17/03/2009

Norwegian crime novelist Gunnar Staalesen and French/Norwegian magistrate Eva Joly are attending the 22nd Rouen Nordic Film Festival (March 18-29), alongside top talents Jan Troell, Maria Heiskanen, Dome Karukoski, Nils Gaup and Gabriel Axel.

Staalesen will attend the first screening in France of the six films based on his famous character, detective Varg Veum. Joly will be on hand next Sunday for the presentation of the documentary film Eva Joly: Une Justice Malgré Tout by Hege Dehli, recently broadcast on Arte.

The festival’s main section, the Official Competition, will present ten feature films from Northern Europe, including: Une chaine pour deux [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (Belgium), Flame & Citron [+see also:
trailer
film profile], Terribly Happy [+see also:
trailer
film profile], (Denmark), The Home of the Dark Butterflies [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (Finland), Country Wedding [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (Iceland), The Kautokeino Rebellion [+see also:
trailer
film profile], Cold Lunch [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (Norway) and Everlasting Moments [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (Sweden).

The jury comprises filmmakers Jean-Pierre Ameris and Pierre Leon, Prune Engler (Festival de La Rochelle), actors Annie Gregorio and Pierre Martot, and musical director of the Rouen Opera House, Oswald Sallaberger.

Festival programmer Isabelle Duault, who saw over 200 films for her selection, said she found the same high production quality in Danish films (although some repetition in subject matters) and many promising new talents from Norway.

Highlights of the festival include a tribute to the “Finnish Valentino”, Teuvo Tulio; the News from the North section with 19 feature films, shorts and documentaries; the Fantasy sidebar of eight films; Cinema from Lower Saxony; and a tribute to Dutch painter Rembrandt through half a dozen films (including Axel’s Nightshift, to be presented by the director).

The festival attracts some 30,000 visitors each year.