54. Nordic Film Days Lübeck: KON-TIKI sails into the Hanseatic City – as the festival’s opening film and European premiere

Lübeck, 21.09.12 – Nordic Film Days Lübeck is very happy and proud to present Norway’s most elaborate film production to date, KON-TIKI, as the opening film of the 54. Nordic Film Days 2012, also signifying its European premiere.The film has recently been submitted as Norway’s Oscar© candidate and has remained unrivalled at No.1 on the Norwegian cinema charts since its release: Never before has a cinema film been launched this successfully in Norway. Nordic Film Days Lübeck, whose 54. edition takes place from 31. October to 4. November 2012, is Europe’s largest film festival for Nordic cinema.

The opening of Nordic Film Days Lübeck on 31. October 2012 will be attended by the directors and several protagonists of KON-TIKI. The film shows the spectacular journey of Thor Heyerdahl, the famous Norwegian scientist and adventurer, who crossed the Pacific Ocean from Peru to Polynesia in 100 days on a wooden raft in 1947. The book Heyerdahl wrote about the expedition has been translated into 70 languages and has sold more than 50 million copies. His documentary film “Kon-Tiki” won an Oscar© in 1951.

The film’s two directors, Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg, have been collaborating successfully for a number of years, e.g. on the international cinema success “Bandidas” (2004, starring Salma Hayek and Penélope Cruz) or “Max Manus” (2008). Pål Sverre Valheim Hagen stars as Thor Heyerdahl in KON-TIKI, which also features Anders Baasmo Christiansen, Gustaf Skarsgård, Odd-Magnus Williamson, Tobias Santelmann, Jacob Oftebro and Agnes Kittelsen.

KON-TIKI had its world premiere on 7. August 2012 at the Norwegian Opera in Oslo, in attendance of the Norwegian royal couple. The film was co-produced by partners from Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Great Britain and Germany. The German co-producer and distributor of KON-TIKI is DCM. The film is released in German cinemas on 21. March 2013.

Further information and press images of KON-TIKI on the DCM press server at http://dcmworld.com/distribution/   Presse

Please find all screening times and programme details of the 54. Nordic Film Days Lübeck at www.filmtage.luebeck.de as of end October.

Contact:
Silke Lehmann
Head of Press and Publicity
Nordic Film Days Lübeck
Schildstr. 12, 23539 Lübeck, Germany
T: +49 451 122 1454
F: +49 451 122 1799
silke.lehmann@filmtage.luebeck.de