21/08/2007

From today until August 24, 270 industry professionals from 40 countries are expected to attend the 13th New Nordic Films, the annual market held parallel to the Norwegian International Film Festival (NIFF) in Haugesund.

Gunnar Johan Løvvik, director of NIFF, says that New Nordic Films 2007 will be particularly important as two government representatives, the Minister of Culture Trond Giske and the Minister of Foreign Affairs Jonas Gahr Støre, will attend tonight’s opening gala. “The exceptional presence of the Minister of Foreign Affairs sends a strong message – that the Norwegian government takes Norwegian films, and film in general, very seriously,” he said.

Twenty-five new Nordic features films and documentaries will screen at New Nordic Films, including The Quiet Storm by Iceland’s Gydny Halldorsdottir (The Men’s Choir) and Gone With the Woman [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Petter Næss, sold by Svensk Filmindustri. Nils Gaup’s Kautokeino Rebellion will be introduced as a work in progress, along with five other Nordic titles.

This year’s Nordic Co-Production Forum on August 22-23 will focus on Germany. “In its second year, the Forum is not that well established, so we’ve decided to concentrate just on co-productions with Germany”, explained Gyda Velvin Mycklebust, head of the market. Sixteen projects looking for extra financing have been short-listed, including a new project by Sven Taddicken (Emma’s Glück [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]) produced by Wüste Filmproduktion.

This year’s case studies are Jan Troell’s €5m Maria Larsson’s Everlasting Moment [+see also:
trailer
film profile], which will be discussed by co-producers Thomas Stenderup from Denmark, Sigve Endresen from Norway and Ute Schneider from Germany; and Bent Hamer’s O'Horten [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], presented by the director/producer, his co-producer Karl Baumgartner (Pandora) and sales agent Michael Weber (The Match Factory).

The panel on Film Financing in Europe on August 22 is organised by Peacefulfish and PricewaterhouseCoopers, and the August 23 scripwriting panel by the European Producers Club.