A day before the world screening of Poppe’s reconstruction of the terrorist attack that shook Norway on July 22, 2011, expectations are extremely high in Berlin, and some foreign distributors have already snatched rights from TrustNordisk:

  • California Filmes/Global Media Distribution for Latin America, 
  • HGC Entertainment for China, 
  • Cinema de Manon for Korea, 
  • Film Europe for the Czech Republic and Slovakia, 
  • Vertigo Media for Hungary and 
  • Alambique for Portugal.

Within the Norwegian film industry, some people are anxious to see it but also fearful of recollecting the traumatic events of the Oslo and Utøya island attack by right wing extremist Anders Behring Breivik.

One industry person who has seen U-July 22 could still feel the chills and goose bumps provoked by the film and praised Erik Poppe’s sensitive approach of bringing the story from the young victims’ point of view.

Poppe said: “This is not a story I own in any way. The story belongs to the victims and the survivors of this horrendous political terrorist attack. With the presence and help of several of those who were on Utøya that fatal day, we have been able to make as realistic a film as possible. In addition, I want to share the honour with the young actors who put so much outstanding effort and energy into this unusually demanding project.” 

The film written by Siv Rajendram Eliassen and Anna Bache-Wiig was produced by Finn Gjerdrum and Stein B. Kvæ of Paradox Film, with support from the Norwegian Film Institute and Nordisk Film & TV Fond among others. It will open in Norway on March 9, 2018 via Nordisk Film.

Read our separate exclusive interview with Erik Poppe CLICK HERE.