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Gullspång Miracle opens the Films from the North

This year's opening film for the Films from the North sidebar is Gullspång Miracle by Maria Fredriksson. Both audiences and critics have been amazed and thrilled by this documentary, which will have its Norwegian premiere at Tromsø International Film Festival January 16th 2024.

- The story, and director Maria Fredriksson's way of presenting it are completely unpredictable, captivating, and thought-provoking. I am greatly looking forward to screening it to our festival audience, says Astrid Aure, program director for Films From the North.

The film follows two sisters from northern Norway who claim to have experienced a miracle: when they are about to purchase an apartment in the small Swedish town of Gullspång, they meet the seller, Olaug, who is an exact likeness of their deceased sister. Not only that, but she was born on the same day and grew up on the other side of the fjord from the sisters in Troms.

- The story of the sisters is a distinctly Norwegian and North Norwegian tale, so Tromsø International Film Festival is the perfect arena to premiere it for the first time to audiences in Norway, says director Maria Fredriksson.

The film begins as an incredible family reunion but takes several abrupt turns, evolving into a dramatic narrative about inheritance and environment, family secrets, and our need to have something to believe in.

A record number of feature-length films

Compared to last year, the number of submitted feature-length films has doubled and they display an outstanding level of craftsmanship.

- An important goal for Film from the North is to contribute to the development of the regional film industry, so this is an exciting development that we and industry stakeholders have been working on for many years, says Aure.

A total of 12 feature-length films have been selected this time, including both fiction and documentaries, from across the Arctic region.

- Woolly by Rebekka Nystabakk, a heartwarming documentary set in a barn in Nordland, Practice, which marks the feature-debut of Tromsø-based Laurens Pérol, and the fascinating Soviet Barbara – The Saga of Kjartan Ragnarsson by Gaukur Úlfarsson, set in Russia during the time leading up to the attacks on Ukraine, are strong films that also demonstrate the breadth of this year's program, says Aure.

Highlighting stories from Northern Indigenous People

This year's program also presents three Sámi feature-length films, a historically high number. Additionally, there are three short films along with several films by and about other Northern Indigenous People.

- Three Sámi feature-length films, and of this caliber, are simply remarkable achievements from a young and relatively small industry. As a festival located in Sápmi, it's natural to give special focus to films made by both Sámi and other Northern Indigenous People. I'm closely following the strong development in this part of the film industry with great interest, says Aure.

Je’vida by Katja Gauriloff and Homecoming by Suvi West and Anssi Kömi, respectively a narrative film and a documentary, both revolve around reclaiming Sámi history and identity. Together with the Inuit film What We See by Lucy Tulugarjuk and Carol Kunnuk from Canada, and Sara Margrethe Oskal's The Tundra Within Me, Northern Indigenous People are strongly represented in this year's Films from the North program.

Truth and reconciliation

Among this year's selected short films, films from Northern Indigenous People are central. One of the short film programs centers around truth and reconciliation processes currently underway. The program will feature four different short documentaries looking into the consequences of the colonization of Sápmi, Greenland, and the Canadian Inuit territories.

- Truth and reconciliation are profound concepts, and these processes are complex and demanding. If anything, I believe in the power of film to transcend words and help us address the unmanageable. These four films enhance our understanding and invite to dialogue, says Aure.

There are a total of 5 short film programs, with 25 short films in competition. Beyond the competition, there's a separate program featuring six short films by young filmmakers and students.

Have a look at the Films From the North program.