OUT STEALING HORSES WINS SILVER BEAR FOR OUTSTANDING ARTISTIC CONTRIBUTION AT BERLIN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2019

By Naya Mørch-Jessen

16-02-2019

 

We are extremely proud to announce that the Norwegian feature OUT STEALING HORSES by Hans Petter Moland has won the Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution at this year´s Berlin International Film Festival.

 

Following its world premiere at the Berlinale Palast last Saturday, OUT STEALING HORSES has been riding an avalanche of success. First, it won the favor of many critics. Berliner Zeitung gave it 5 out of 5 stars, which by their definition makes it a ‘masterpiece´ and RBB 24 concluded their review with: ‘Bear worthy? That´s what the RBB critics say´. Evidently, the RBB critics turned out to be correct in their predictions, because now the film has made it into the Jury´s hearts and just minutes ago been awarded the Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution for its cinematography. 

 

Hans Petter Moland, who has directed and written the screenplay for OUT STEALING HORSES, is immensely grateful for the prestigious award, as he comments: 'After a week of getting fantastic response from the audience, press and critics, to get an award in Berlin, in competition with the elite of international films, is the very top of it all.'

 

Cinematographer Rasmus Videbæk, who just won the Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution for the cinematography in OUT STEALING HORSES, expresses his excitement about the award in the following comment: 'Getting recognition for the cinematography on this movie means a lot to me. Not only is it based on my favorite book of all times, but working with Hans Petter Moland on turning that book into cinema, was such a great experience.'

 

OUT STEALING HORSES is truly a high-profile project starring internationally acclaimed Stellan Skarsgård in the lead role (IN ORDER OF DISAPPEARANCE, 2014; MELANCHOLIA, 2011; NYMPHOMANIAC, 2013). The film further stars Tobias Santelmann (KON-TIKI, 2012; HOMELAND, 2015; CONGO, 2018) and Bjørn Floberg (INSOMNIA, 1997; KINGSMAN: SECRET SERVICE, 2014), among others.

 

The producers Turid Øversveen and Håkon Øverås are honored to have received this great recognition from the festival: 'In the world of film, there is nothing bigger than winning a prize in a major festival like the Berlinale. This is a real stamp of quality for OUT STEALING HORSES, the film we have worked so hard on for years. Just being one of 16 films in Competition in a festival where over 5000 films have been submitted is incredible - almost difficult to comprehend for most people.'

 

The film is based on the critically acclaimed international bestseller of the same name, written by Per Petterson, whose books have been translated into more than 50 languages. For Out Stealing Horses, Petterson won the International Dublin Literary Award in 2007 and was included on the New York Times list of “5 best fictional novels of 2007”. In a very positive review of the film that Variety published during the Berlinale, the wording was: ‘A heartfelt, attractive arthouse item that ought to travel as widely as its much-translated source nove´.

 

Synopsis:

November 1999. 67-year-old Trond lives in new-found solitude and looks forward to spending New Year´s Eve 2000 alone. As winter arrives, he discovers he has a neighbor, a man Trond knew back in 1948, the summer he turned 15 and the summer Trond´s father prepared him to carry the burden of his forthcoming betrayal and disappearance. And also the summer Trond grew up and smelled the scent of a woman he longed for. The same woman Trond´s father was preparing to spend his life with.

 

 

OUT STEALING HORSES is produced by Håkon Øverås and Turid Øversveen for 4 ½ Fiksjon in co-production with Zentropa Entertainments5, Zentropa Sweden, Helgeland Film, Film i Väst and Nordisk Film with support from The Norwegian Film Institute, The Danish Film Institute, The Swedish Film Institute and Nordic Film & TV Fond, in cooperation with NRK, DR and SVT.

 

The film will premiere in local cinemas in Norway on March 8th, 2019.

 

For more information, please click here.