TIFF12 Nordic Wish List

I've become a hue fan of Nordic films, thanks to TIFF, so I thought I would share my TIFF12 Nordic Wish List with you. Are any of these films on your list?

90 MINUTES (Norway). I don't usually see films about domestic violence because I know too many women (and children) who have or still dealing with the issue. What is drawing me to this film is the fact that the setting is Norway, and the director, Eva Sørhaug studied social science at University. How will the setting impact the subject matter? We're very familiar with North American film narrative on the subject, but how will it be viewed through another culture's eyes?

BLONDIE (Sweden). I saw Jesper Ganslandt's Ape at TIFF09, and I still remember talking to a bunch of women in the washroom post-screening. That open-ended film left us with much to discuss and debate, but we all agreed that we really appreciated the film. With that memorable festival experience, I wanted to see the director's latest film, plus TIFF programmer Steve Gravestock lured me in with this description: "An aggressive, almost angry deconstruction of Ingmar Bergman family dramas, Jesper Ganslandt's powerful and audacious Blondie follows three sisters as they return home to celebrate their mother's seventieth birthday."

CALL GIRL (Sweden). I'm so happy that TIFF has a section for new talent, and this Discovery Programme film by Mikael Marcimain got my attention for two reasons: it's a policier, and it's based on a 1970's scandal that involved sex and the government.

THE DEEP (Iceland / Norway). Baltasar Kormákur's first film, 101 Reykiavik won the Discovery Award in 2000, and he's got a good track record with Jar City and Contraband, but it's the star of his film, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, who solidified my interest; I loved him in Valdís Óskarsdóttir's Country Wedding, and he has worked with Kormákur on several films. This shipwreck survivor story promises to at least have some fantastic cinematography, and some tense moments.

A HIGHJACKING (Denmark) Tobias Lindholm is the director and writer of this high seas highjacking tale of a Danish ship being captured by Somali pirates. Besides the suspenseful aspect of this film, I'm inspired to see it because Lindholm is the co-writer for Vinterberg's Submarino and The Hunt. How will he fare in his first solo directing piece?

KON-TIKI (Norway / Denmark / United Kingdom) Directors Joachim Roenning and Espen Sandberg WWII film, Max Manus, introduced me to a period of Norwegian history that I knew nothing about, so I'm fascinated to see how they and Max Manus cinematographer, Geir Hartly Andreassen handle this story about explorer Thor Heyerdahl and his crew's expedition across the Pacific on a raft.

ROAD NORTH (Finland). It's by Mika Kaurismäki.



Toronto International Film Festival
September 6 - 16
Get Tickets: 416.599.TIFF | 1.888.599.8433 www.tiff.net