Norwegian director Joachim Trier’s new feature, Louder than Bombs, is not the only Norwegian contribution for the Un Certain Regard programme at the upcoming Cannes International Film Festival, which runs between 13-24 May – also two Films from the South, with Norwegian co-producers, are among the official entries.
Financed by the Norwegian Foreign Ministry, and managed by the Norwegian Film Institute and the Films from the South Foundation, the fund - which earlier this month (April) supported seven new films from development countries - has participated in Ethiopian director Yared Zeleke’s Lamb and Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s Cemetary of Splendour, both with Norwegian co-producers.
Lamb
Zeleke’s feature debut – the first Ethiopean film ever screening in the festival’s official programme – is the story of nine-year-old Ephraim and his beloved companion, a sheep named Chuni. When his mother dies from hunger, his father sends him – and Chuni – to live with distant relatives in a greener part of the country. Ephraim soon becomes a homesick outcast, and when he is ordered to slaughter Chuni, he knows it is time to return – for both of them. Lamb was produced by Slum Kid Films-Ethiopia, with Norway’s Farm Films (Alan R. Milligan).
Cemetary of Splendour
In Cemetary of Splendour, Weerasethakul - whose Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall his Past Lives won the 2010 Palme d’Or in Cannes – follows a middle-aged woman, who visits the hospital in a small town in Thailand, where 27 soldiers are admitted with a strange case of sleeping sickness. She develops a relationship with one of them, entering a dream-like and mythical world. The film was produced by Kick The Machine-Thailand, with Norway’s Tordenfilm (Eric Vogel and Ingunn Sundelin).
