Joachim Trier’s film The Worst Person in the World will be shown in the main competition in Cannes and can thus win the very prestigious award Palme d’Or. Eskil Vogt`s The Innocents has been invited to the Un Certain Regard program just like Valdimar Jóhannsson’s Lamb starring Noomi Rapace. All three films are co-produced by Film i Väst. Trier’s film was shot in Studio Fares in Trollhättan and the two other were postproduced in region Västra Götaland.
The Worst Person in the World
This is the second time Trier has had a film in Cannes competition, after Louder Than Bombs in 2015. Trier’s 2011 film, Oslo 31 August, was screened in the Un Certain Regard program in 2011. Trier has also been the jury president for the Critics’ Week in Cannes.
The third film in Joachim Trier’s Oslo trilogy is a comic drama about love in our time and about having all the opportunities in life, but still feeling like the worst person in the world.
Julie is turning thirty and her life is an existential mess. Several of her talents have gone to waste and her older boyfriend, Aksel – a successful graphic novelist – is pushing for them to settle down. One night she gatecrashes a party and meets the young and charming Eivind. Before long, she has broken up with Aksel and thrown herself into yet another new relationship, hoping for a new perspective on her life. However, she will soon come to realize that some life choices are already behind her.
In the main roles we find Renate Reinsve, Anders Danielsen Lie and Herbert Nordrum. The screenplay is written by Eskil Vogt and Joachim Trier himself. The producer is Thomas Robsahm for Oslo Pictures in co-production with B-Reel Films, Mattias Nohrborg, and Film i Väst.
The Innocents
The Innocents follow four children who become friends during the summer holidays. Out of sight of the adults, they discover they have hidden powers. While exploring their newfound abilities in the nearby forests and playgrounds, their innocent play takes a dark turn and strange things begin to happen.
The film features the actors Rakel Lenora Fløttum, Alva Brynsmo Ramstad, Sam Ashraf, Mina Yasmin Bremseth Asheim, Ellen Dorrit Petersen, Morten Svartveit, Kadra Yusuf and Lisa Tønne.
The film is written and directed by Eskil Vogt and is produced by Maria Ekerhovd for Mer Film in co-production with Zentropa Sweden (Lizette Jonjic) and Film i Väst. It is distributed by Mer Filmdistribusjon.
Eskil Vogt (b. 1974) is a Norwegian screenwriter and director. His directorial debut Blind has won over 20 international awards (including in Sundance and Berlin) and has achieved cinema distribution in as many countries. Vogt also has a close writing collaboration with director Joachim Trier, including Reprise (2006), Oslo, 31 August (2011), Louder than bombs (2015), and Thelma (2017).
Lamb
Lamb is the story of an Icelandic couple, María (Noomi Rapace) and Ingvar (Hilmir Snaer Gudnason) who live with their herd of sheep on a beautiful but remote farm. When they discover a mysterious newborn on their farmland, they decide to keep it and raise it as their own. This unexpected prospect of a new family brings them much joy, before ultimately destroying them.
Lamb, selected to Cannes 2021 Un Certain Regard, is a first feature by Valdimar Jóhannsson and was co-written by him and Icelandic author Sjón.
It is an Icelandic-Swedish-Polish co-production. It is produced by Hrönn Kristinsdóttir (“Summer Children,” “Angels of the Universe”) and Sara Nassim at Go to Sheep. Producers Piodor Gustafsson (“Border,” “The Wife”) and Erik Rydell at Black Spark Prod., and Klaudia Śmieja-Rostworowska (“Mr. Jones,” “High Life”) and Jan Naszewski at Madants, Film i Väst, Chimney Sweden and Chimney Poland, in association with Rabbit Hole Productions and Helgi Jóhannsson. The film was supported by the Icelandic Film Centre, Swedish Film Institute, Polish Film Institute, Iceland’s Ministry of Industries and Innovation, Eurimages and Nordic Film and TV Fund.
