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St. Olaf co-sponsors screening of drama chronicling immigrant life in post-World War I Minnesota

By David Gonnerman '90
November 4, 2005

St. Olaf faculty, staff and students were invited recently to an exclusive pre-release screening of the independent feature film Sweet Land. Filmed near Montevideo, Minn., the film chronicles the story of Inge, a mail-order bride, a World War I refugee and -- to the dismay of the Norwegian community -- a German. Ali Selim, writer and director of the film, was present at the screening to discuss the film with viewers.

Advance registration by St. Olaf community members is required for the screening. To register, visit or call the Student Activities Office at x3999, or e-mail event organizer Brittany Larson '06. Transportation will be provided from the St. Olaf campus.

SweetLandStill2
A scene from Sweet Land.
"I fell in love with the film right away," says St. Olaf student Brittany Larson, who was able to attend a screening this past summer and who organized the St. Olaf event. So far Sweet Land has been shown only in the Twin Cities, New York City, Los Angeles and at the Hamptons International Film Festival, where it won the audience award for best narrative feature film.

"The cinematography is exquisite, the casting is superb and the story is realistic and absorbing," says Larson. "At the time, the thought of trying to bring the film to Northfield didn't even cross my mind. It was only when I returned to campus that the wheels started turning in my head." The screening is being sponsored by the St. Olaf Film Club, the St. Olaf Media Studies Department, the Carleton College Cinema and Media Studies Department, and writer/director Selim.

The story revolves around a German woman, Inge, who arrives in Minnesota farm country to marry Olaf Torvik, the young farmer who sent for her. But her transition to life in Minnesota life involves the newlyweds learning to understand each other, and Inge finding acceptance in a time of prejudice, suspicion and economic peril.

The film stars Alan Cumming (X Men), Ned Beatty (Deliverance), John Heard (Home Alone), Lois Smith (East of Eden), Alex Kingston (ER) Paul Sand (Curb Your Enthusiasm), Tim Guinee (Courage Under Fire) and Elizabeth Reaser, who was named Hamptons Rising Star Award Winner at the Hamptons Film Festival.

Selim has been an advertising commercial director for the past 15 years, during which time he has directed more than 750 television commercials, five half-hour documentaries and several music videos. His original script for Sweet Land, his first feature film, was the first selected for the inaugural year of the Cyngus Emerging Filmmakers Institute. The film is produced by Alan Cumming.

Selim is currently in production on a feature-length documentary Trash Dawgs, which focuses on the history and problem of garbage in America.

Contact David Gonnerman at 507-786-3315 or gonnermd@stolaf.edu.