Out of 84 feature length and 20 short films in the program, 22 Norwegian features and 15 shorts made the cut, including “Beloved” (“Kjærast”) by acclaimed Oscar-shortlisted Erik Poppe (“The Kings Choice,” “A Thousand Times Goodnight,” “The Emigrants”). The drama, repped internationally by Reinvent Yellow, will have its world premiere in the picturesque Norwegian coast town Aug. 23, as its opening film.
Based on the only original screenplay by Nobel Prize-winning author Jon Fosse, the film stars Leo Magnus de la Nuez (“Beforeigners”) and Kristi-Helene Giæver Engeberg (“War Sailor”) as Asle and Gerd, who live an idyllic life with their son in a small Norwegian coastal town. But soon their perfect love is put to test, as Asle, a sailor, is inexorably drawn by the call of the sea.
Festival director Tonje Hardersen said “Beloved’ is the perfect opener. “Poppe opened the festival two years ago with “Quisling – The Final Days;” he’s a true Haugesund regular, and Jon Fosse was actually born in Haugesund, so we’re thrilled to have them with us with a powerful film, set in the dazzlingly beautiful Western Norwegian landscape.”
“Beloved” is a love story full of the unspoken, tenderness, and mystery, unmistakably Jon Fosse,” said Poppe before adding: “We live in a time where much of what we see on film and series depicts cynicism and human distance. Perhaps the most radical thing we can do now is to tell stories about closeness and hope.”
Read the full article from Variety here.