27/03/2008

As of Tuesday, the Norwegian Film School (NFS) in Lillehammer has been celebrating its 10th anniversary, with masterclasses and screenings of films from past graduates. The event will culminate Friday with an official speech from Norway’s Minister of Culture, Trond Giske.

Just a few days before the official opening of the new Norwegian Film Institute, the gathering in Lillehammer is a great opportunity for Giske to pay tribute to an institution that has played a key role in rejuvenating Norwegian cinema and strengthening the local film industry.

The NFS’s 10th jubilee celebration started at Lillehammer University College – which houses the film school – with masterclasses by US script specialist Dick Ross, UK sound editor Larry Sider (Simon Magnus), Icelandic editor Valdis Oskarsdottir (Festen) and UK producer Nik Powell, head of London’s National Film & Television School.

Films by past NFS graduates screening this week and reflecting the vital role of the school as a breeding ground for new Norwegian talents include Sarah Johnsen’s Kissed by Winter [+see also:
trailer
film profile], Ove Raymond Gyldenås’ Tommy’s Inferno, Roar Uthaug’s Cold Prey [+see also:
trailer
interview: Roar Uthaug
film profile] and Sons [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Erik Richter Strand.

The NFS offers a three-year programme combining theory and practice in seven film disciplines: scriptwriting, directing, production, editing, cinematography, sound and production design. Over the past decade, some 150 students have graduated from the school and during the last three to four years, many Norwegian films have been made by teams of past NFS graduates.

“Former students have integrated very well into the industry, and the amount of work that they’ve done collectively and that has reached an audience is quite impressive,” said producer Eric Vogel (Tordenfilm), who made Sons with his school friends Richter Strand and scriptwriter Thomas Seeberg Torjussen. “So I think it’s safe to say that the school has been very important in shaping the current industry.”