Kon-Tiki’s first international departure: Toronto Special

KONTIKI at the Cinema

TORONTO: Norwegian directors Espen Sandberg and Joachim Rønning NOK 93 million action-adventure selected for the 37^th Toronto International Film Festival between 6-16 September

Norway’s most expensive feature so far, Norwegian directors Espen Sandberg and Joachim Rønning NOK 93 million action-adventure, Kon-Tiki, will have its international premiere as a Special Presentation during the 37^th Toronto International Film Festival between between 6-16 September

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The depiction of Norwegian anthropologist and explorer Thor Heyerdahl and his five fellow scientists’ journey from South America to the Polynesian Islands will launch the 40th Norwegian International Film Festival in Haugesund on 18 August, then show in all Norway’s cinemas (app 185) on 24 August, with a gala attended by King Harald and Queen Sonja

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“The screening in Toronto is very important for the international sales strategy of the film,” said Norwegian producer Aage Aaberge, who staged the project for Danish major, Nordisk Film, and UK producer Jeremy Thomas, of UK’s Recorded Picture Company. Nordisk is charge of Scandinavian distribution, while UK’s Hanway Films handles international sales
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Starring Pål Sverre Valheim Hagen as Heyerdahl, with Gustaf Skarsgård (the only Swede on board), Magnus Wiliamson, Tobias Santelmann, Anders Baasmo Christiansen, Jakob Oftebro and Agnes Kittelsen, was filmed during 20 weeks in six countries, from a script by Peter Skavlan. The original 8,000-kilometre trip on the wooden raft took 101 days.

One of the world’s largest film festivals, unspooling more than 300 films from 60 countries, Toronto has not yet announced the full line-up for this year’s programme.

Last year the festival three Norwegian features, including Morten Tyldum’s Headhunters (Hodejegerne), Jens Lien’s Sons of Norway (Sønner av Norge), and Joachim Trier’s Oslo, August 31st (Oslo, 31. august).