MAIN DRAMATIC COMPETITION “MAKING WAY”

BIRU UNJÁRGA

2024 / 78 min / color

Elvira (a young and defiant Sarah Olaussen Eira), a teenager being raised by a single mother in the remote north of Norway, feels increasingly frustrated with her family situation. She’s believed since childhood that she was conceived in Copenhagen, and she escapes into a world of fantasy, totally convinced her father is the legendary Danish actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (starring as himself here!). She has problems with her peers and her identity; a local influencer becomes fascinated with her story, and her mom breaks the news that her girlfriend is moving in with them — it all ends up making Elvira want to get away from her small town and the Sami culture that she comes from, and never look back. In his witty and bittersweet debut feature, director Egil Pedersen shows the ups and downs of growing up in the role of the “Other.” He skilfully borrows from the conventions of coming-of-age movies. His rebellious heroine, torn by conflicting emotions, goes through a series of adventures that bring her around to the richness and complexity of the local culture and her own origins.

A Q&A session with the filmmakers will take place during the film screening on April 30 at 3:00 PM at the Academy of Fine Arts.
Please note: the Q&A will be in English.