During the 5th anniversary of the Nordic-Baltic Film Festival, some Norwegian treats are on offer.

 

This year’s festival has a strong comedy flavour, alongside some of the best new dramas and documentaries from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. I addition to the film screenings, the programme also offers different events and talks throughout the festival.

To celebrate the anniversary, the festival has included Baltic cinema alongside the best new Nordic cinema on the programme.

In the wilderness of films from all of the Nordic and the Baltic countries, don’t miss out on these two Norwegian offerings:

WELCOME TO NORWAY – London Premiere
Mon 5 Dec, 6.30pm – Picturehouse Central
dir. Rune Denstad Langlo, Norway 2016, Norwegian, English, Arabic, Swahili, French + English subtitles

Only Petter, the relentlessly enterprising bigot, would view the global refugee crisis as a business opportunity. He likes to think of himself as an entrepreneur but his wife would disagree. She’s sick and tired of his impulsive ideas blowing up in their faces, he’s ruined everything for her and their daughter. But this is his time to shine! Leaving aside his xenophobic sensibilities he’ll heroically transform his freezing cold, snow-covered, battered wooden lodge into an almighty cash cow by taking in busloads of refugees. What could possibly go wrong?

Rune Denstad Langlo’s black comedy is a hilarious yet perceptive and poignant portrait of a man, a family and a planet in crisis, and a refreshingly comical and ultimately heartwarming reminder of what can be achieved in a life beyond borders.

DIVING INTO THE UNKNOWN
Screening: TBC
dir. Juan Reina, Finland/Norway 2016, 90 min, Finnish + English subtitles

Four Finnish cave divers face their worst nightmare when two of their friends drown deep inside an underwater cave in Norway. When the official recovery operation is called off by the Norwegian and British authorities after being deemed too risky, the friends set out on a secret mission to retrieve the bodies themselves. Diving into the Unknown isn’t just the dramatic story of a life-threatening mission. It is also a story about unconditional friendship that truly runs deep. While each member of the team has years of experience exploring dangerous deep-sea caves, together they are about to face the biggest challenge of their lives. To make it out alive, they will need to be able to rely on each other every second of the way. And the physical demands of this operation will pale in comparison to the psychological toll it will take on everyone involved.