Int’l Critics Line: Todd McCarthy On Norway’s Oscar-Shortlisted ‘Hope’

Leo Barraclough International Features EditorInternational sales agency Sola Media, which is taking part in Hong Kong’s Filmart this week, has boarded the Norwegian remake of Czech classic film “Three Wishes for Cinderella,” with pop music star Astrid Smeplass, better known as Astrid S, playing Cinderella.

Some films provide such obvious American remake fodder that you just want to draw a protective circle around them to ensure that people experience the unassuming charms of the original. Norwegian director Yngvild Sve Flikke's raucous, rude and ultimately poignant pregnancy comedy is an excellent example.

Sam Heughan has proven he's a real Scotsman despite revealing he has French, German and Norwegian ancestry. And as Sam talked about growing up in Scotland and his roots he told of his plans to extend his tweed and tartan line to kilts and skirts as well as shawls.

straight to your inbox every day for freeKarim Benzema has brushed off speculation linking Erling Haaland with a move to Real Madrid - as Manchester United prepare to step up their chase for the Norwegian striker.During a goal-crazy 15-month spell at Borussia Dortmund, the 20-year-old has established himself as one of the hottest prospects in European football and last year won the coveted Golden Boy award.

Ben Croll As she developed her sophomore feature, director Yngvild Sve Flikke sought to evoke the messiness of life. “I’m a restless person,” the Scandinavian filmmaker tells Variety.

COPENHAGEN, Denmark -- Norway’s 84-year-old King Harald V will remain on sick leave from his ceremonial duties until April 11 after successful leg surgery earlier this year, the palace said Friday.In January, the ageing monarch underwent a surgery for torn tendons above the knee and was “in good recovery and continues treatment and training,” the palace said.The sick leave is one of several for the popular king in the past two years.

Dennis Harvey Film CriticThough it will forever be associated with one brief mid-1970s heyday, the disaster-movie genre has made a stealth comeback in recent years, being a natural fit for a cinematic era dominated by CGI-laden action fantasies. Of course Hollywood has kept its hand in, with efforts like “San Andreas” and “Pompeii.” But there have also been parries as far afield as China, whose enjoyably ridiculous, volcano-centric “Skyfire” from late 2019 only reached the U.S.

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Alissa Simon Film CriticCould this be Norway’s year at the Oscars? An unprecedented number of Norwegian productions and co-productions are on this year’s shortlists, exciting the domestic media, industry and audiences.“Recognition from the Oscars is a great inspiration for all of us who have an ambition to reach outside our own borders,” says Yngve Saether of Motlys, who served as executive producer of Norway’s shortlisted international feature submission “Hope.” “And it builds confidence.

There’s no shortage of movies about kids who discover they possess special powers. Most of these, however — from The Incredibles to the Harry Potter franchise to the Razzie-nominated Tim Allen-starring Zoom: Academy for Superheroes(no, we didn't bother either) — are very much aimed at a younger audience.

straight to your inbox every day for freeAndy Cole has warned that Manchester United will have to offer something more than name recognition if they want to entice Erling Haaland to Old Trafford.United have already missed out on Haaland once, with the Norwegian forward opting to move to Borussia Dortmund from RB Salzburg in January 2020, but they retain an interest in him thanks to his links with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer after the two worked together at Molde.

As hooks go, The Painter and the Thief has a great one: The Oscar-shortlisted documentary, by 31-year-old Norwegian filmmaker Benjamin Ree, follows a friendship between a Czech painter and the tattooed gangster who stole two of her most valuable works from an Oslo art gallery. What begins as a caper with a twist, however, soon reveals itself to be a much deeper rumination on things like friendship, self-destructiveness and the artistic impulse.

Cinenord, a leading Norwegian production banner specializing in high-end series.Founded in 2004, the company is led by Silje Hopland-Eik and Alexander Eik, the producer-director duo behind the popular Scandi series “Atlantic Crossing” and “Wisting,” as well as the family franchise “Casper and Emma.”Cinenord’s pipeline of high-profile scripted projects include “Bergman,” a series about the Swedish icon Ingmar Bergman that Alexander Eik is writing and will direct.

The Mole Agent”), Agnieszka Holland (Czech Republic’s “Charlatan”), Maria Sødahl (Norway’s “Hope”) and Kaouther Ben Hania (Tunisia’s “The Man Who Sold His Skin”) — have little obviously in common, ranging as they do from long-lauded veterans to a rising talent enjoying her first major international breakout.

straight to your inbox every day for freeAndy Cole believes Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is paying the price for his own cautious tactics in some games for Manchester United this season.The former United striker has criticised the approach of his former Old Trafford teammate and claimed the Norwegian is going against a key piece of Sir Alex Ferguson advice.

direct to your inboxRio Ferdinand has told Manchester United they must be in the mix to sign Erling Haaland or Kylian Mbappe this summer. The former United man has lauded Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for the improvements he's made since taking charge at Old Trafford, but believes the Norwegian has to sign a superstar striker to take his side to the next level.