A visit from a world-renowned director and critically acclaimed films released during Kick-off

At Thursdays Kick-off for TIFF 2024, the audience got a sneak peek at the program that awaits in January. Festival Director Lisa Hoen could share both the news of the visit from a world-renowned director and critically acclaimed filmtitles.

Publisert 16.11.2023 — TIFF

Ethan Coen at TIFF

One of the evening's biggest announcements came when Festival Director Lisa Hoen, along with Deputy Program Director Henning Rosenlund, revealed that star director Ethan Coen will visit Tromsø during TIFF 2024, accompanied by his wife Tricia Cooke, who has edited several of his films.

- We are very excited to share this news with our audience. It's always thrilling when prominent filmmakers want to participate at our festival. Ethan Coen is perhaps one of the most distinctive and award-winning directors from USA, so it was impossible not to seize this opportunity to revisit the Coen brothers' play with genres and their homage to film history, says Hoen.

In the side bar Coen Brothers in Retrospect, the festival will showcase a selection of films from the Coen brothers' portfolio.

- When I watch the Coen brothers' films, I am often struck by their subtle combination of humor and elegance. In this side bar, the audience will experience a selection of their stylistic masterpieces. It's no wonder that several of these films are recurring on lists of 'all-time best, says Rosenlund.

- Coen and Cooke will not only meet the audience at the screenings, but also conduct a master class. So, the film industry at the festival will have the opportunity to dive into their cinematic art, concludes Hoen.

An important film in the growing Sámi film wave

Sara Margrethe Oskal's feature film debut, The Tundra Within Me, will have its Norwegian premiere during TIFF in January as part of the side bar Films from the North. This marks only the second time in history that we will see a feature film directed by a Sámi woman. Oskal attended the event alongside actress Risten Anine Gaup, who plays the lead role, Lena, in the film.

- This is an important film in the growing Sámi film wave we are experiencing right now. Oskal tells a personal story from our own time, one that many can relate to, and the film provides an intimate insight into Sámi identity today, says Astrid Aure, Program Director for Films from the North.

The film explores main character Lena's journey back to Sápmi, which she left for the arts, and the conflicts that arise when the traditional clashes with the modern. Not unlike the film's director, who left reindeer herding after 10 years to pursue her PhD in performing art.


Still from The Tundra Within Me

More exciting titles released from the main program

Hoen and Rosenlund concluded this year's kick-off by surprising the audience with the release of several films from this year's main program. Among them is the South African documentary !AITSA, which has a strong connection to Tromsø through both the film's editor Marte Aasen (Tromsø) and the film's director Dane Dodds, who has lived in the city. The film is an artistic documentary and a portrait of the Karoo Desert region in South Africa.

Directed by Anthony Shim and partially based on his own upbringing, Riceboy Sleeps was presented as a deeply touching story of a mother and son immigrating from Korea to Canada and the challenges that follow.

- Riceboy Sleeps is a typical TIFF gem, where you simply get to step into another life, says Hoen.


Still fra Riceboy Sleeps


Reunion with Cannes favorites

The Zone of Interest by Jonathan Glazer received much attention during its world premiere at Cannes, where it won both the Grand Prix and the international critics' prize FIPRESCI. The film's contrast between Commander Rudolf Höss's pursuit of family idyll with the sound of Auschwitz in the background creates the film’s dark dynamics.

- This is a film that makes you reflect on people's all-too-good ability to turn away from the suffering of others, says Hoen.

Another Cannes favorite to be shown to the audience in Tromsø is Kaouther Ben-Hania's Four Daughters. The hybrid documentary from Tunisia addresses challenging topics such as the abduction of women to ISIS, violence against women, and abuse. The director has asked two actors to fill the places of Olfa's two missing daughters, and the film uses both reconstructed scenes and interviews to tell this story.

- This is one of my personal favorites from this year's program. All the women in this film are so full of life, vitality, and determination that you both laugh and cry with them. Another film filled with such liveliness and beauty is hard to find, says Hoen.

The Sound of TIFF

This year's TIFF artists started the party during Kick-off, and kickstarted the festivalvibes for the audience. The duo from Tromsø who will be the sound of TIFF created a magical athmosfere at Verdensteateret on Thursday. it's already possible to get tickets for the Closing Party, one of the most soughtafter events in the new year!

Buy tickets for the Closing Party

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