Three stories from Greenland and the Faroe Islands receive funding

FUNDING. The Norddok fund, running in 2019, has granted production support for three documentary features. The fund aims to promote and strengthen the community among Greenland, the Faroe Islands and Denmark.

Established in 2019 with a one-time allotment of DKK 10m (EUR 1.34m) for documentary stories from Greenland, the Faroe Islands and Denmark, the Norddok Fund has now granted production support for three documentaries. The three projects were selected from a pool of six titles that were granted development support in August.

The three projects to receive a production grant through Norddok are the following:

Siunissaq – The Last Human

A poetic rendering of the world's current state, as told by young people, scientists, artists, actors and writers. The film explores the origin of life, the rising water level and human existence as seen from Greenland. Still, the story is a celebration of life, told between the two poles of life's beginning and destruction. 

The film is to be directed by Ivalo Frank and produced by Kran Film Collective in Denmark in co-production with Ujâvaaq Pictures in Greenland. 

Heartist

An aesthetic documentary exploring the necessity of art and the difficult balance between artistic work and family life. The colourful artist Sigrun Gunnarsdóttir is tasked with the difficult job of creating healing art for a new hospital building on the Faroe Islands. During the project, she reflects on life and death and how it has affected her art. 

'Heartist' is directed by Marianna Mørkøre and Beinta á Torkilsheyggi. Rógviper is producing in co-production with Kykmyndir of the Faroe Islands.

The Girl and the Silver Kid

The film follows Trygvi Danielsen, an up-and-coming hip-hop artist and lyricist from the Faroe Islands. All his life he has been battling against anxiety, which has lead him to create the alter ego Silver Kid (Silvurdrongur), who is full of confidence when he performs. But Danielsen wants to be the real version of himself and fights to reconcile his two personalities. His closest friends, a group of creative and experimental youngsters, come to his assistance. 

Cecilie Debell and Maria Guldbrandsø Tórgarð are set to direct. The film is produced by Made in Copenhagen 2 in Denmark in co-production with Kykmyndir on the Faroe Islands.

Contact

Søren Tarp
Producer 
Danish Film Institute
Tel. +45 5099 8422
soerent@dfi.dk

High level production

Norddok's board consist of Kuupik Kleist (Greenland), Peter Olsen (Greenland), Tina Wagner Sørensen (Faroe Islands), Jóhan Martin Christiansen (Faroe Islands) and Anita Reher (Denmark).

Tina Wagner Sørensen says: 

"Norddok has made it possible to produce locally on the Faroe Islands and Greenland at the same level as the rest of the northern region – something that has previously been difficult.

"This change is needed in order to develop our film industries nationally and internationally and to tell our own stories and portray our own thoughts, distinct environments and traditions. Therefore, we will actively work for the Norddok fund to continue, and we hope that the initiative can be supplemented with a 'Nordfik' fund for feature films."

About Norddok

The Danish government established a 2019 fund dedicated to documentaries about Greenland and the Faroe Islands.

The fund, Norddok aims to benefit films and TV productions disseminating stories from Greenland, the Faroe Islands and Denmark, to promote and strengthen the community among the three nations in what is known as the Unity of the Realm (Rigsfællesskabet).

The fund has a one-time allotment of DKK 10m (EUR 1.34m), to be spent in 2019.

A five-member editorial board, including two members each from Greenland and the Faroe Islands and one from Denmark, have assessed the submitted applications:

Kuupik Kleist and Peter Olsen from Greenland, Tina Wagner Sørensen and Jóhan Martin Christiansen from the Faroe Islands, and Anita Reher from Denmark.