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PRODUCTION / FUNDING Norway

Erik Skjoldbjærg filming epic war drama Narvik

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- Principal photography on the project commenced in Oslo on 3 March and will continue at other Norwegian locations until May

Erik Skjoldbjærg filming epic war drama Narvik
Director Erik Skjoldbjærg

It’s spring 1940. War in Europe might seem distant to some Norwegians, but Narvik is already on the global map, as a coastal town vital for Nazi Germany’s transport of iron ore to feed its war machine. When the Germans violate Norway’s neutrality and land in Narvik, the local commander shows no resistance. But not everyone is willing to surrender without a fight. A company of 200 Norwegian soldiers manage to bluff their way out of the city to take up the fight. Among them is young corporal Gunnar Tofte. Meanwhile, his young wife Ingrid works as a maid and interpreter in a hotel, turned into a German headquarters. This is the plot of Erik Skjoldbjærg’s new feature, an epic war drama entitled Narvik and penned in its entirety by Christopher Grøndahl (Nokas [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
). The Tromsø-born director’s latest endeavours include the TV series Occupied (2015-2020), Pyromaniac [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Erik Skjoldbjærg
film profile
]
(2016) and his conspiracy thriller Pioneer [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
(2013).

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To date, two main cast members have been confirmed: Skam actor Carl Martin Eggesbøe and Kristine Cornelie Margrete Hartgen (12th Man [+see also:
trailer
interview: Harald Zwart
film profile
]
).

Principal photography for the movie began in Oslo on 3 March and will continue on location in Drammen, Rjukan and Narvik, and at FilmCamp. Shooting is scheduled to wrap on 7 May – as luck would have it, the 75th anniversary of Nazi Germany’s surrender to the Allied forces. The overall allocated budget is 63.2 million Norwegian crowns (circa €5.6 million).

Narvik is being produced by Live Bonnevie, Aage Aaberge and John Einar Hagen for the Norwegian division of Nordisk Film. The project is also being backed by the Norwegian Film Institute, Storyline Nor, FilmCamp, Filmfond Nord and Mediefondet Zefyr, among other bodies. The film will be released nationwide on Christmas Day this year.

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