At the 17th of May party we screened a selection of Norwegian Music Videos. We have collected all the videos that were screened, so if you missed our party or want to see them again you’ll find them here.

More about the artists

• DU
• Torgny
• EstherOrkester
• Heroes & Zeros

231 Norman Ave, Brooklyn

In collaboration with Rooftop Films, Grandlife, Scandinavia House, Nordic Hus, The Swede Beat and more.

SubZero Film Fest is happy to be a part of this year’s Festival and is a part of programming an evening of film, music and culture — in support of emerging Scandinavian directors and in celebration of 17th of May, Norway’s Constitution Day.

Overlooking Brooklyn on the rooftop of Nordic Hus ( “the Norwegian Music Embassy in the United States”), and sponsored by Norwegian eco-line, Blondes Make Better T-shirts, featuring a limited edition t-shirt just for this special and free event.

Program

Concerts

Hanne Kolstø
		Hanne Kolstø is spellbinding, and has a seldom talent to serve strong melodies. At her live performances people are amazed by her sounding like a whole orchestra herself. She uses her loopstation to compliment her songs by sampling her voice, guitar and other strange stuff she may have picked up on her way. She sounds like a mix of PJ Harvey and Beck.
Elise Vatsvaag
		On dreary days when everything seems blasé, Elise Vatsvaag’s endearing voice and playful lyrics are a pick-me-up. The smallframed Norwegian singer-songwriter has been compared to Ingrid Michaelson, Katie Melua and Colbie Caillat for her style and songwriting prowess, but her unique charm is the result of her innocent outlook on life and youthful zest.

Norwegian Music Videos

Big Day & more
		DU – So Hot Directed by Karl Erik Brøndbo and Solfrid Kjetså DU – Softness Directed by Simen Grankel Torgny – Big Day Directed by Emil Trier Torgny – The Only Game Directed by Emil Trier EstherOrkester – Skip a Beat Directed by Janic Heen Heroes & Zeros – Cipramillion Directed by Mikolaj Watt, Thomas Skaara, Khim Tengesdal

Norwegian Short Art Films

FearLESS & more
		FearLESS Directed by Therese Jacobsen Communique Directed by Erik Vang Old Lady Directed by Lasse Gjertsen Amateur Directed by Lasse Gjertsen

74 Orchard Street (bet. Grand st. and Broome st.), New York

Program

Short Films by
Scandinavian Female Directors

Flashback by Linnea Widén (6 min)
		Early one morning while Mia is jogging near the river, a man exposes himself to her. Afterwards Mia tries to understand. Linnea Widén studied photography at Santa Monica College, in California. She has worked as Director’s Assistant with feature films, on TV and in theatre, in addition to having directed a number of short films.
Angry Man by Anita Killi (20 min)
		“One day I hope to be like Daddy, my big, smily Daddy! I’ll be good, and quiet, and hope the day will turn out fine,” Boj thinks. But then the Angry Man shows up. Anita Killi (b. 1968) has studied animation at National College of Art and Design. Killi is running her own animation studio, Trollfilm AS. Angry Man has won over 30 international awards, and has qualified 6 times for the Oscar 2011.
Two Good Minutes by Lise Ellingsen (2 min)
		Two Blind Men. A musical beat. A city street and the moment they meet. Lise Ellingsen is originally from Oslo. She has been working as an art director and graphic designer in New York, for over eight years. Ellingsen has studied graphic design at the School of Visual Arts and has for the past two years written and directed short films as a student at the New School University.
Nudist by My Sandström (15 min)
		Kerstin Pärsson is the most stubborn person ever to have worn a pair of clogs. Icy glares, cold shoulders and nasty comments don’t bother her. She has made up her mind to be naked. Permanently! My Sandström was born 1986 and is studying at Filmhögskolan in Göteborg.
Little Miss Eyeflap by Iram Haq (9 min)
		A story of a young immigrant girl’s hesitant steps out into the Norwegian reality. For the first time, Little Miss Eyeflap has to find her way in life alone, as an assimilated Pakistani who belongs nowhere. Iram Haq (b. 1976) has worked for many years as an actor on stage and in feature and TV films. She also wrote and starred in the short film Old Faithful which was selected for the short film competition at the Venice Film Festival in 2004.
Still Birds by Sara Eliassen (12 min)
		Still Birds is a dystopic fable that takes place in an enclosed world in which meaning is about to disappear. In a theatrically constructed universe, the only remaining people are children who have lost the ability to use language. Sara Eliassen (b. 1977) recently graduated from The San Francisco Art Institute, MFA filmmaking, and is currently doing The Independent Study Program at The Whitney Museum of American Art. Sara Eliassen’s short film Still Birds premiered at The Venice Film Festival in 2009 and was later shown at Sundance Film Festival 2010 and San Francisco Int. Film Festival, amongst other places.
Oh, My God! by Anne Sewitsky (9 min)
		A humorous observation of children´s interpretations and experiences of sexuality. The film also looks back through grown-up eyes at the reality of being part of the “in-crowd” and the lengths to which one is prepared to go to become a respected member. But first and foremost it’s a film about the orgasm. Anne Sewitsky (b.1977) studied directing at The Norwegian Film School, graduating in 2006. She has just had premiere on her first feature film, Happy, Happy and her second film is now in post production.

ENTERTAINING COMMERCIALS
Funny Norwegian vintage treasures from the 20s to contemporary award-winning spots will be projected on walls throughout the night.

The focus for this event will be the dynamic group of creative women who are gaining an increasingly important foothold in Scandinavian film. Featured will be screenings of some of the most exciting recent and award winning short films — some qualified for the Oscar 2011, by Scandinavian female directors, showcasing the work of a dynamic group of women who are gaining an increasingly important foothold in the Scandinavian film industry, refocusing its vision and revamping its issues, utilizing their creativity to spotlight important social issues to promote awareness and debate.

Blondes Make Better T-shirts’ message is much the same. A creative group of Norwegian women, who in a rather clever fashion, are using t-shirts to raise awareness about their cause, the environment. The result is a collection of fashion forward tees and tanks sold to stores like at Harvey Nickols, Isetan and Sak’s 5th Ave. There will be a mini pop-up shop within the event to purchase tees from the limited “Break the Ice in NY” capsule collection.

The evenings events will include an Xmas Party throughout Hyper Islands three floors — including DJ’s, Scandinavian Xmas drinks with snacks and for added ambiance, projectors will be displaying vintage and recent award winning Norwegian commercials.

The goal of Scandinavian Female Directors Break the Ice in New York, is to promote this collective of brilliant women and engage a new audience and expose them to the creativity coming out of the Scandinavian region.

The Norwegian animated film Angry Man by Anita Killi has qualified for the Oscars 2011 six times. My Sandström has at the age of 24 already won the biggest film prize in Europe (one million SEK) for her short film Nudist. This film will be screened for the first time in US at SubZero° Short Film Fest. Linnea Widén’s film has Flashback has been screened at many festivals and has won the Award of Excellence at Amsterdam Shorts.

The Norwegian directors Iram Haq and Sara Eliassen will be guests at the festival, where they will present their films Little Miss Eyeflap and Still Birds and take part in a Q and A after the screening.

SubZero° Short Film Fest is a newly established platform dedicated to raise international awareness of new trends in Scandinavian film, who held its first event in April this year.

74 Orchard Street (bet. Grand st. and Broome st.), New York

At Hyper Island, we will celebrate the marriage of fashion and film. The Norwegian eco line Blondes Make Better T-shirts is hosting a campaign for the SubZero Short Film Fest. The event features screenings of award winning and Oscar academy qualified short films by Scandinavian Female Directors directors. It will showcase a platform for the work of the dynamic group of women who are gaining an increasingly important foothold in Scandinavian film, refocusing its vision and revamping its issues, often engaging their creativity in spotlighting important social issues to promote awareness and debate.

Program

Read more

A creative group of women, who in a rather clever fashion, are using t-shirts to raise awareness about their cause, the environment. The result is a collection of fashion forward tees and tanks sold at Isetan and Sak’s 5th ave. There will be a mini pop-up within the event to purchase tees from the limited “Break the Ice in NY” capsule collection.

The evenings events will proceed with an after party—including dj’s, drinks and for perfect ambience,projectors will be displaying a mix of vintage and new award winning Norwegian commercials.

Scandinavia House will host A Cooler Perspective: Exploring New Directions in Norwegian Cinema, the premier event of the upcoming SubZero Short Film Fest: Emerging Norwegian Directors Break the Ice in New York, April 8 and 9, at its stunning flagship on Park Avenue at 38th Street.

The 2 day program will feature screenings of short films by Lasse Gjertsen, Charlotte Blom and Joachim Trier, on Thursday evening, as well as Jens Lien’ celebrated 2006 feature film, The Bothersome Man, preceded by a the director’s brilliant short, Every Day is a Fish Day  on Friday. This unusual mix presents an exciting aesthetic, thematic and technical contrast, spotlighting current Norwegian film’s rich creative nature, innovative content and inventive visual language. The iconoclastic Gjertsen, internationally acclaimed for the huge popularity of his shorts in YouTube, will discuss his controversial approach to filmmaking as well as his original point of view after the screening of his films.

PROGRAM

Thursday, APRIL 8 19:00

VICTOR BORGE HALL, SCANDINAVIA HOUSE A COOLER PERSPECTIVE: NEW DIRECTIONS ON NORWEGIAN FILM SCREENING OF SHORT FILMS BY LASSE GJERTSEN, CHARLOTTE BLOM AND JOACHIM TRIER COMMENTS FROM DIRECTOR LASSE GJERTSEN, Q AND A

The 28 year old Lasse Gjertsen, already legendary for his short Hyperactive with more than 15 million views, is a dazzling animator, musician and videographer celebrated for stringing together clips of short video to create extraordinarily creative short films in a form similar to stop motion animation. Gjertsen, also known for his contentious views on the film and advertising industries, represents an idiosyncratic point of view while voicing the widespread concern of a generation of contemporary filmmakers who want to be recognized for making the rules, not following them.

The award winning Charlotte Blom, is known for her captivating animations, most notably Coconut, originally released as Kokkos, which won the title of Best Nordic Short from the Nordisk Panorama. As a photographer, Blom came to the notice of critics and film goers with Twisted Sisters Goes Baccara (1999). In a discipline noted for its a wild and inventive films, Blom is a master at the seamless mix of genres with superb scripting and execution.

Joachim Trier’s critically acclaimed coming of age drama, Reprise (2006), the director’s first feature film won Norway’s prestigious Amanda Award for Best Direction and Screen Play among many others. Prior to Reprise Trier amassed an impressive cache of shorts, and his award winning Procter (2002) will be shown at SubZero as outstanding examples of the classic experimental, envelope pushing, approach to shorts.

Friday, APRIL 9 19:00

VICTOR BORGE HALL, SCANDINAVIA HOUSE A COOLER PERSPECTIVE: NEW DIRECTIONS ON NORWEGIAN FILM SCREENING OF THE SHORT FILM EVERY DAY IS A FISH DAY BY JENS LEIN FOLLOWED BY HIS FEATURE FILM, THE BOTHERSOME MAN.

A rocker turned filmmaker, Jens Lien personifies the coolness of Norwegian film. Best known to New York audiences for the multiple-award winning The Bothersome Man, a surreal comedic meditation released in 2007. based on a radio play by Per Schreiner, who also wrote the screen play and with whom Liens often collaborates. The film’s, luminous veneer masks scathing satire, leading Jeannette Catsoulis to observe in her New York Times review, “Quiet desperation has never looked so gorgeous.” A remark that can also be said about the haunting story, thoughtful direction and skillful execution of Lien’s brilliant Every Day is a Fish Day, a masterpiece in the art of short filmmaking.

”SUBZERO FILM FEST GREW OUT OF MY DREAM TO BRING NORWEGIAN FILM TO THE ATTENTION OF NEW YORKERS BY SHOWING INCREDIBLY INNOVATIVE SHORTS FROM NORWEGIAN DIRECTORS, WE MAKE SOME OF THE MOST CREATIVELY EXCITING AND TECHNICALLY SKILLFUL SHORTS IN THE WORLD AND NOBODY IN NEW YORK KNOWS IT,”  said Lise Ellingsen, SubZero’s Producer and Curator before presenting the audience with “THIS  TASTE  OF WHAT OUR  VIBRANT  FILM COMMUNITY IS DOING.”

A Cooler Perspective was sponsored by the Norwegian Film Institute, the Royal Norwegian Consulate in New York, and Blondes Make a Better T-Shirt, among others. The after party, at Nikki Beach, was underwritten by the club’s management.  A complete selection of Lasse Gjertsen’s shorts were projected on Nikki Beach’s enormous back wall, dominating the hot club’s packed scene throughout the entire evening, to the delight of its amazed patrons.

“IT WAS A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE GETTING THE CHANCE TO SCREEN MY FILMS AT SCANDINAVIA HOUSE AND AT THE AFTER PARTY AT NIKKI BEACH! I GOT A BUNCH OF COMPLIMENTS AND, SPECIALLY, INTERESTING FEEDBACK.” commented Gjertsen. “I FOUND A GREAT DEAL OF INSPIRATION IN BOTH THE CITY ITSELF AND THE DIFFERENT PEOPLE I MET AT SUBZERO’S EVENT. I’D LIKE TO THANK ALL THE PEOPLE WHO CONTRIBUTED TO THIS INSPIRING EVENT, AND HOPE THAT AFTER IT LAUNCHES IN OCTOBER, IT TURNS INTO SOMETHING ANNUAL.”

Blom added, “FROM THE EXCITED RECEPTION I SAW AT THE SCREENINGS, I BELIEVE NORWEGIAN FILM WOULD APPEAL TO LOTS OF NEW YORKERS. THEY WOULD REALLY LIKE IT IF THEY ONLY GET A CHANCE TO KNOW ABOUT IT AND SEE IT. SUBZERO FILM FEST  PRESENTS THE PERFECT VENUE TO ACCOMPLISH THIS.”   A Cooler Perspective was the first of several events in designed to create buzz for SubZero Short Film Fest: Emerging Norwegian Directors Break the Ice in New York.

SubZero Post Mortem Press Release (pdf)