News of Norway

film issue
dear reader,
Even though Norway has had its own
film industry since the silent movie era,
with few exceptions – such as when
“Kon-Tiki” won an Oscar in 1951 – it catered
mostly to a domestic audience. Traditionally,
Norwegians often have preferred foreign
movies, especially those made in Hollywood.
Norwegian filmmakers
worked in
the shadow of
Sweden through
the 1960s and ‘70s
with names such as
Ingmar Bergman
in the spotlight,
and in the 1980s, it
was Danish film,
with Lars von Trier
and his “dogma”
concept movies
and his disciples,
that won international
acclaim.
However, there has
long been an international awareness of
Scandinavian filmmaking and its unique perspective
on the human condition.
The good news is that in the last 15 years
we have seen a remarkable surge of
Norwegian films, reflecting contemporary
life and human challenges. Many of these
films have received awards at major film festivals
in Europe and North America. There are
some key explanations to why we now see a
vibrant and internationally recognized
Norwegian movie industry. Firstly, we need
PHOTO BY ARILD STRØMMEN
to go back to the 1980s, when commercial TV
arrived in Norway. With it came new job
opportunities for filmmakers to make TV
commercials for the domestic and international
markets. A lot of creativity was released,
and Norwegian commercials became cool and
won major prizes abroad with their particular
brand of humorous storytelling.
Young and unknown filmmakers gained
the confidence they needed to move to short
films and feature movies. Secondly, the establishment
of the Lillehammer Film Academy
increased interest in filmmaking and laid the
foundation for a larger and more professional
filmmaking community. Finally, the government
made the strategic decision to substantially
increase long-term funding of
Norwegian film production. Since then, the
cultural policy has been to fund many film
projects, both the small and independent films
in addition to the more commercial ones.
Today, we are reaping the fruits of this
investment. As someone involved in public
diplomacy, I cannot think of many other
forms of communication that so effectively
can tell a story about my country and help
place it not only in people’s minds, but also in
their hearts. You can read more about
Norwegian films and actors in this issue of
News of Norway. Many of the Norwegian
movies presented here are available at better
stocked DVD stores around the United States,
are sold on the internet, and are frequently
screened at film festivals and independent
movie theaters in larger cities. Do take the
time to see some of them!
jannicke jaeger, counselor of communications,
royal norwegian embassy
Royal Norwegian Embassy
2720 34th. St., NW
Washington, D.C. 20008
(202) 333-6000
www.norway.org
AMBASSADOR
Wegger Chr. Strommen
COUNSELOR, COMMUNICATIONS
Jannicke Jaeger
EDITOR
Arild Strommen
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
Eli Havn
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News of Norway (ISSN: 0028-9272)
is published by the Royal Norwegian
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Norwegian
film through
100 years
by ingerid lund & eli havn
1906/1908:
The first film produced in
Norway has been lost and
source material is ambiguous.
Produced by Hugo Hermansen in
1906 or 1908, it was entitled
"Dangers of a Fisherman's Life"
("Fiskerlivets farer") or "A Drama
at Sea" ("Et drama paa havet").
1931:
Norway's first movie with
sound, "The Big Christening," is
released, written by Tancred
Ibsen, grandson of authors
Henrik Ibsen and Bjørnstjerne
Bjørnson. The 30s were a time
of growth and heightened popularity
for the film industry.
2 | news of norway | spring 2009
PHOTOS IN TIMELINE COURTESY OF NORWEGIAN FILM INSTITUTE