A NORDIC FILM FESTIVAL took place at the Oak Street Cinema in Minneapolis on the weekend of October 20-22, 2000. The festival was cosponsored by a grant from the Nordic Council of Ministers and organized by Augsburg College and the Oak Street Cinema. The festival schedule and brief descriptions of the films are printed below, plus information about admission costs and the location of the theater. If you have any questions or need more information, please contact: Amy Borden, Program Director Oak Street Cinema 309 Oak Street, SE; Minneapolis, MN Phone: 612-331-7563 Fax: 612-378-7750 SCHEDULE Friday, October 20 BLEEDER at 7:30 (Denmark,1999) dir Nicholas Reffn w/ Kim Bodnia, Mads Mikkelsen, Rikke Louise Andersson. The second part in 28-year-old Nicolas Winding Refn's trilogy, following the international success "Pusher" is about love and violence. Kim Bodnia, the drug gangster of "Pusher" plays Leo, a young man who lives with Louise. When Louise tells him she is pregnant, the prospect of starting a family and the commitment this involves, sparks off a smoldering hatred of himself, perhaps also because the relationship has no future. Although seemingly a dark film, Refn's compassion for his characters allows "Bleeder" to deal with human tragedy in a profoundly personal way, with simplicity and frankness. In Danish with English subtitles. FROZEN HEART: A FILM ABOUT ROALD AMUNDSEN at 9:30; Sun. at 8:00 also. (Norway, 1999) dir Stig Anderson and Kenny Sanders w/Sissel Endresen, Bjørn Floberg, Roald Amundsen, Benito Mussolini. Based on the biography by Tor Bomann-Larsens, Frozen Heart is the story of Roald Amundsen (1872-1928), his generation's greatest polar explorer, and probably the best known Norwegian of his time. He was the first to sail the Northwest Passage above Canada (1903-1906), and the first man to reach the South Pole (1911). Quite possibly he was the first man to set flag on the North Pole as well (1926). All of these accomplishments pale next to the immense egoism that drove Amundsen. Is it surprising that an explorer of his caliber sacrificed love and family to achieve the perceived impossible? Anderson and Sanders' breathtaking documentary explores this life, from the personal to the monumental, with astounding footage of Amundsen's explorations and the personal impact each journey lodged. In Norwegian with English subtitles. Saturday, October 21 ALBERT at 1:00 (Denmark, 1998) dir. Jørn Faurschou w/Morten Gundel, Sebastian Jessen, Kirsten Olesen. When Albert sails down the river in his wash tub it turns into a river in the Amazon jungle; the division between reality and imagination is consistently suspended in this children's film based on a much-loved story by Ole Lund Kirkegaard, the man who also supplied the basis for the classic children's film Rubber Tarzan. Albert is an unruly ten-year-old lad who gets up to lots of mischief with his chum Egon. They steal pears from the cross village cobbler, but enjoy listening to the amiable old grocer when he tells them about the magic Grimaldi diamond, which was once the pride of the village but has now disappeared. Egon, who is forbidden to play with Albert, disappears into a mysterious world of make-believe where Albert tries to find him. And, of course the two of them hunt for the magnificent green Grimaldi diamond. In Danish with English subtitles. LECTURE at 3:00 PM: Fride Vedde, documentary filmmaker and Norwegian Fulbright Scholar, Columbia University will present a free talk entitled "Documentary Filmmaking in Scandinavia" followed by a Q & A session. ONE HUNDRED GENERATIONS at 4:00 (Finland, 2000) dir Markku Tuurna. Both an epic story and a moral film that makes us reflect on the future of both animals and human beings, One Hundred Generations is the first Finnish film to show the everyday life and work of fox farmers at close quarters, over the course of a year. The film looks at the life of 23-year-old Lasse, who wants to start his own fox farm. The young farmer wants to live on his own terms and work in the time-honoured fashion of the plains' people. Two brothers, neighbours who have farmed mink and fox for 35 years, share their knowledge with Lasse and their own children. This is a region in which the voice of the Green Party and those who live in southern Finland and the rest of Europe is not heard. In Finnish with English subtitles. FAIRYLAND at 5:15 (Finland, 2000) dir Claes Olsson. A biographical documentary film about the Finnish tango legend Unto Mononen. The selected documentary material, dramatized scenes, interviews and singing performances take us through the fatherless and rootless life of this great composer: his yearning and constant searching, the fulfillment of great love and his agonizing divorce, his alcoholism and premature death by his own hand. October 13th 1962 was the turning point for Unto Mononen and Finnish tango. On that day the version of Satumaa (Fairyland) that has become the most frequently played song in the history of Finnish radio was recorded. Today, it is considered almost the national anthem of Finland. In Finnish with English subtitles. IN THE PRESENCE OF A CLOWN at 7:30 and 9:45 pm (1997) dir Ingmar Bergman w/ Børje Ahlstedt, Marie Richardson, Erland Josephson, Peter Stormare, Anita Bjørk, Anna Bjørk. Bergman's latest work for Swedish televisions spoofs the limitations of both theater and film, and it is the unmistakable work of the world's greatest director. Uncle Carl Ackerblom (played here by Børje Ahlstedt, who had the same role in Fanny and Alexander) hopes to collaborate with his fellow psychiatric patient Osvald Vogler to make the first talking picture. Based on a story Bergman found among papers left by his favorite uncle. Vibrant, surprising, cumulative -- essential to anyone who has ever cared about the work of Ingmar Bergman. In Swedish with English subtitles. Sunday, October 22 Archival Print! THE EMIGRANTS at 2:00 & 5:00 (1971) dir Jan Troell w/ Liv Ullmann, Max von Sydow. To help celebrate the 1000th Anniversary of Leif Eriksson's arrival in Greenland and the 175th Anniversary of Norwegian immigration to Minnesota we have secured this archival print of Jan Troell's prodigious epic of Swedish emigration in the Nineteenth Century. In Swedish with English subtitles. FROZEN HEART: A FILM ABOUT ROALD AMUNDSEN at 8:00 PM An encore presentation ************************* The Oak Street Cinema is located at 309 Oak Street, SE on the corner of Oak and Washington, SE on the East Bank of the University of Minnesota campus. For box office information please call 612-331-3134. For directions please call 612-331-7563. Admission for each film is $6 // $4.50 (seniors and children)