18/06/2007

The screen adaptation of Jostein Gaarder’s bestselling novel Through a Glass Darkly, produced by 4 1/2 Production in Norway in co-production with Zentropa in Denmark, has just been allocated €1.3m from the Norwegian Film Fund (NFF) towards its €2.6m budget.

Popular Norwegian actor Aksel Hennie (Hawaii, Oslo [+see also:
trailer
film profile]) will play the angel Ariel, who visits the 13 year-old Cecilie, bedridden with a fatal illness. Both agree to discuss the secrets of Heaven and Earth.

“Although the theme sounds incredibly sad, I think that the film still has wide audience potential,” said Nikolaj Frobenius, film consultant at the NFF. “Seriousness and sadness can indeed open the door to humour, compassion and longing, strong emotions on which some of the greatest films are based”.

A family film, Through a Glass Darkly will be directed by Denmark’s Jesper W. Nielsen (Okay) and released domestically by Nordisk in the fall 2008.

Three other films were supported by the NFF. Barnevandrerne (“Child Wanderers”) by Grete Salomonsen will deal with an oft-concealed episode of Norwegian history, when children were traded for cheap labor in the early 20th century. The €3.8m project produced by Penelope Film was awarded €1m. Nordisk will handle domestic distribution in 2009.

The low-budget horror film Rovdyr (“Beast of Prey”), recipient of a €470,673 grant, will start shooting on July 2 for 20 days. The film by first-time director Patrik Syversen and co-writer Nini T. Robsahm is also the first to be produced by Torleif Hauge (Hawaii, Oslo) for his newly founded Fender Film. Euforia Film will handle Norwegian distribution early 2008.

Lastly, Fallen Angels, the second feature of the Varg Veum series, will be shot by Buddy director Morten Tyldum in mid-July for 35 days. The €2.4m project by producer-distributor SF Norge was awarded €928,961. The company is set to distribute the film domestically in March 2008.