At the Movies

If you've had a chance to read the January issue of Viking magazine, you probably saw that the Nordic Lights Film Festival is happening this weekend, featuring films from throughout Scandinavia. The two that are especially intriguing to me are Troubled Water, a Norwegian film and Iceland's Future of Hope.

Below are the trailer's for both films:

Troubled Water



Future of Hope


In addition, there's a curious film that's making its way around some of the other film festivals, called The Troll Hunter, which appears to be in the same genre as the Blair Witch Project, in that it portrays a fictional documentary about, you guessed it, troll hunting.


If you've seen any of these films, I'd love to hear a review! Share your thoughts and comments below.

“Upperdog” Is Underdog Winner in Haugesund

If you read Rob Nelson’s article on Norwegian Cinema in the July issue of Viking, you know that the Amanda Awards—Norway’s version of the Academy Awards—were held on Aug. 21 as part of the Haugesund International Film Festival. In the article, Nelson wrote that “few will be shocked if the prize for Best Norwegian Film goes to ‘A Somewhat Gentle Man,’” a dark comedy directed by Hans Petter Moland. I’m sure Rob wasn’t the only one surprised to learn that “Upperdog,” directed by Sara Johnsen (pictured here) won a total of five awards, not only for Best Picture, but for Best Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Editing and Best Actress.

“A Somewhat Gentle Man” (“En Ganske Snill Mann”) did win one award: Stellan Skarsgård brought home the Best Actor award for his performance in the film.

You’ll find the entire list of Amanda award winners on the Norwegian International Film Festival’s website. You can also check out trailers for both of these films on YouTube.

Photo: Helge Hansen



Amy Boxrud is editor of Viking magazine. She lives with her family in Northfield, Minnesota, where she’s a member of Nordmarka 1-585. Amy is a Nordic folk music enthusiast, and when she’s not working or parenting, she can often be found making music with friends.