NORWAY

2019 – DCP – color – 95’

Direction: Jorunn Myklebust Syversen
Screenplay: Jorunn Myklebust Syversen
Cinematography: Marius Matzow Gulbrandsen
Editing: Frida Eggum Michaelsen, Mina Nybakke
Set design: Jan Erik Mikalsen, Tom Hell, Marius Christiansen
Music: Jan Erik Mikalsen, Tom Hell, Marius Christiansen
Cast: Josefine Frida, Nicolai Cleve Broch, Kjærsti Odden Skjeldal, Andrea Bræin Hovig, Espen Klouman Høiner, Terje Syversen, Fredericke Rustad Hellerud
Producer: Maria Ekerhovd
Production: Mer Film AS with the support of Norwegian Film Institute
World sales: New Europe Film Sales

SYNOPSIS

Mirjam is the beautiful step-daughter of the pastor in an evangelical free church. She is also the ruling world champion of freestyle disco dancing. She is passionate about performing, but her body is crying for help. During a competition she has a breakdown and falls on stage. But in her family the only answer to her problems is to be a better believer.

JORUNN MYKLEBUST SYVERSEN

THE DIRECTOR: Jorunn Myklebust Syversen was born in Gol, Norway, 1978. She graduated from Bergen National Academy of the Arts in 2005 and her work has shown at numerous international festivals, screenings and exhibitions. She lives in Oslo and is working in the field of film and videoart, photography, and installations.
She made her feature debut in 2017 with The Tree Feller starring Anders Baasmo Christiansen. Disco is her second feature.

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT

“I wanted to question how religious environments meet people in vunerable stages of life, especially children. I also wanted to look into the structures of power in Evangelical Christian environments because I think we need to realize that social control, power imbalance, mental and physical abuse isn’t just a question of being from another culture or minority. You’ll find it in Christian environments and you’ll find it everywhere. I want the audience to understand in an emotional level how easy it is to get drawn into destructive relations that lead to a loss of self. I am interested in closed-off environments, and the dynamics of power in close relationships and groups. I believe a fear of the meaningless is a human tendency in the western world, and I think a need to convince others of our own truth grow from this fear. In our search for truth and coherence, I think we tend limit each other.”

FILMOGRAPHY

2009 Violent Sorrow Seems a Modern Ecstasy no. 2 (short)

2010 Der Dunkle Mensch (short)

2014 Cyrk (Circus, doc. short)

2016 Crying Man (short)

2017 Hoggeren (The Tree Feller)

2019 Disco

AWARDS AND FESTIVALS

2019 Toronto IFF – Discovery

2019 San Sebastian IFF – Nuovi Registi New Directors

2019 Tokyo IFF – Concorso Competition

2019 Tallinn Black Nights FF – Current Waves

2019 Les Arcs European FF – Playtime

2020 Göteborg IFF: Premio alla Fotografia Sven Nykvist Sven Nykvist Cinematography Award

TRAILER