The Montreal World Film Festival

A Thousand Times Good Night (Tusen ganger god natt) won the Special Grand Prix of the Jury at the 37^th Montreal World Film Festival, which ended yesterday (September 2). The Ecumenical Jury gave it a Special Mention.

Bruno Chatelin Interviewed the Norwegian director Erik Poppe and producer Finn Gjerdrum of a '1000 times good night' before the Awards ceremony in Montreal. 

The world premiere Saturday (August 31) was received by standing applause from the 1,500 audience, and the following screenings were sold out. “The Montreal grand prix is a prestigious prizes in the world of cinema – it certainly highlights Norwegian film, this particular feature and Poppe,” said head of international relations, feature films Stine Oppegaard, of the Norwegian Film Institute.

Starring French actress Juliette Binoche, A Thousand Times Good Night follows a famous female war photographer, Rebekka, who is seriously wounded when following a suicide bomber in Kabul; when she returns home she is met by an ultimatum – job or family.

The cast in the Finn Gjerdrum and Stein B Kvae production for Paradox, which Harald Rosenløw Eeg scripted, includes Danish actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau ('Game of Thrones', Headhunters), Norwegian actor Mads Ousdal, Irish actors Maria Doyle Kennedy, Lauryn Canny and (also U2 drummer) Larry Mullen Jr.

Co-produced by Ireland’s Newgrange Pictures and Zentropa International Sweden, the film which was mainly shot in Dublin and Morocco, will be domestically released on October 18th by Euforia. Germany’s Global Screen handles international sales.

2013, Colour, Norway, World Competition (full length movies)
Original language : english
Subtitles language : french

Part 2

Production Team

Director : Erik Poppe

Screenwriter : Erik Poppe, Harald Rosenløw Eeg

Cinematographer : John Christian Rosenlund

Editor : Sofia Lindgren

Cast : Juliette Binoche, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Larry Mullen Jr., Mireille Darc, Lauryn Canny, Adrianna Cramer Curtis, Mads Ousdal

Music : Armand Amar

Film production and Sales : Finn Gjerdrum, Stein B. Kvae, Paradox Film AS, Grønlandsreiret 25, 0190 Oslo (Norvège), tél.:(+47) 22 47 45 00, post@nfi.no

Synopsis

Rebecca is one of the world's top war photographers. On assignment while photographing a female suicide bomber group, she gets too near and is badly hurt in an explosion. Back home, another bomb drops. Her husband and daughters can no longer bear the thought of her dying on assignment in some faraway land. She is given an ultimatum: choose between your work or your family. The choice seems obvious... A THOUSAND TIMES GOODNIGHT was inspired by the director's own experiences as a war photographer in the 1980s.
 

Director

Born in Oslo, Norway in 1960, Erik Poppe began his career as a photo-journalist for Reuters news agency and the Verdden Gang newspaper. He then studied cinematography at the University of Film, Radio, Television and Theatre in Stockholm and began making commercials, music videos and documentaries. He made his directorial debut in features in 1998 with SCHPAAA. His film HAWAII.OSLO (2004) showed at the MWFF and was Norway's submission to the Oscars that year. He has also directed TROUBLED WATER (2008).