In 2020 the short film THE KICKSLED CHOIR (by Torfinn Iversen, Norway) was a real award magnet. The film – shortlisted for the Oscars in 2021 and taking home awards from just about every festival it screened at – tells of a boy who witnesses a racist incident involving his father. In a wintry village, preparing for Christmas, he stands up for his own convictions, although this increases tensions with his father. It looks like this beautiful short film is now getting an extension: THE KICKSLED CHOIR – the feature film is currently being prepared by Norwegian producer Fjordic Film.
The direction is again in the hands of Torfinn Iversen. But the project is still on hold for a while, until the completion of the long-awaited UNCLE EGG, with the same director and producer, a film that caused quite a stir in the development phase (including selections for the Cinekid Script and Directors Lab and the Best Pitch Award at M:Brane 2022). This family film follows a 12-year-old Norwegian boy, setting out on an adventurous trip towards a scorching German summer together with his cuckoo-obsessed uncle, in search of his biological father. The quest is not going to be easy as he learns that there are 25,000 men going by that same name. UNCLE EGG is a Norwegian coproduction with Germany, produced by Julia Andersen for Fjordic Film.
Meanwhile, a sequel is being prepared for the Norwegian success DANCING QUEEN (by Aurora Gossé). The Norwegian Film Institute gave financial support for the development of DANCING QUEEN IN HOLLYWOOD, which suggests that the thread of the story neatly picks up where it ended: Mina and her dance partner Markus are invited to Los Angeles to participate in a music video. But a marital crisis at home seems to thwart Mina’s dream. The film would again be directed by Aurora Gossé; producer is Thomas Robsahm for Amarcord. Robsahm: “DANCING QUEEN has done so well both domestically and internationally, attracting more than 70,000 people to Norwegian cinemas and playing successfully at numerous international festivals. With DANCING QUEEN we have succeeded in launching our own brand name based on an original script. And the young actors were great, so we look forward to working with them again.”