The feature project The Middle Man was just granted €0.6m (NOK6m) from the Norwegian Film Institute.  The film written, directed, produced by the Norwegian director for his own BulBul Film, is partially based on the novel ‘Sluk’ by acclaimed author/screenwriter Lars Saabye Christensen (The Half Brother, King of Devil’s Island). 

The Middle Man is described as ‘a bizarre and absurd look upon Trump’s USA today’. The main setting is the small Midwest town of Karmack, with its declining population and economy. Faced with a growing number of accidents and deaths, the town’s governing Commission - consisting of the Sheriff, the Doctor and the Pastor - decides to hire a Middle Man to convey the painful messages to relatives. Frank Farrelli, an unemployed railway worker in his thirties, gets the job. The NFI feature film commissioner Ståle Stein Berg said the project has all the typical Hamer ingredients. “This is a laconic and subtle story that instantly conveys precise and touching observations about human beings, trying to live dignified lives in a broken society.”

Hamer’s first US-set film Factotum, selected at Cannes’ Directors Fortnight in 2005, starred Matt Dillon as writer Charles Bukowski’s alter ego.  According to the NFI, most of the €3.4m budget for The Middle Man will come from foreign co-producers/investors in Canada, Germany, Denmark and Sweden. Hamer wasn’t available at press time to give details. 

Two other films have received funding from the NFI: 

  • Tea is written and directed by actress Tuva Novotny (Borg/McEnroe, Nobel). Tea tells the story of a mother's struggle to understand her teenage daughter's crisis, when tragedy strikes the whole family.The film produced by Nordisk Film Production Norway’s Elisabeth Kvithyll was granted €0.3m (NOK3.1m). In the title roles are Anders Baasmo Christiansen and Pia Tjelta. 
    Tea had received earlier a production grant from Nordisk Film & TV Fond of NOK650,000.  
  • Diana’s Wedding is directed by Charlotte Blom (Staying Alive) who co-wrote the script with Mette M Bølstad (Nobel, Queen of Ice).  On the day that Diana Spencer and Prince Charles exchanged their wedding vows, July 29, 1981, Liv and Terje’s wedding was celebrated at Sarpsborg, Norway. Their daughter Dian has grown up with her parents’ turbulent relationship where love was always tested, yet still survived. Now she is taking her chance at tying the knot.  The film produced by Synnøve Hørsdal of Maipo Film was granted €1.1m (NOK10m).