Toronto International Film Festival is one of the largest film festivals when it comes to the audience that will watch the movies, with over 300 movies from more than 60 countries. The Festival has also become an important arena for buying and selling movies. Buyers, representatives from many other festivals and media from all over the world will participate in the 37th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival that will take place between September 6th and 16th. The films usually have 2-3 screenings for audiences and one for the media and film industry.
Kon-Tiki is based on the Kon-Tiki voyage in 1947. The young Norwegian ethnographer, Thor Heyerdahl, had a theory that Polynesia was populated by people from South – America, opposite to the norm that said that they came from Asia. Together with his crew of 5 men, he set sail from Callao, Peru on the 28th of April 1947 on an exact replica of the Inca’s balsa rafts to prove that these people could have reached Polynesia with their rafts. The journey of 8000 kilometers ended successfully when the raft stranded by the Raroia reef at Tuamotu on the 7th of August 1947.
The documentary of this voyage won the Oscars in 1951, and in 2012 the new Feature Film, Kon-Tiki, will premiere around the world. This has been one of the largest projects in the history of the Norwegian film industry with a total budget of 100 million NOK. It took 62 days to make over a period of three months in six countries. Over 1000 people from all over the world has been involved in the making of this film.
Kon-Tiki is set for its Norwegian premiere August 24th, and then the international premiere will be at Toronto International Film Festival. Kon-Tiki is directed by Espen Sandberg and Joachim Rønning and scripted by Petter Skavlan. The movie is produced by Aage Aaberge and Jeremy Thomas for Nordisk Film Production AS and Recorded Picture Company. Distribution by Nordisk Film Distribusjon. Cast: Pål Sverre Hagen, Agnes Kittelsen, Odd-Magnus Williamson, Tobias Santelmann, Anders Baasmo Christiansen, Jakob Oftebro og Gustaf Skarsgård.
Two further Norwegian films have also been selected to participate in the Toronto International Film Festival in the «Vanguard» section, which focuses on films by young and innovative directors. The film 90 Minutes, by Eva Sørhaug, will have its world premiere at the Festival. The film tells three different stories about the last 90 minutes of a man’s life before a murder is committed. Bjørn Floberg, Annmari Kastrup, Aksel Hennie, Kaia Varjord, Mads Ousdal and Pia Tjelta star in the film that will premiere in Norway on September 21st. It is produced by Håkon Øverås for 4 ½. Distributed domestically by Euforia and the international sales agent is the Danish company LevelK.
The second film that will star in the «Vanguard» section is Aleksander Nordaas’ fantasy thriller, Thale, which premiered in Norway this February. The story is based on the Norwegian Huldra myth, following two crime scene cleaners who discover a hidden cellar under a cabin – with a mysterious girl in it. Silje Reinås, Erlend Nervold and Jon Sigve Skard play the leads. The film is produced by Bendik Heggen Strønstad for Yesbox. The international sales agent is the American company Epic Pictures Group.
Norwegian films that has previously participated in the Toronto International Film Festival :
Headhunters (2011), Sons of Norway (2011), Oslo, August 31st (2011), Tears for Gaza (2010), Home for Christmas (2010), Max Manus (2009), The Angel (2009), Together (2009), O`Horten (2008), Cold Luch (2008), Gone with the Woman (2007), Reprise (2006), The Bothersome man (2006), Uno (2004), Kitchen Stories (2003), Music for Weddings and Funerals (2002), Elling (2001), Cabin Fever (2001), Cool and Crazy (2001), You Really Got Me (2001), Aberdeen (2000), 1732 Bloody Angel (1999),Water Easy Reach (1998), Insomnia (1997), Junk Mail (1997), Eggs (1995), Kristin Lavransdatter (1995).
For more information about Norwegian films.
For more information about Thor Heyerdahl and Kon-Tiki.