‘Fallen Leaves,’ ‘Sex,’ ‘Crossing’ Among Six Films Selected to Compete for Nordic Council Film Prize
Forget about “The Magnificent Seven”: It’s time for The Magnificent Six, competing for the Nordic Council Film Prize this year.
The nominees – consisting of four fiction and two documentary feature films and each representing one of the Nordic countries – were announced by Nordisk Film & TV Fond at the Norwegian International Film Festival in Haugesund.
Denmark is represented by “The Son and the Moon,” directed by Roja Pakari and Emilie Adelina Monies. Written by Pakari – documenting her own struggle with cancer – and Denniz Göl Bertelsen, it’s produced by Sara Stockmann for Sonntag Pictures.
“Twice Colonized” by Lin Alluna, hailing from Greenland, was written by Aaju Peter and Alluna. Pic is produced by Emile Hertling Péronard for Ánorâk Film, Red Marrow Media and EyeSteelFilm.
“I’m extremely happy about the nomination and the fact that Greenland is now, for only the second time, represented at the Nordic Council Film Prize.
The nominees – consisting of four fiction and two documentary feature films and each representing one of the Nordic countries – were announced by Nordisk Film & TV Fond at the Norwegian International Film Festival in Haugesund.
Denmark is represented by “The Son and the Moon,” directed by Roja Pakari and Emilie Adelina Monies. Written by Pakari – documenting her own struggle with cancer – and Denniz Göl Bertelsen, it’s produced by Sara Stockmann for Sonntag Pictures.
“Twice Colonized” by Lin Alluna, hailing from Greenland, was written by Aaju Peter and Alluna. Pic is produced by Emile Hertling Péronard for Ánorâk Film, Red Marrow Media and EyeSteelFilm.
“I’m extremely happy about the nomination and the fact that Greenland is now, for only the second time, represented at the Nordic Council Film Prize.
- 8/20/2024
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
At the Taormina Film Festival, Icelandic director Baltasar Kormákur spoke to Variety about romantic drama “Touch,” his adaptation of the novel by Ólafur Jóhann Ólafsson. The film was released last week in the U.S. by Focus Features, earning rave reviews and a 93% Fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Previously Kormákur has filmed Idris Elba versus a lion in “Beast,” and Jason Clarke and Jake Gyllenhaal versus a mountain in “Everest,” but in some ways this story of an old man, Kristófer, reconciling with a lost love as he faces early-onset dementia was just as daunting.
“My daughter gave me the novel for Christmas, and this piqued my interest, but she didn’t say much about what it was. Then I started reading about this old man looking back on his life, and slowly but surely it started tightening its grip on me. It was weirdly a page-turner in the most relaxed way.
Previously Kormákur has filmed Idris Elba versus a lion in “Beast,” and Jason Clarke and Jake Gyllenhaal versus a mountain in “Everest,” but in some ways this story of an old man, Kristófer, reconciling with a lost love as he faces early-onset dementia was just as daunting.
“My daughter gave me the novel for Christmas, and this piqued my interest, but she didn’t say much about what it was. Then I started reading about this old man looking back on his life, and slowly but surely it started tightening its grip on me. It was weirdly a page-turner in the most relaxed way.
- 7/20/2024
- by John Bleasdale
- Variety Film + TV
Icelandic filmmaker Baltasar Kormákur is a rare sort these days. Here is a director who has built a successful, decades-long career making solid, genre-heavy programmers while often returning to Iceland to put in solid work. There was a time that this kind of output was the lifeblood of the industry. His type nearly extinct now, Kormákur beats on, telling stories for adults.
His new film, Touch, fits right into the mold. Talk about a relic: a mid-budget romantic drama released in theaters! Written by Kormákur and Ólafur Jóhann Ólafsson (based on Ólafur’s 2022 novel of the same name), it tells the story of Kristófer (Egill Olafsson), an older widow who shuts down his restaurant in Iceland and travels to Japan in an attempt to find Miko, the love of his life from half a century ago.
It’s the beginning of 2020 and Covid-19 is swiftly shutting the world down. We...
His new film, Touch, fits right into the mold. Talk about a relic: a mid-budget romantic drama released in theaters! Written by Kormákur and Ólafur Jóhann Ólafsson (based on Ólafur’s 2022 novel of the same name), it tells the story of Kristófer (Egill Olafsson), an older widow who shuts down his restaurant in Iceland and travels to Japan in an attempt to find Miko, the love of his life from half a century ago.
It’s the beginning of 2020 and Covid-19 is swiftly shutting the world down. We...
- 7/15/2024
- by Dan Mecca
- The Film Stage
Sing Sing, the powerful, poignant prison drama starring Colman Domingo, opens NY/LA, with indie love stories Dandelion and Touch debuting on hundreds of screens as distributors continue to tinker with release patterns. Martin Scorsese, eloquent as always, narrates (and executive produced) Made In England: The Films of Powell And Pressburger. Sorry/Not Sorry takes on comedian Louis C.K.
It’s a mixed specialty market still below pre-Covid levels but buoyed recently by hits like Thelma and hopeful that cinema goers are starting to sort out what to see, when and where.
“I think you’re starting to see who’s really theatrical and who isn’t. The lines are becoming clearer. Like, ‘Okay, I’m going to see this, Inside Out 2, in a theater, and I’m going to see that at the Angelika, or wherever, it might be. But I’m going to see it in a theater,...
It’s a mixed specialty market still below pre-Covid levels but buoyed recently by hits like Thelma and hopeful that cinema goers are starting to sort out what to see, when and where.
“I think you’re starting to see who’s really theatrical and who isn’t. The lines are becoming clearer. Like, ‘Okay, I’m going to see this, Inside Out 2, in a theater, and I’m going to see that at the Angelika, or wherever, it might be. But I’m going to see it in a theater,...
- 7/12/2024
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
On the surface, Touch seems to be a sudden change of pace for Icelandic director Baltasar Kormákur, a quiet and polished film-of-the-book that could easily pass for a BBC presentation. It does, however, square with his action-thriller output, being the story of a man on a mission; admittedly, nothing to do with savage lions, mountaineering or Colombian drug cartels, but older audiences will respond to its hero’s perilous journey into the past, risking Covid and the disapproval of his stepdaughter in his bid to solve a mystery that has haunted him for 50 years.
If it wasn’t for the subtitles, you’d swear this was a British movie from the early 2000s, following the Brit-lit conventions established along the way by the film adaptations of bestsellers such as Ian McEwan’s Atonement and On Chesil Beach,...
If it wasn’t for the subtitles, you’d swear this was a British movie from the early 2000s, following the Brit-lit conventions established along the way by the film adaptations of bestsellers such as Ian McEwan’s Atonement and On Chesil Beach,...
- 7/12/2024
- by Damon Wise
- Deadline Film + TV
Icelandic actor/director Baltasar Kormákur is a member of a growing cadre of international filmmakers who make films at home as well as Hollywood. Kormákur is best known for studio action adventures such as “Contraband” (2012), his remake of his 2000 breakout “101 Reykjavik.” Producer/star Mark Wahlberg took a shine to the rugged director, and went on to make another film with him, the $80-million actioner “2 Guns” (2013), co-starring Denzel Washington.
Accustomed to weathering harsh conditions while directing such films as the International Oscar-shortlisted survival film “The Deep” (2013), Kormákur used many tricks in his filmmaking arsenal for Jake Gyllenhaal starrer “Everest” (2015), blending a subzero soundstage with vertiginous ladders, real snow, location footage in the Dolomites, and CGI extensions.
But like many Hollywood imports, he returned to his own country to start a production company and live a double life. He makes some projects in Hollywood (2022’s “Beast” starring Idris Elba), and...
Accustomed to weathering harsh conditions while directing such films as the International Oscar-shortlisted survival film “The Deep” (2013), Kormákur used many tricks in his filmmaking arsenal for Jake Gyllenhaal starrer “Everest” (2015), blending a subzero soundstage with vertiginous ladders, real snow, location footage in the Dolomites, and CGI extensions.
But like many Hollywood imports, he returned to his own country to start a production company and live a double life. He makes some projects in Hollywood (2022’s “Beast” starring Idris Elba), and...
- 7/11/2024
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
The world premiere of Mitzi Peirone’s horror film “Saint Clare” will open the Taormina Film Festival, this year celebrating its 70th anniversary edition. The adaptation of Don Roff’s novel stars Bella Thorne, Ryan Phillippe, Frank Whaley and Rebecca De Mornay. It’s the first of four world premieres to screen at the outdoor Teatro Antico in the Sicilian town, which looks out towards Mount Etna, an active volcano, to the West.
Lee Isaac Chung’s highly anticipated remake/sequel “Twisters,” distributed by Warner Bros. in Italy, is blowing into town for its local premiere. Starring “Normal People’s” Daisy Edgar Jones and “Hitman” star Glen Powell, the “Minari” director’s film is a reupping of Jan de Bont’s mid-90s classic, with a James Cameron-esque title promising to multiply the mayhem.
Marco Mueller, who has taken over as the festival’s artistic director (see interview), commented...
Lee Isaac Chung’s highly anticipated remake/sequel “Twisters,” distributed by Warner Bros. in Italy, is blowing into town for its local premiere. Starring “Normal People’s” Daisy Edgar Jones and “Hitman” star Glen Powell, the “Minari” director’s film is a reupping of Jan de Bont’s mid-90s classic, with a James Cameron-esque title promising to multiply the mayhem.
Marco Mueller, who has taken over as the festival’s artistic director (see interview), commented...
- 6/28/2024
- by John Bleasdale
- Variety Film + TV
Icelandic director Baltasar Kormákur made a handful of smaller films before bursting into mainstream Hollywood with the Mark Wahlberg action flick "Contraband" in 2012. He's stayed steadily busy ever since, cranking out the Denzel Washington/Mark Wahlberg actioner "2 Guns" in 2013, the ensemble mountain climbing thriller "Everest" in 2015, the Shailene Woodley/Sam Claflin survival movie "Adrift" in 2018, and the "Idris Elba fights a lion" movie "Beast" in 2022, plus directing a couple of television shows in between. As those credits indicate, Kormákur is primarily known to American audiences for his high-octane filmmaking style. His latest project, however, marks a significant change of pace.
"Touch," written by Kormákur and Ólafur Jóhann Ólafsson (based on a novel by Ólafsson), tells the story of Kristófer, an elderly Icelander whose wife has passed away. Spurred on by some health issues of his own and sense that he's running out of time, Kristófer sets out to find a woman named Miko,...
"Touch," written by Kormákur and Ólafur Jóhann Ólafsson (based on a novel by Ólafsson), tells the story of Kristófer, an elderly Icelander whose wife has passed away. Spurred on by some health issues of his own and sense that he's running out of time, Kristófer sets out to find a woman named Miko,...
- 6/18/2024
- by Ben Pearson
- Slash Film
The One Who Got Away is a romantic notion that’s been widely propagated by pop culture cinema. And for good reason, as heartfelt drama and compelling conflicts arise authentically from these confrontations with fate. Director-co-writer Baltasar Kormákur’s “Touch,” based on Ólafur Jóhann Ólafsson’s novel of the same name, expands on this swoon-worthy idea, elegantly crafting an achingly poignant story centered on an elderly man searching for his true love amidst a time of uncertainty. This gentle, unfussy romance contains a heart-clutching finale that’s as classically restrained as it is emotionally resounding.
Kristofer (Egill Ólafsson) lives a lonely life on the chilly seaside of Iceland since the death of his wife years prior. His days consist of singing in a men’s choir, chatting on the phone with his overbearing daughter Sonja (Harpa Elísa Þórsdóttir), owning a restaurant in his sleepy village and returning to the sad,...
Kristofer (Egill Ólafsson) lives a lonely life on the chilly seaside of Iceland since the death of his wife years prior. His days consist of singing in a men’s choir, chatting on the phone with his overbearing daughter Sonja (Harpa Elísa Þórsdóttir), owning a restaurant in his sleepy village and returning to the sad,...
- 6/14/2024
- by Courtney Howard
- Variety Film + TV
This is a look into the full spoilers for Olaf Olafsson's Touch book ahead of the theatrical film's release.
Touch, directed by Baltasar Kormákur is adapted from Olafsson's 2022 novel and features a cast including Egill Olafsson, Kōki, and Palmi Kormakur.
Produced by Focus Features, the official trailer for Touch was recently released ahead of its July 12 opening in theaters.
Read full article on The Direct.
Touch, directed by Baltasar Kormákur is adapted from Olafsson's 2022 novel and features a cast including Egill Olafsson, Kōki, and Palmi Kormakur.
Produced by Focus Features, the official trailer for Touch was recently released ahead of its July 12 opening in theaters.
Read full article on The Direct.
- 4/25/2024
- by David Thompson
- The Direct
Baltasar Kormakur and his banner, Rvk Studios, are teaming up with Icelandic author Olaf Olafsson on the film adaptation of the writer’s bestselling novel “Touching” (“Snerting”).
Olafsson, a former executive VP at Time Warner, is a prolific and critically acclaimed author whose books – notably “Absolution,” “The Journey Home,” “The Sacrament” and “One Station Away” – have been published around the world being translated into more than 20 languages.
Set amid the 2020 pandemic, “Touching” – a working title for the movie – is described as a sensual and thrilling love story unfolding across the globe and woven into historical events. The novel, which ranked as Iceland’s best-selling book of 2020, takes place in today’s Reykjavík and Tokyo, and in London in the 1960s.
Olafsson is currently adapting the story into a screenplay. Kormakur will produce via his outfit Rvk Studios and will direct the film, which is now in advanced development. Production is...
Olafsson, a former executive VP at Time Warner, is a prolific and critically acclaimed author whose books – notably “Absolution,” “The Journey Home,” “The Sacrament” and “One Station Away” – have been published around the world being translated into more than 20 languages.
Set amid the 2020 pandemic, “Touching” – a working title for the movie – is described as a sensual and thrilling love story unfolding across the globe and woven into historical events. The novel, which ranked as Iceland’s best-selling book of 2020, takes place in today’s Reykjavík and Tokyo, and in London in the 1960s.
Olafsson is currently adapting the story into a screenplay. Kormakur will produce via his outfit Rvk Studios and will direct the film, which is now in advanced development. Production is...
- 2/7/2021
- by Elsa Keslassy and John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Turner chairman and CEO John Martin will depart the company following Thursday’s $85 billion merger of Turner parent company Time Warner and At&T.
The news was announced in an internal memo to employees by John Stankey, head of At&T’s new media division following a reorganization of the two companies.
“We have changed how Turner is organized given that John Martin will no longer be with the company as a result of the merger,” Stankey wrote. “This initial Turner org structure will allow me to work more closely with more Turner leaders and accelerate my personal learning of the business as we define our shared priorities across the company.”
A number of other senior executives at Time Warner will also be departing amid the reorganization. They include Howard Averill, chief financial officer; Gary Ginsberg, Evp corporate marketing and communications; Karen Magee, chief human resources officer; Carol Melton, Evp global public policy; and Olaf Olafsson,...
The news was announced in an internal memo to employees by John Stankey, head of At&T’s new media division following a reorganization of the two companies.
“We have changed how Turner is organized given that John Martin will no longer be with the company as a result of the merger,” Stankey wrote. “This initial Turner org structure will allow me to work more closely with more Turner leaders and accelerate my personal learning of the business as we define our shared priorities across the company.”
A number of other senior executives at Time Warner will also be departing amid the reorganization. They include Howard Averill, chief financial officer; Gary Ginsberg, Evp corporate marketing and communications; Karen Magee, chief human resources officer; Carol Melton, Evp global public policy; and Olaf Olafsson,...
- 6/15/2018
- by Reid Nakamura
- The Wrap
At&T’s plans for its newly acquired Time Warner unit came into sharper focus Friday as the telecommunications company re-christened the division WarnerMedia and unveiled a new executive structure. It also announced the departure of a key executive, John Martin, who has led Turner, the company’s sprawling cable-tv operation for more than four years.
In a memo to employees, John Stankey, the At&T executive charged with running the Time Warner properties, said the company intended for the daily operations of HBO, Turner and Warner Brothers to “see little change.” And yet, he continued, “because we are now a subsidiary of At&T Inc., many of the redundant corporate support functions between our companies at the HQ/holding company level will be eliminated in the coming months. That said, we will continue to maintain a small operating staff in support of the media company.”
The moves are among the first...
In a memo to employees, John Stankey, the At&T executive charged with running the Time Warner properties, said the company intended for the daily operations of HBO, Turner and Warner Brothers to “see little change.” And yet, he continued, “because we are now a subsidiary of At&T Inc., many of the redundant corporate support functions between our companies at the HQ/holding company level will be eliminated in the coming months. That said, we will continue to maintain a small operating staff in support of the media company.”
The moves are among the first...
- 6/15/2018
- by Brian Steinberg and Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Apple may be kicking the tires at acquiring a major Hollywood studio in Time Warner. According to a report Thursday in the Financial Times, Apple Svp of senior vice president of Internet Software and Services Eddy Cue floated the idea of an acquisition at a meeting with Time Warner head of corporate strategy Olaf Olafsson late last year. The discussion did not get beyond preliminary stages, per the Financial Times, and never included Apple CEO Tim Cook or Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes, both of whom would obviously be crucial if the talks pick up steam. Also Read: Time Warner Q1 Earnings:.
- 5/26/2016
- by Brian Flood
- The Wrap
An extremely rare and precious prototype of what appears to be a Nintendo-Sony Playstation has been discovered.
Before Sony entered the home console arena it partnered with Nintendo to work on a CD-rom drive for the Snes. Sony introduced a standalone console at 1991’s summer Consumer Electronics Show called the “Play Station.” The goal was to eventually release a console that could not only play Nintendo game cartridges but also games on compact disks. Development of the format started in 1988, when the two companies signed a deal, but after several years of development, things went haywire.
Due to licensing disagreements with Sony, Nintendo announced that it had formed an alliance with Sony’s rival Philips instead, making it one of the most infamous double-crosses in the history of the medium.
The Nintendo/Philips deal produced a few games featuring Nintendo characters for the CD-i multimedia device, but never resulted in...
Before Sony entered the home console arena it partnered with Nintendo to work on a CD-rom drive for the Snes. Sony introduced a standalone console at 1991’s summer Consumer Electronics Show called the “Play Station.” The goal was to eventually release a console that could not only play Nintendo game cartridges but also games on compact disks. Development of the format started in 1988, when the two companies signed a deal, but after several years of development, things went haywire.
Due to licensing disagreements with Sony, Nintendo announced that it had formed an alliance with Sony’s rival Philips instead, making it one of the most infamous double-crosses in the history of the medium.
The Nintendo/Philips deal produced a few games featuring Nintendo characters for the CD-i multimedia device, but never resulted in...
- 7/5/2015
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
Iceland’s Truenorth attends Afm with slate of original productions.
Sturlungar: The Viking Clan is being pitched as a 13th century Godfather-esque story, being developed as either a trilogy of feature films or a Netflix-style series.
The project is now in development from Truenorth, which is well known as a production services company working on major studio fare like Noah, Oblivion and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty in Iceland. The outfit launched its own production division last year under Kristinn Thordarson [pictured] and attends Afm for the first time.
Oscar nominee Fridrik Thor Fridriksson is also on board as producer.
Truenorth is in talks with writers for the first script from the four-part Sturlungar book series.
“The Sturlungar presentation has gained a lot of interest, it is still sitting with one of the studios, and a big-name Us producer could come on board,” said Truenorth founding partner Leifur B. Dagfinnsson. Other Scandinavian...
Sturlungar: The Viking Clan is being pitched as a 13th century Godfather-esque story, being developed as either a trilogy of feature films or a Netflix-style series.
The project is now in development from Truenorth, which is well known as a production services company working on major studio fare like Noah, Oblivion and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty in Iceland. The outfit launched its own production division last year under Kristinn Thordarson [pictured] and attends Afm for the first time.
Oscar nominee Fridrik Thor Fridriksson is also on board as producer.
Truenorth is in talks with writers for the first script from the four-part Sturlungar book series.
“The Sturlungar presentation has gained a lot of interest, it is still sitting with one of the studios, and a big-name Us producer could come on board,” said Truenorth founding partner Leifur B. Dagfinnsson. Other Scandinavian...
- 11/9/2014
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
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