News of Norway

More documents

Recommendations

Info

y arild strommen norway’s no 1 director Norwegian film director Harald Zwart goes to Beijing in May this year to start making a new version of “Karate Kid.” “New movie scripts come across my desk all the time,” Zwart said. “The best ones already have stars attached.” “Karate Kid” will be produced by Will Smith and star his son Jaden and Jackie Chan. With his feet firmly planted in Hollywood and as the person behind Norwegian blockbusters such as “Long Flat Balls” and its sequel, Zwart is arguably the most accomplished filmmaker to come out of Norway. He claims not to have gone out of his way to promote himself, but always concentrated on creating a good product. “If you are good enough, Hollywood will track you down,” he said. About 10 years ago, he received a phone call from the agency International Creative Management, with an invitation to have lunch with Steven Spielberg in Los Angeles. Zwart already had a successful career producing commercials in the United Kingdom, and Spielberg had been impressed by the Norwegian director’s show reel. “Having lunch with Spielberg opened many doors,” Zwart said. It most significantly led him to directing “One Night at McCool’s,” starring Liv Tyler, Michael Douglas, Matt Dillon, and Paul Reiser. A black comedy about three men who fall in love with the same woman on the same night, the film showcased Zwart’s talent for complex narrative, edgy humor, and inspired casting. Zwart went on to shoot “Agent Cody Banks,” an action film starring Frankie Muniz and Hilary Duff in the story of a teen secret agent with the tag line: “The CIA spent $10 million on his training, but didn’t teach him how to talk to women.” “Michael Douglas became a mentor of sorts,” Zwart said. And through Douglas he met Steve Martin, who was the lead in “The Pink Panther II,” which Zwart directed in 2008. The movie got a lukewarm reception by critics, something Zwart seemed unfazed by. “Our target audience was not critics or those who always will think that anyone other than Peter Sellers can’t be the Pink Panther. It is like when you make a movie based on a book, people who loved that book will think the book was better than the movie,” he said. Producer, and wife, Veslemøy Ruud Zwart chimed in: “If you feel you always have to take other people’s opinions into account, it can block your creativity.” She feels a movie based on something that already exists should still be a stand-alone product, something new, which also goes for the upcoming “Karate Kid.” It is not meant to be a movie for those who grew up with Ralph Maccio in the lead. “We want to make a movie for a new generation, those who haven’t seen ‘Karate Kid,’” she said. Veslemøy Ruud Zwart is founder and chief executive of the feature company Zwart Arbeid and the commercial production company Motion Blur, operating in Norway and Los Angeles. According to Harald, she is the backbone of their filmmaking operation. “She has extraordinary creative flair and pushes me to do my best. She is inseparable from my success,” he said. The filmmaking couple will now spend three months in China working on “Karate Kid.” PHOTOS COURTESY OF NORWEGIAN FILM INSTITUTE 1949 Edith Carlmar, Norway's first female director, debutes with the film "Death is a Caress", a film considered to be Norway's first film noir." She made 10 feature films between 1949 and 1959. 1959: Liv Ullmann is cast in her first starring role in Edith Carlmar’s "The Wayward Girl" ("Ung flukt"). Carlmar’s critically acclaimed films often sparked public debate, and are today considered classics. 4 | news of norway | spring 2009
los angeles celebrates 10 years of nordic film by ann christin eng & liecel tverli scully In January, the 10th Scandinavian Film Festival in Los Angeles showcased riveting drama, zany comedies, and haunting imagery. Four Norwegian films were screened this year at the Writers Guild Theatre in Beverly Hills. The inspiration to create the festival came from an interest in Nordic film and a desire to share it with the American audience, founder and director James Koenig explained. “In a way, Scandinavian Film Festival L.A. was inspired by Liv Ullmann. About a dozen years ago, an organization called Women in Film, along with the Norwegian and Danish consulates sponsored a screening of Ullmann’s directorial debut ‘Sophie.’ She was there along with a small audience. I couldn’t help but think, ‘There are wonderful Nordic films like this, and people here don’t get the chance to see them.’ People need to see such films,” Koenig said. He then set out to create an annual opportunity to see films from the five Nordic countries – including as many as possible of the Nordic Oscar submissions, feature films, shorts, and documentaries. “The response has been great. It is clear that there is interest in Nordic film in Hollywood. Now in our 10th year we are proud to have regulars who see nearly every screening – industry professionals, film lovers, and homesick Nordics.” Increased interest and the growth of the festival are in many ways connected to current cultural and technological changes. Koenig points out that the diversity of the American population has made the country more used to linguistic diversity and subtitles, opening up the market for foreign films. “Film is a nexus of art and technology, and business. Technology is increasing accessibility. Accessibility translates to increased interest,” he said. Norwegian films screened this year included “Peer Gynt from the Streets,” Harald Zwart’s comedy “Long Flat Balls II,” “Dead Cold,” set in 2020 when the Gulf Stream has disappeared and the northern areas are frozen over, and “The Kautokeino Rebellion.” The last chronicles a Sami uprising in northern Norway in 1852, directed by a descendant of the rebellion. “After screening Nils Gaup’s wonderful Kautokeino Rebellion, I received letters of gratitude from a lawyer who has handled major cases defending the rights of Native Americans, and from a Native American producer working for a film studio,” Koenig said. The film festival offers important networking opportunities for film professionals and Koenig has witnessed it giving rise to further collaborations: “A Norwegian cinematographer who was working here met Danish director Bille August at our festival and ended up working with him. Norwegian director Erik Poppe, at the festival with his film, ‘Hawaii Oslo,’ connected with both an agent and North American management via introductions at the festival. I’ve kept the thank you note from the agent. Filmmakers attending the festival have found distributors for theatrical and DVD releases,” Koenig said. According to the festival director, Norwegian film has something essentially Nordic to it, dealing with life, death, love, hate, fear, identity, immigration, alienation, and other human issues, which the American audience is readily able to identify with. WHERE TO SEE NORWEGIAN FILM film “The Kautokeino Rebellion,” the second most seen Norwegian film in 2008, chronicles a Sami uprising in northern Norway in 1852. It is directed by Nils Gaup, a descendant of the rebellion. It was one of four Norwegian films showed in Los Angeles in January. Los Angeles Scandinavian Film Festival Los Angeles, Calif., January www.scandinavianfilmfestivalla.com Austin Scandinavian Film Fest Austin, Texas, February www.scandinavianfilmfest.com/austin Denver Scandinavian Film Fest Denver, Colo., March/April wwwscandinavianfilmfest.com/denver Scandinavia House Films New York, year-round www.scandinaviahouse.org Seattle Scandinavian Film Fest Seattle, Wash., October www.scandinavianfilmfest.com/seattle Twin Cities Nordic Lights Film Fest Minneapolis, Minn., November www.scandinavianfilmfest.com/twincities PHOTO BY NORWEGIAN FILM INSTITUTE 1965: "The Heroes of Telemark" starring Kirk Douglas is based on the true story of the Norwegian heavy water sabotage at Rjukan, Norway, which denied the Germans the ability to develop a nuclear bomb during World War II. 1975: The most widely seen Norwegian film of all time, "Pinchcliffe Grand Prix" ("Flåklypa Grand Prix"), is released. The stop motion animated feature directed by Ivo Caprino has sold 5.5 million tickets since its release. www.norway.org | 5
Page 1 and 2: 1 2009 spring news of norway film i
Page 3: film PHOTO COURTESY OF NORWEGIAN FI
Page 7 and 8: film worth the ride by anne myklebu
Page 9 and 10: debut in her to 31- en nal ave she
Page 11 and 12: society & policy PHOTO BY SIRI WOLL
Page 13 and 14: ooks The Conqueror “ by anahita y
Page 15 and 16: calendar PHOTO BY WWW.KNUTERIKJENSE

News of Norway

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?