08/03/2013 - Hisham Zaman's feature debut and Göteborg winner Before Snowfall selected for competition at the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival between April 17-28

Kurdish-Norwegian director Hisham Zaman’s feature debut, Before Snowfall [+see also:
trailer
film profile] – an Iraqi-Norwegian road movie – will make a stop-over in New York, to screen in the World Narrative Competition at the Tribeca Film Festival, which runs between April 17-28.

Before Snowfall, which opened domestically on January 15, was unspooling at Norway’s Tromsø showcase, before it won the SEK 1 million (€115,000) Dragon Award Best Nordic Film at Sweden’s Göteborg International Film Festival for “an original and honest vision that goes beyond clichés.”

At Tribeca, which was founded and is headed by US actor Robert de Niro, screening 250 films from more than 30 countries, including 53 world premieres, it will be the only Nordic entry among the 12 contenders “reflecting the universal power of film and storytelling that Tribeca celebrates in this section”.

Before Snowfall follows Siyar in search of his eldest sister, after she has fled her wedding in the little village in Iraqui-Kurdistan. Since their father is dead, it is up to Siyar to find her, bring her back and restore family honour; in Istanbul he meets a young girl, who joins him on the voyage through Greece, Germany and Norway.

Scripted by Zaman and Kjell Ola Dahl, starring Taher Abdullah Taher, Suzan Ilir, Bahar Özen and Birol Ünel, Before Snowfall was produced by Finn Gjerdrum and Stein B Kvae for Paradox Produksjoner, and released in Norway by Scanbox. Last year Norwegian director Magnus Martens’ Jackpot [+see also:
trailer
interview: Magnus Martens
film profile] participated in the Tribeca’s Cinemania, and in 2011 Jannicke Systad Jacobsen’s Turn Me On, Goddammit! [+see also:
trailer
interview: Jannicke Systad Jacobsen
film profile] won for Best Script in the World Narrative contest.