FOCUS:NORWAY

Each year we programme m:brane with a spotlight on one specific country. After the 2022 French focus we’re turning our heads towards our Nordic neighbor for m:brane 2023. Country Focus: Norway is produced in collaboration with the Norwegian Film Institute:

Isn’t it time to change the value culture around childrens content? Why do we still excuse ourselves when we talk about “making films for children”?

We need a sea change to challenge the current distribution and funding landscape and raise our horizon to the next generation. This is about society’s responsibility to show equal democratic vision for young people. But this audience expects imagination, creativity, authenticity and fantasy. How can we as makers and supporters connect and keep up?

The Norwegian Film Institute has decided to elevate and prioritize the films and content intended for a Young Audience; through the funding schemes and distribution support that enables children and young people to participate and schools and cinemas to show films for younger audiences. As the focus country of m:brane 2023, we want to invite you to partake in a programme where we will discuss the Norwegian model, share cases and open up for more collaboration across the borders.

The programme segment will take place during our Opening Industry Day, March 14th, in collaboration with the Norwegian Film Institute.

Why Norway?

Over the years m:brane have seen a great amount of Norwegian projects pitched during our forum, with producers returning with new and exciting projects and a strong will to invest and collaborate for creating high quality content for children and youth. It seemed natural to take a deep dive into their model and share knowledge across our industry.

SPEAKERS

Programme

Klara Nilsson Grunning is a Film Commissioner at the Norwegian Film Institute, as a decision maker for documentary features, international co-productions, series and digital storytelling. Klara is an Emmy Award winning producer, cinematographer and director, and have produced film, documentaries, commercials, music videos and art installations. She has 25 years of experience as a decisionmaker for content and filmmaker; for nine years at ITVS in San Francisco and as VP of Distribution at Norwegian Kudos Family. After twenty years in the US, she began as Film Commissioner at the Danish Film Institute and the Swedish film Institute for five years each.

Berit Andersen is a Senior adviser at the Norwegian Film Institute. She manages the work and action plan on children and youth, with particular emphasis on film education, insight, and participation. Berit has many years of experience as a film expert from her previous job at the Norwegian Media Authority, where she worked with classification and ratings of cinema films. She is a trained teacher and has a Master’s Degree in Media from the University of Oslo, specializing in film and reception studies.

Ingvil Giske has worked in documentaries for more than 20 years and has produced several documentaries for young audiences. In 2021 she released two docs for a younger audiences Kids Cup (IDFA, Giffoni, Zlin etc) and the short doc The School by the Sea (Hot Docs, Nordic Panorama etc). She also works with documentaries for adults. Among her most recent releases we find The Painter and the Thief from 2020 that was on the shortlist for an Oscar, and won more than 30 international film awards, and the DOX:AWARD-winner 2022 The Eclipse. It was part of the documentary selection at the European Film Academy and nominated for the EUFA-award. The feature length Todd and Super-Stella, for kids 6-9, will premiere in 2023.

Kenneth Elvebakk is a Norwegian director. He is primarily known for his documentaries, but he has also made short films and several TV series. His work includes the award-winning documentaries Hello World (2021), Ballet Boys (2014), The Secret Club (2003) and 3269 Days (2007), as well as the documentary series Hullabaloo (Håndballaget Raballder, 2006). In Hello World, Elvebakk follows four queer youths through the demanding and formative early teenage years. With great respect for the main characters, the camera is present in situations that allow us access to many sides of their personalities. The idea behind making this film is a desire to create change for a new generation of queer kids and queer teenagers.

Björn Petter Bragée is a Swedish Film Director, Film Producer and Screenwriter, well known as director for the Vintergatan series. He has also produced among the TV series Landgång. Bragée received Ollénpriset in 2005. Has been working at SVT for the past 30 years, and the last 12, as Head of Programming for Children and youth.

Petter Bragée 2019, Programchef Barn och underhållning Foto: Eva Edsjö, avtalsfotograf

Sanne Juncker Pedersen is Head of the Danish Film Institute’s strategic effort ‘Closer to the Audience’, which works with audience development and audience research for films and series in development and pre-production. She has developed the dissemination universe ‘Knowledge of the audience’ and has just led a large qualitative study on children and young people. For the past 2 years, she has collaborated with the film industry on 40 audience studies and sits on the steering committee for the Public Service Pool. She is a former consultant for the launch of feature films and sat on DFI’s Market Schemes’s editorial board for 10 years.

Introduction of the program and Keynote by Film Commissioner Klara Nilsson Grunning

NFI strategy to foster and elevate focus on Children & Youth, presented by Berit Andersen, Sr. Advisor Children & Youth at NFI

“Feature length documentaries for kids – where to fund, where to watch?” A case study with producer, Ingvil Giske Medieoperatørene, with recent successes like The Eclipse, The Painter and the Thief, Kids Cup and Superstella.

“Learning by talking – Hello World on tour” A case study with filmmaker Kenneth Elvebakk, who has been on tour with his latest documentary Hello World.

“Making a Difference – what can we do to ensure quality content for kids?” A panel, consisting of experts in the field will discuss how to open up a dialogue on how to take a higher responsibility for providing content of quality to children and youth. 

Moderator: Klara Nilsson Grunning

Norwegian projects selected for m:brane 2023

Bug City, Klipp og Lim, Norway / TV-series for 13-25 yrs – Main Pitch

Land of Lost Laundry, Filmbin AS, Norway / Film for 7-9 yrs – Main Pitch

URSA – the polar bear, Fabelaktiv AS, Norway / TV-series for 2-5 yrs – Main Pitch

With Grace, Differ Media, Norway, Kenya  / Shorter format for 8-12 yrs – REALYOUNG Pitch

Animal Tails, Smallville films, Norway / Film for 9-12 yrs – REALYOUNG Development