11/09/2006

Norwegian director Hans Petter Moland has won the Best Director Award for his film Comrade Pedersen (Gymnaslærer Pedersen), which was up against 20 other feature films at the 30th Montreal World Film Festival.

The fifth feature film by Moland (Beautiful Country) had already conquered over 190,000 filmgoers in Norway before crossing the Atlantic for its international premiere in Montreal.

Based on Dag Soldad’s best-selling novel, the film, set in 1968, tells the story of young high school teacher Knut Pedersen, who arrives in a new town dreaming of a bourgeois existence. But he soon changes political sides and direction as he meets doctor Nina, a member of the Marxist Leninist party AKP.

The film stars Kristoffer Joner and Ane Dahl Torp, who won a Best Actress Amanda Award (local Oscar) last month for her performance as Nina. Comrade Pedersen was produced by Ørjan Karlsen for Motlys Film and is being sold internationally by Non Stop Sales.