout their first two years of school.Documentary program (shorts)
As We’re Told / Vi bara lyder / Dienst nach Vorschrift Schweden / 2017 / 28 Min. Director(s): Erik Holmström, Fredrik Wenzel The most unpopular government agency in Sweden is the employment agency. Puppet animation based on research for the nonfiction book “Vi bara lyder”. Confessions of an Angry Mother / En arg mors bekännelser / Bekenntnisse einer wütenden Mutter Finnland / 2018 / 6 Min. Director(s): Catarina Diehl When the children were small, their mother says, she was distraught. Now she’s mostly angry. Report on daily routines and feelings that have long been taboo. Estonian Stories. Kerro 40 / Eesti lood. Kerro 40 / Estnische Geschichten. Kerro 40 Estland / 2017 / 28 Min. Director(s): Aljona Suržikova Celebrations are a must in rural areas. For three generations, Estonian folklore has been practised at the family club Kerro. Now the 40th anniversary is coming up. The Eyes of a War 1918 / Sodan Silmät 1918 / Die Augen des Krieges 1918 Finnland / 2018 / 22 Min. Director(s): Jouko Aaltonen, Seppo Rustanius During the Finnish civil war, both the Red Guards and the white forces had children fighting in uniform. “The Eyes of a War 1918” memorializes them. The Last in a Line of Fishermen / Den sista hummerfiskaren / Der letzte Hummerfischer Schweden / 2018 / 29 Min. Director(s): Karolin Axelsson Generational portrait on a cutter. Can filmmaker Karolin Axelsson learn from her father to fish lobsters and preserve the family tradition?
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Estonian Film THE LITTLE COMRADE to Open Nordic Film Days Lübeck [Trailer]
The Nordic Film Days Lübeck in Lübeck, northern Germany, will usher in its 60th year with the German premiere of the Estonian film “The Little Comrade” (Seltsimees laps) by Moonika Siimets on October 30, 2018 at 7:30 pm.This marks the first time in the history of the renowned festival that the opening night film will be from a Baltic State. In her first narrative film, director Moonika Siimets tells the story of six-year-old Leelo, living in Estonia in the 1950s. After her mother is taken away, the young girl tries to figure out the difference between good and evil amid the constraints of the Stalinist regime.
In addition to director Moonika Siimets, the NFL will welcome several of the film’s actors, producer Riina Sildos, and Leelo Tungal herself, who wrote the books on which the film is based.
“The Nordic Film Days Lübeck was the first festival that showcased Baltic films as early as 1989, before the Baltic States had attained independence. For 30 years, those films have helped shape the festival and we are extremely happy that we can give special expression to that partnership and connectivity by opening the festival with a film from one of the Baltic states for the first time. In this, the centenary of their founding, films from Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania play a particularly prominent role at the Nordic Film Days Lübeck. Numerous fascinating films will be presented in every section of the festival”, says Linde Fröhlich, artistic director of the Nordic Film Days Lübeck.
“The Little Comrade” is based on the autobiographical novels of prize-winning Estonian writer and poet Leelo Tungal, “Comrade Kid and the Grown-Ups” (2008), and “Velvet and Sawdust” (2009). Her children’s book “Ludwig the Snowman’s Lucky Day” was published in German in 2017.
Estonia in 1950 is in the grip of Stalin’s terror regime. “If you’re a good child, I’ll be back soon”, says Leelo’s mother as she is hauled off to a Siberian gulag. Her young daughter takes that mission to heart, impossible as it may be to fulfil. But not matter what she does, her mother doesn’t return. She wonders if she is responsible for her mother’s disappearance. Little by little, Leelo becomes more confused about what really constitutes good and evil in the world. She needs to find answers to a bunch of questions all by herself, and learn to find her way in the world of the Stalinist regime. The film depicts a young girl’s attempts to stay true to herself despite the tragi-comic events in her homeland.
The film was produced by Riina Sildos with the Estonian production company Amrion Ltd., which she founded. World-wide distribution is being handled by Eyewell in Sweden. “The Little Comrade” was made as part of the EV100 program, dedicated to the centenary of the founding of the Estonian republic.
The 60th Nordic Film Days, presented by the Hanseatic city of Lübeck, will be held from October 30 to November 4, 2018.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDzvbbt3k54
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59th Nordic Film Days Lübeck Award Winners – THE CHARMER Wins NDR Film Prize
The Charmer (Charmøren), the feature debut of director Milad Alami from Denmark is the winner of the NDR Film Prize at the 59th Nordic Film Days Lübeck.
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“Life in a Fishbowl” Wins NDR Film Prize, “HelloHello” Wins Audience Prize at 2014 Nordic Film Days Lübeck
“Life in a Fishbowl” (“Vonarstræti”) directed by Iceland’s Baldvin Z is the big winner at the 56th Nordic Film Days Lübeck. On behalf of the director, the film’s lead actor, Thorsteinn Bachmann, accepted the NDR Film Prize. Life in a Fishbowl, a multiple-narrative drama that follows three people — a struggling single mother, a former athlete trying to scale the corporate ladder, and a once-acclaimed author turned full-time drunk — whose lives intersect in surprising ways, premiered internationally at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, and is Iceland’s entry for the 2015 Best Foreign Language Oscar selection.
The Baltic Film Award for best Nordic feature went to Swedish director Ronnie Sandahl for his debut “Underdog” (“Svenskjævel”) and the director was at the gala ceremony to accept his award. The winner of the Documentary Film Prize went to the Finnish film “Once I Dreamt of Life” (“Näin Unta Elämästä”) by Jukka Kärkkäinen and Sini Liimatainen. The Interfilm Church Prize, went to the opening film, “1001 Grams” by Bent Hamer, and the CineStar Prize for best short film in the Film Forum section went to German director Paul Spengemann for his film “Blue Beneath” (“Unter uns das Blau”).
Winners and Honorable Mentions:
NDR Film Prize:
LIFE IN A FISHBOWL (VONARSTRÆTI), Dir: Baldvin Z., Iceland
Honourable Mention to:
LETTER TO THE KING (BREV TIL KONGEN), Dir: Hisham Zaman, Norway
THEY HAVE ESCAPED (HE OVAT PAENNEET), Dir: J-P Valkeapää, Finland
Audience Prize of the “Lübecker Nachrichten”:
HELLOHELLO (HALLÅHALLÅ), Dir: Maria Blom, Sweden
Baltic Film Prize:
UNDERDOG (SVENSKJÆVEL) Dir: Ronnie Sandahl, Sweden
Interfilm Church Prize:
1001 GRAMS (1001 GRAM), Dir: Bent Hamer, Norway
Documentary Film Prize:
ONCE I DREAMT OF LIFE (NÄIN UNTA ELÄMÄSTÄ) Dir: Jukka Kärkkäinen / Sini Liimatainen, Finland
Children’s jury prize:
THE BOY WITH THE GOLDEN PANTS (POJKEN MED GULDBYXORNA) Dir: Ella Lemhagen, Sweden
Honourable Mention to:
KICK IT! (KULE KIDZ GRÅTER IKKE), Dir: Katarina Launing, Norway
THE CHRISTMAS OF SOLAN & LUDVIG (SOLAN OG LUDVIG – JUL I FLÅKLYPA), Dir: Rasmus A. Sivertsen, Norway
Children’s and Youth jury prize:
THE DISCIPLE (OPPIPOIKA), Dir: Ulrika Bengts, Finland
Honourable Mention to:
THE CHRISTMAS OF SOLAN & LUDVIG (SOLAN OG LUDVIG – JUL I FLÅKLYPA), Dir: Rasmus A. Sivertsen, NorwayCineStar Prize:
BLUE BENEATH (UNTER UNS DAS BLAU), Dir: Paul Spengemann, Germany