We are delighted to share that debutant director Nina Knag’s “DON’T CALL ME MAMA” starring acclaimed actress Pia Tjelta has been selected for the Crystal Globe Competition at the 59th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (July 4th – 12th 2025).
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival has just announced its line-up for the prestigious Crystal Globe Competition, and we are delighted to share that our highly anticipated psychological thriller, DON’T CALL ME MAMA has been selected and is set to world premiere at the esteemed festival.
DON’T CALL ME MAMA stars Pia Tjelta (Made in Oslo, 2022; Blind Spot, 2018; State of Happiness, 2018) alongside Kristoffer Joner (War Sailor, 2022; The Quake, 2018), Tarek Zayat (Shorta, 2020) and Kathrine Thorborg Johansen (Power Play, 2024; Ragnarok, 2023).
Director and screenwriter Nina Knag says: “I’m so happy and deeply honored that my debut feature film will have its world premiere at one of Europe’s oldest and most prestigious A-list film festivals. It’s an incredible recognition — and a dream start for the film. DON’T CALL ME MAMA is a passion project that means the world to me, and I’m immensely proud of what we’ve created. I’m especially grateful to the brave and brilliant actors who joined me on this journey and brought the story to life with such honesty and heart. I can’t wait to finally share the film with the world.”
“The selection of DON’T CALL ME MAMA at Karlovy Vary is a powerful testament to the film’s universal impact and artistic brilliance. We’re incredibly proud to bring this thrilling and emotionally charged story to the world stage, and we’re confident it will captivate international audiences and leave a deep, lasting impression”, says Helene Aurø, Sales and Marketing Director at REinvent International Sales.
Synopsis
Eva, a popular high school teacher and wife to the town’s mayor, faces the ultimate test when she falls in love with a young asylum seeker, sparking a forbidden relationship with shattering consequences. The film explores nuances of nativity and exploitation, power and powerlessness, and what appears to be a simple tale of forbidden love evolves into a thought-provoking moral study on cynicism and selfishness masked by generosity. The script is written by Nina Knag and Kathrine Valen Zeiner (Made in Oslo, 2022; Wisting, 2019).
DON’T CALL ME MAMA is Nina Knag’s feature debut. She is behind several award-winning short films and has experience as a series director. The film is led by award-winning actress Pia Tjelta who in 2018 won at the San Sebastian Film Festival, taking home the Silver Shell for Best Actress for her role in Tuva Novotny’s debut feature, Blind Spot.
DON’T CALL ME MAMA is produced by The Global Ensemble Drama by producers Eleonore Anselme and Ingrid Skagestad, co-produced by Screen Story by co-producers Anders Hereid and Gunhild Oddsen, with support from the Norwegian Film Institute, Zefyr Media Fund and Oslo Film Fund. Scanbox Entertainment distributes the film in the Nordics. REinvent handles international sales.