Lübeck, Oct. 27, 2015. The seven films in the Specials section of the 57th Nordic Film Days Lübeck bring together notable Scandinavian directors, whose most recent films reflect the broad scope and diversity of Nordic filmmaking. Some of the films will be screening in exclusive previews in Lübeck before they are released in Germany. One of those is “The Girl King”, with director Mika Kaurismäki on hand in Lübeck to personally introduce his opulent period film, which uses its skilled ensemble cast to great effect in drawing a complex portrait of Queen Christina of Sweden. The film will be released in German theatres in the early summer of 2016. In “Armi Alive!” Kaurismäki’s compatriot Jörn Donner takes a look at another important woman in contemporary history – designer and businesswoman Armi Ratia, who founded the label Marimekko and led it to success. Furniture mogul Ingvar Kamprad, founder of IKEA, is the target of the protagonist of Gunnar Vikene’s cryptic comedy “Here is Harold”, also scheduled for theatrical release in early summer 2016. "The Wave” directed by Roar Uthaug is Norway's entry into the 2016 foreign-language Oscar race. The action-packed disaster movie boasts extremely realistic special effects that challenge Hollywood at its own game.
By contrast, Joachim Trier’s “Louder than Bombs”, which represented Norway in this year’s Cannes competition, is a quiet, reflective film that follows the mourning and rapprochement of a widow and his sons after the death of his wife. The film (featuring Gabriel Byrne and Isabelle Huppert) will be released theatrically on January 7, 2016. Final farewells are also the subject of “Silent Heart”, director Bille August’s story of a terminally ill woman who is determined to choose her own way to end her life and gathers her family around her one last time (released date: Feb. 18, 2016). Finally, Daniel Dencik takes us back in time and place to West Africa’s “Gold Coast”, where he explores Denmark’s involvement in the slave trade.
Some of the directors in the Specials section began their film careers with movies that told stories in short. Short and Complex also describes the 25 films in the "Nordic Shorts" section, divided into four thematic programmes titled “Family Secrets”, “The Crux of Relationships”, “Pitfalls of Life” and “Seven Sámi Stories”. "Sámi Stories" takes us on a journey of discovery to the heart of Lapland, showing us the region in Scandinavia’s far north through the eyes of young Sámi filmmakers, as they grapple with issues of tradition and daily life. These shorts overcome limits in many ways and depict stories that have long been wrapped in silence. The films were all shot within six weeks in Kautokeino as part of a project initiated by the International Sámi Film Institute, a partner of the NFL.
A special screening of the Swedish short “Kung Fury” will be part of the Night of the Dead Nazis, alongside the feature “Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead” on November 7th at 10:30 pm at the Koki cinema in Lübeck.
Complete programme information and a personal scheduler are available online at www.filmtage.luebeck.de.Follow us on Facebook and Twitter/nordicfilmdays. Advance ticket sales begin on Saturday, October 31, 2015 at 3:00 pm in the CineStar Filmpalast Stadthalle, Mühlenbrücke 11 in Lübeck and online.
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