We are proud to share that it has just been announced that director Amanda Kernell’s feature film BRACE YOUR HEART has been selected for Competition in San Sebastián.
This marks the second festival selection for BRACE YOUR HEART as Toronto International Film Festival in late July announced that the film would celebrate its world premiere competing in the Platform section.
BRACE YOUR HEART is based on writer/director Kernell’s own original screenplay in a story set in a remote Sami community with reindeer herding at the heart of their nature and livelihood and follows a young woman torn between following her heart and navigating the expectations from family, work, culture and traditions.
"This is amazing news!! To have our European premiere in competition at San Sebastián is such an honor for everything it represents and all the fantastic filmmakers that have participated before us. I’m happy the Spanish and Basque speaking world will meet our film right there; at their most prestigious festival - and I am so thankful to absolutely everyone who contributed to make this film come true," says director Amanda Kernell.
“We are so happy and proud to see BRACE YOUR HEART continuing its festival run in Official Competition at San Sebastián Film Festival following the world premiere in Platform at TIFF. Amanda has created an authentic and emotional story that clearly resonates and we look very much forward to bring it to a European audience”, says Nicolai Korsgaard, Sales Director at TrustNordisk.
BRACE YOUR HEART features a cast of real reindeer herders, with emerging talents Elli Sara Valkeapää as Ejva, Andte Gaup-Juuso as Heaika, and Vincent Niia as Nejla in the leading roles.
Amanda Kernell gained international recognition with the critically acclaimed debut feature SAMI BLOOD which premiered in Venice Days where she was awarded the award for Best Debut Director. The film became a festival favourite establishing Kernell as one of Scandinavia’s most promising directors. Her second feature, CHARTER, world premiered at Sundance Film Festival and was selected as Sweden’s official Academy Award® entry for the Best International Feature Film category, confirming her reputation as a distinctive auteur with a unique cinematic vision. BRACE YOUR HEART is Kernell’s third feature film.
Synopsis:
In a remote Sámi village high in the mountains, 20-year-old Ejva inherits her late father's reindeer herd. As she struggles to keep the herd thriving, local leader Heaika develops romantic feelings for her, and though hesitant, she feels compelled to accept. But everything changes when Nejla, Heaika’s cousin, arrives, and Ejva discovers true love for the first time. Betrayed and jealous, Heaika reacts harshly, leaving Ejva with a condition that makes her hands shake uncontrollably, threatening her ability to care for the herd. Now, Ejva must find a way to reclaim control over her life and her future.
BRACE YOUR HEART is written and directed by Amanda Kernell and produced by Eva Åkergren for Nordisk Film Production. The film is coproduced with Forest People, Compass Films, Invictus, Nordisk Film Production Denmark, Filmpool Nord, SVT and Film i Väst and supported by The Swedish Film Institute, The Danish Film Institute, The International Sámi Film Institute, Nordisk Film & TV Fund, Bulgarian National Film Center, Icelandic Film Centre, Eurimages and Arktisk Film Norge. Local distribution by Nordisk Film. International sales by TrustNordisk.