08/04/2022 - The new film will explore the origins of the labour movement and workers’ rights in the mining city of Sulitjelma in the early 20th century

Actor Simon J Berger and director Nils Gaup (© Anette Wiman)

SF Studios has announced the making of a new historical action drama titled The Riot [+see also:
trailer
film profile]. The feature, with Nils Gaup (The Last King [+see also:
trailer
interview: Nils Gaup
film profile], The Kautokeino Rebellion [+see also:
trailer
film profile], Pathfinder) at the helm, centres on the origins of the labour movement and workers’ rights in the mining city Sulitjelma in the early 20th century, “an important part of history that has never been told on screen before.”

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The plot will follow Konrad and the suppressed workers who stand together in revolt against the mining company and its ruthless leader Wennstrøm. The film deals with actual incidents at Norway’s second largest workplace, where the mining company had all the power and workers struggled under inhuman conditions in the dangerous and dark mines. This was defined as “the Wild West of the Nordic countries.” Oppression, slave labour and the brutality of capitalism ended with a revolt that created the Nordic model and the modern society we see today in Scandinavia.

The cast of The Riot includes Otto Fahlgren (the TV series Beartown) and Simon J. Berger (Margrete – Queen of the North [+see also:
trailer
interview: Charlotte Sieling
film profile], the TV series Exit) playing the leading roles, with Alexandra Gjerpen, Mads Sjøgård Pettersen, Stig Henrik Hoff and Heidi Ruud Ellingsen in supporting roles. 

Speaking about the project, Gaup said: “The Riot is a miniature of how greed, the exploitation of humans and nature lead society in the wrong direction. We want to make a film that shows that people can achieve great things when they stand together.”

Lead actor Simon J. Berger commented: “The Riot is an important story to tell. It is a fantastic historical material that is highlighted and revealed in the film. I'm very glad I can be part of this project, which will be a classic hero story.”

Producer Tom Vidar Karlsen added: “After many years of planning, we are finally in the process of filming the story of Sulitjelma. We have included a truly Nordic star team in this project. The tragic events of what happened in Sulitjelma are well known to us who grew up nearby, and now, we can finally tell this story to a national and international audience.”

The project is the biggest production staged by a northern Norwegian studio to date. Principal photography started this week at FilmCamp in Målselv. It will later move to Sulitjelma, outside of Fauske.

The Riot is being produced by Tom Vidar Karlsen and Trond Eliassen for Norwegian studio Storyline NOR, in collaboration with Götafilm (Sweden), Handmade Films in Norwegian Woods (Norway), Studio Locomotive (Latvia), FilmCamp (Norway), Filmfond Nord (Norway), Film i Väst (Sweden) and Filminvest (Norway) and with backing from the Swedish Film Institute. It will premiere in Norwegian cinemas next year, followed by an international release. SF Studios will be in charge of its Nordic distribution, whilst REinvent will be handling its international sales.