Northern Lights – Promoting Nordic Actors at the Berlinale er et førstegangsprosjekt som skal promotere norske skuespillere og deres nordiske kolleger under den 65. internasjonale filmfestivalen i Berlin. Utifra 160 søkere fra Norge, Island, Sverige, Danmark og Finland har en internasjonal jury valgt ut 25 skuespillere. Fram mot Berlinalen vil vi telle ned med korte møter med disse talentfulle skuespillerne som består av både etablerte og nye talenter.

Tidligere presentasjoner: Laura Bach, Lina Ljungqvist, Guro N. Schia og Mads S. Pettersen  Elmer Bäck, Gitte Witt, Rolf Kristian Larsen og Emil Johnsen.   Inga Lilleaas, Lisette Pagler, Julia Schacht og Magne Håvard Brekke

Elias Munk

What are your current projects?

As the ‘Green’-kid of the class I won’t be able to name endless titles of big movies and television series. Yet, I’m very proud of my latest projects. Especially the short film Gamle Ord I Nye Breve (eng: Old Words In New Letters) where I had the pleasure of working closely together with amazing Marie Turell Søderberg (1864, Steppeulven) and Kurt Ravn (Kongekabale, Kapgang) and the director Joacim Fougner.

 How would you describe yourself as an actor?

I’m trying my best to be an honest actor. Really, that’s what it’s all about. Being true to the craft, to the film or play and mostly – you have to be true to the character that you portray.

There is currently a lot of awareness internationally of Nordic films and TV-series. How do you think Northern Lights as a platform can contribute to this tendency?

Northern Lights is an excellent platform to create more awareness of the north. It’s definitely what we needed and I’m sure the international scene is going to be drawn by such an event. I’m very honered to be invited into this company with so much raw talent!

Nordic and European co-productions are increasing and more and more actors are found to cross international borders to take part in foreign productions. How do you consider this development?

I find it thrilling to be part of this ‘hype’ of nordic filmmaking. Everybody is talking about it and loving it. The nordic talents brings a lot of realism into films. And grit. We have always been raw – both in our stories, but also in our approach to the technical aspects. It’s not about being pretty and full of glamour – the story is what matters and real people (what we strive for) are usually not ”pretty” – at least not interesting people

Thora Karita

What are your current projects?

My last big production was Sense 8 by Lana and Andy Wachowski. The series is shot in different countries in Europe and Iceland happened to be one of the selected countries. It was only a small role where I appear as an Icelandic girl that meets and greets the leading actors but it was a great experience to get to know the crew and cast and see Lana and Andy in action. The series is produced by Netflix and will be premiered in 2015. Currently I´m preparing a role for a short film by Nora Stankovic called Turning tides. Nora is based in Paris but the film will be shot in English in Iceland with French crew and Icelandic cast.

How would you describe yourself as an actor?

I like to discover something new through the roles I play and enjoy the process of transformation. As an actor I like to start with an empty page and get to know the character rather then pretending I know the person in details beforehand. People are complicated and full of contrasts and I want to keep that in mind when I portray characters. I like to dig into things and explore. Acting inspires me and I like to allow myself to be curious and get to know the world and human beings better by educating myself through the path of an interesting character, script or a play.

There is currently a lot of awareness internationally of Nordic films and TV-series. How do you think Northern Lights as a platform can contribute to this tendency?

I think Northern Lights is a brilliant concept that I hope can create a bridge between Nordic talents and the industry. Iceland is a small market where there are no professional agents for actors and very few casting directors. Despite of that there is quite a lot going on in the acting world in Iceland and a lot of talent around that hopefully will be discovered through the Northern Lights project in the future.

Nordic and European co-productions are increasing and more and more actors are found to cross international borders to take part in foreign productions. How do you consider this development?

It´s opening up a whole new market for Scandinavian actors. I studied in London and the attitude in England towards actors from Scandinavia has changed quite a lot since I graduated in 2006. Now Scandinavian actors are being cast not only in smaller roles but in leading roles in English TV series and films. It is also opening up work opportunities in the Theater which is quite a big step.

What is the largest difference between productions in the Nordic countries and outside of the Nordic countries?

When it comes to Icelandic productions and productions outside of the Nordic countries it´s definitely budget.

Pelle Heikkilä

What are your current projects?

This is a difficult question because I don’t like to rank the productions I’ve been in. They are all equally important for me. But one that stands out as a challenge was the movie They Have Escaped by J-P Valkeapää. I had to go through a full metamorphosis adding 10kg to my weight and having nasty facial hair and a mohawk.

How would you describe yourself as an actor?

A curious chameleon.

There is currently a lot of awareness internationally of Nordic films and TV-series. How do you think Northern Lights as a platform can contribute to this tendency?

The concept is brilliant and has huge potential. Not only as a tool for Nordic actors to get a chance to mingle with directors and producers, but also as a venue for broader collaborations.

Nordic and European co-productions are increasing and more and more actors are found to cross international borders to take part in foreign productions. How do you consider this development?

In my opinion it’s definitely a positive development. It`s a breath of fresh air for any production. There are so many positive sides to our cultural differences when we work together in the name of art.

Allan Hyde:

What are your current projects?

I just finished shooting the film Sommeren 92 about the danish national football team and their road to victory in the Euro cup of 1992. My part was of Flemming Povlsen, the main striker on the team and one of the stars of the time. It was a childhood dream come true. Not only did I get to pretend I was professional football player, I got to re-create key moments on the actual locations and stadiums that the team played at in ’92. And adding to that, playing a real-person who’s still alive, it all made to be an unforgettable experience. It was very challenging but it was a blast!

How would you describe yourself as an actor?

I started acting when I was 11 years old as my hobby. Before long it took up all my spare time doing plays, musicals and dubbing cartoons for Danish TV. These days I make my living as an actor and would consider it my profession more than a hobby. But I still try to keep the playfulness that was my starting point for getting into this world of acting. I like to have fun and try things out. I’m inspired by people that take risks even though it might blow up in their face. Going safe is boring in my opinion.

There is currently a lot of awareness internationally of Nordic films and TV-series. How do you think Northern Lights as a platform can contribute to this tendency?

I hope Northern Lights will help more people consider Nordic actors for international projects. We live in a global world and there is no reason this shouldn’t show in the diversity of the casting choices. Mixing people from different cultures with different approaches to the creative process adds an interesting spice to the overall experience.

Nordic and European co-productions are increasing and more and more actors are found to cross international borders to take part in foreign productions. How do you consider this development?

As I mentioned above, I think it’s a positive trait. It’s challenging – but it’s when challenged we surprise ourselves and the people around us with something unexpected.

What is the largest difference between productions in the Nordic countries and outside of the Nordic countries?

The size of the production and the amount of people involved is the main thing. It’s scary at first but soon you realize that it all comes down to the same little square hole in the camera capturing pictures at rapid succession to tell a story.

Tidligere presentasjoner: Laura Bach, Lina Ljungqvist, Guro N. Schia og Mads S. Pettersen  Elmer Bäck, Gitte Witt, Rolf Kristian Larsen og Emil Johnsen.   Inga Lilleaas, Lisette Pagler, Julia Schacht og Magne Håvard Brekke