2007 NORDKAPP FILM FESTIVAL

Writer/director Maria Giese and star/co-producer Joseph Culp attended the Nordkapp Film Festival in Honningsvag, Norway from September 12 thru 17. They had been invited by top Norwegian director, Knut Erik Jensen and the festival director, Tore Fosse. This extraordinarily beautiful region of the world (also called Finmark) is the northernmost point of all Europe and is near the birthplace of Knut Hamsun, the Nobel Prize-winning author of the classic novel “Sult” on which their film is based.

 
“Hunger” was screened in the gorgeous and comfortable theatre at the center of this picturesque fishing village and was attended by a packed house. The film received a tremendous embracing response and the audience gave the filmmakers an ecstatic and extended standing ovation. Mr. Fosse and his warm and welcoming staff invited the audience to share in a festive celebration afterwards in the cheerful tent where excellent wines and fresh steamed king crab was served. Audience members spoke with Giese and Culp about the process and challenges of making a no-budget digital film based on a greatly loved masterpiece like “Sult”.

The audience appreciated the film’s faithfulness to the novel which being among the best-loved and admired Norwegian novels is so close to their hearts. They were pleased to see Hamsun’s brilliant and hilarious sense of humor expressed throughout the film. Audience members agreed that this fresh and moving adaptation set in Hollywood worked perfectly set a century later and was a brilliant confirmation of the enduring universality of Hamsun’s story.

Maria Giese with Knut Erik Jensen
Culp and Giese told journalists that their experience at Nordkapp was one of the best festival experiences of their careers. Says Giese, “Attending Norkapp was a great gift to me. I feel deeply indebted to Knut Erik Jensen, Tore Fosse, and all those involved in the festival. Everyone was incredibly warm and embracing. Tore did absolutely everything possible to make sure our trip and time in Honningsvag a wonderful experience. He is remarkably charismatic, intelligent, kind and creative. The choices of films exhibited were across the board extremely thoughtful, socially relevant and pertinent. Besides being the perfect host, he and lovely wife, Birgit, made sure our every day was rich and full, arranging unforgettable sightseeing trips, boat rides, elegant lunches and dinners. He also made sure we met almost all of our fellow filmmakers and brought everyone together to forge what hope to be long-lasting friendships. Knut Erik Jensen and his brilliant photographer wife, Mona, brought us together with Norway’s greatest filmmakers, Knut Andersen and Nicole Mace, as well as Nils Gaup and many others.”

Festival Director Tore Fosse with Giese & Culp

Lunch in Gjesvaer with director Knut Andersen.


Festival attendees agreed that screening “Hunger” in Norway was the ultimate test of this film and it passed with flying colors. The fact that Norwegians responded so enthusiastically to the film was a confirmation that it will have a lasting and influential place in the growing library of cinematic adaptations of Hamsun’s literary work.

Culp said “Nordkapp is truly a destination festival. The combination of the breathtaking and majestic Arctic landscape and the warmth and generosity of its people make this amazing festival among the finest in the world. The attention to films of artistic merit as well as mainstream and films for children provides a perfect venue for many diverse international filmmakers to show their work. Nordkapp will attract the best of the global community of filmmakers for years to come.”

Both Culp and Giese agreed that Fosse and his staff made sure that the screenings were well-attended by journalists and TV crews who were able to bring national and local attention to the films. As Giese said, “Hunger and our participation at the Nordkapp Film Festival received coverage in all the papers, as well as radio and television on a daily basis. They did an excellent job advertising the festival and the daily numbers of people attending the festival well-outnumbered the whole population of the area.”


Glowing reviews

Directors Nils Gaup, Knut Erik Jensen and Knut Andersen
Honningsvag was one of the many towns in Finnmark that were destroyed by the “scorched earth” policy of the Nazi’s in 1944 in which every house and building was burned and the people lost everything they had and either fled into hiding in the mountains or were relocated to the South. After being liberated by the Russians, the bereft people returned to rebuild their communities. Even today the scars of that terrible time remain and in many ways the Nordkapp Film Festival is a celebration of the enduring strength and determination of these people who understand in the deepest sense the meaning and necessity of community. In this spirit they are also bringing the spirit of
unity to the global film community. Nordkapp should stand as an example to other film festivals, many of which have grown so large and chaotic that intimacy and building lasting bonds between filmmakers is often difficult. At Nordkapp, the audience and filmmaker can truly come together to share their love of film and the vital sense of community it can bring.