Exclusive: The film version of Per Petterson’s award-winning novel is produced by Norway’s 4 ½ Fiksjon. TrustNordisk handles sales.

Norwegian author Per Petterson rose to international fame with his novel Out Stealing Horses (2003), translated into 60 languages and winner of The Independent Foreign Fiction prize and International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. The novel was also one of the 5 Best Fiction Books 2007 on the New York Times list.

4 ½ Fiksjon’s Turid Øversteen, producer of the film together with Karin Julsrud, told nordicfilmandtvnews.com: “we had optioned the rights for the novel several years ago and were looking for the right person to adapt this literary masterpiece. I contacted Hans Petter Moland. He agreed to direct and also to write the screen adaptation." 

Filming is set to start in February 2018. 

Set in 1999, the story focuses on Trond (67) who has moved to a remote house in the forest where he can grieve the death of his wife. The countryside idyll is disturbed however, by a chance encounter with a neighbour whom he knew when he was young, in the summer 1948. That summer his father disappeared from his life for good. The same summer for the first time he felt close to a woman, the same woman who disappeared with his father.

In the main role as Trond is Stellan Skarsgård who has played four times under Petter Moland’s helm including A Somewhat Gentleman and In Order of Disappearance.

The NOK 39.4m (€4.1m) film is co-produced by Zentropa Sweden and Zentropa Denmark, in association with NRK and DR. Nordisk Film handles Scandinavian distribution. 

Out Stealing Horses is one of five feature films that just received production support from the Norwegian Film institute. Other films supported are:

  • Psychobitch by Martin Lund produced by Ape&Bjørn. The NOK 16.1m (€1.7 m) comedy about impossible love is co-produced by Denmark’s Profile Pictures and Germany’s Ostlicht Filmproduktion. 
  • Barn (Children) directed by Dag Johan Haugerud (I Belong) is produced by Motlys. A tragic incident in an Oslo schoolyard has a ripple effect on an entire community. 
  • Det annet kjønn (The Second Sex) is produced by Mer Film. The tale of three generations of women is written/directed by Katja Eyde Jacobsen (Yatzy). 
  • Montebello by music video artist Thea Hvistendahl is a concert film and portrait of the group Karpe Diem. The project is produced by Drama Einar.