CINEMA SCANDINAVIA issue 1 april 2014 Lars von Trier Nordic Depression Who Killed Palme? The Gender of Millennium Globalised Vikings Swedish Documentary Michael Noer Witches Cinema Scandinavia // 1 Cinema Scandinavia // 1 COVER ART Anthony Carusoe Click here to view more artworks IN THIS ISSUE Editorial News Lars von Trier: Misogynist? Hooked on Nordic Depression Who Killed Palme? The Gender of Millennium Vikings: A Global Trend Swedish Documentary Michael Noer Witches in the Scandinavian Film Released in April Festivals in April Festivals Around the World Awards in March OF HORSES AND MEN Contribute to the Next Issue Feedback NOTE This is an interactive document. You can click on various links and text to view more information Cinema Scandinavia // 2 Cinema Scandinavia // 3 WELCOME as well as added visits to Sweden and Denmark. ello. Welcome to Cinema Scandinavia. H I’m in love with the landscape, the wooden hous- es, the woolen sweaters, the charming language. Cinema Scandinavia is a website and Watching a Scandinavian film or television show magazine dedicated to providing an insight to and you can’t help but be absorbed by all these Nordic cinema. elements that have made the region so appealing CINEMA SCANDINAVIA and distinctive. When I saw my first Scandina- Cinema Scandinavia started towards the find us vian film, Let the Right One In, I fell in love with end of January in 2014. As I am currently com- the style. Since then, my discovery of Bergman, pleting my Masters degree researching the extent Trier, Vinterberg and Bier has inspired me to to which Scandinavian culture is present in the write and talk about the Scandinavian cinema as cinema, I needed a place to constantly keep my- much as possible. Finding a community where self up to date on news and trends, and started a people enjoy the same thing and want to collab- free Wordpress blog where I had to force myself orate in giving the cinema attention has been ex- to write about the news every day. Within a cou- tremely lucky. ple weeks, the website was gaining a great deal of attention and I decided an online magazine was So where to from here? Cinema Scan- the next step. From there, people have volun- dinavia is going to spend 2014 creating a com- teered to submit their own articles, and together munity and a following, and I’d like to move to a Cinema Scandinavia has come into existence. print edition in the Nordic and European region, as well as provide more film reviews and cover- Why is Scandinavian cinema so import- age of major festivals. Also, I want to find more www.cinemascandinavia.com ant? I am currently living in Melbourne, Aus- people who are willing to write for the magazine tralia, so Scandinavia is almost literally on the and help it grow. This is not a solo project, but other side of the world. This foreign, different, rather something that everyone can work to- and beautiful place has been so appealing to me wards. since I discovered it. In 2012 I had the wonder- ful opportunity to spend two months traveling This first issue has a wide range of in- through Europe, and the first place I landed in formation, from Lisbeth to Sarah, from Michael was Oslo, Norway. I spent my first week in Ber- Noer to Lars von Trier. Our writers explore key gen and Bryggen was the first historical land- Scandinavian cultural icons on a global as well mark I saw in Europe. Norway has felt special as domestic stage. It truly is impressive what has to me ever since, and since that visit I have gone been written here. back four more times, Thank you for downloading the maga- zine, and I hope you enjoy the issue! - emma BRYGGEN IN BERGEN, NORWAY All of our articles are available for individual, plain text download here. Also, feedback is appreciated. Cinema Scandinavia // 4 Cinema Scandinavia // 5 news Criterion Collection Australia Bans Star Wars to be Turkey Bans Egmont Produces Swedish Film Institute Nordisk Film and TV Sørfund Announces to Release ‘Persona’ Swedish Film Over Filmed in Iceland Nymphomaniac Highest Profits to Announces February Fond Announces New Support for Films The Criterion Collection Child Porn Concerns The filming crew for the Turkey has banned the Date Funding Recipients from Developing has released Persona on new Stars Wars movie (ep- controversial film by Lars Countries Censors have refused Scandinavia’s media giant The Swedish Film Insti- Roar Uthaug’s disaster DVD. In the film, Liv Ull- isode VII) will come to von Trier, saying the films to classify a 30 year old Egmont has posted re- tute has announced its movie Bølgen (The Wave), mann plays a stage actor Iceland this April accord- extensive nudity and ex- Norway’s Sørfond has award-winning Swedish cord earnings of €1.6 bil- funding for the month Michael Noer’s drama Nø- who has explicably gone ing to Fréttablaðiðnews- plicit sex scenes make it supported five films from film after an application lion and operating profits of February 2014. 13 fea- gle hus spejl starring Ghita mute; and an equally mes- paper in Iceland. It is more porn than art. Vol- developing countries. The by the Australian Federal of €191 million in 2013, tures and 7 short films Nørb, Antti J. Jokinen’s merizing Bibi Andersson is believed that Icelandic ume 1 was set to be re- films are: Police. The boards deci- according to the group’s were awarded production love epic Wildeye (previ- the garrulous young nurse production service com- leased in the country on - Cemetery of Kings by sion to refuse classifica- annual report published funding by the Swedish ously known as Helena), caring for her in a remote pany, Truenorth, will as- the 14th of March, and Apichatpong tion for Children’s Island on Tuesday. Egmont’s Film Institute in February. Petri Kotwica’s Cross My island cottage. The DVD sist the crew once they volume 2 on the 21st. - Weerasethakul Lamb by effectively bans the film in film group Nordisk boast- Two of these – Greetings Heart, the kids movie Ant- release includes a new 2K come to Iceland. However, Turkey’s film Yared Zeleke the country. ed revenues of €370 mil- from Up Northand and Kay boy 2 and SVT’s Christmas digital restoration, with an board outright banned the - Black Sunshine by Ako- lion and operating profits Pollak’s Heaven on Earth – series Piratskatten’s hemlighet uncompressed soundtrack Read more film, voting six to two to sua Adoma Owusu Giti of €30 million that includ- are also among the films have received production on the Blu-ray, a visual es- Read more classify Nymphomaniac as - Paradise in Hell by Niy- ed the earn-out sale of granted automatic fund- support from Nordisk say of the films prologue pornography. ongabo Yves Montand Nordisk film TV in 2009. ing for 2014 at the same Film & TV Fond’s Febru- by Bergman Scholar Peter - Murder in Pacot by Raoul Nordisk Film Cinemas time. ary round of support. Cowie, and much more. Peck Read more sold 5.8 million tickets in Read more Denmark and 3.2 million Read more in Norway. Read more Read more Read more Cinema Scandinavia // 6 Cinema Scandinavia // 7 “The problem with her (Bjork) is a bit like a problem you have with women - sometimes they do something you don’t really understand.” - Lars von Trier lars von trier: MISOGYNIST? You could say that Lars von Trier doesn’t really have a way with the ladies. After all, he employed a misogyny consultant on the set of Antichrist (2009), whose sold job it was to “furnish the proof of the fact that women are evil.” In his films, women are beaten, raped, depressed, falsely accused, murdered, and commonly said to side with the devil. Therefore it is understandable that he has gained a great deal of negative attention and has been labeled a misogynist in his por- trayal towards women. Tookey says of Antichrist that “the man who made this horrible, misogynistic film needs to see a shrink.” At the Cannes Film Festival, he was awarded an unprecedented ‘anti-prize’ for misogyny for his film Antichrist, while Charlotte Gainsbourg won the Priz d’Interpretation feminine. Gainsbourg said she trusted Trier and found him to be generous and respectful, which is interesting when considering what he has put his female leads through. Björk won the best actress award for Dancer in the Dark (2000), but the story goes that she grew so frustrated on set she tried to eat her own cardigan. For much of Dogville’s (2003) three hour running time, Nicole Kidman is beaten, chained and raped. Furthermore, poor Emily Watson grad- ually became a brutalised prostitute in Breaking the Waves (1996). Not to mention Gainsbourg’s own character in Nymphomaniac (2013) as a sex addict, where she gets involved in sadomasochism. Underlying Trier’s films is a kind of rare beauty that makes him such an acclaimed actor, which in turn creates this controversy and discussion surround- ing the great Dane. Cinema Scandinavia // 8 Cinema Scandinavia // 9 The Nordic cinema has a special and ac- Trier’s fascination with sexuality as a dark, demonic claimed tradition of nudity and sex. This was prob- force is quite evident in all of his films, and Nym- ably first seen in the Danish film Ditte, Child of Man phomaniac adds to this idea that Trier is fascinated (1946), although revealing shots were cut from by sex. the US print. These elements had an international breakthrough with the Swedish film One Summer of Perhaps by better understanding the female Happiness (1951), followed by Bergman’s Summer with characters, we should look at the male figures in Monika (1953) and the Norwegian Children of the Sun Trier films.