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An amazing central performance from actress Paula Sage, who has Down’s Syndrome, is the heart and soul of this fantastic film. When journalist Kenny Brogan (Kevin McKidd) tries to jump start his career by interviewing a doctor who may be involved in an assisted suicide clinic, he doesn't realise that his rise to the top could be halted by dying family members of his own. Because when his mother May (Lindsay Duncan) reveals she is battling cancer, Kenny finds that he could be burdened with the care of his sister.
Dir: Alison Peebles, UK 2004, 104 mins, Feature Film.

www.sodapictures.com

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Growing up is hard to do. Sofie has just started secondary school and already it’s all going wrong. After one moment’s lapse of judgement at a party, she finds herself branded as ‘easy’, her two best friends shun her and the school bully is on her case. A great film for teenagers, this is an honest and absorbing movie with tons of style. But be warned: the Swedish definition of a film for young people is more challenging than ours and this film contains some strong scenes and language.
Dir: Teresa Fabik, Sweden 2004, 90 mins, Feature Film. Subtitled.

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Christoffer (Ulrich Thomsen: Festen) lives a happy life with his actress wife Maria in Stockholm. One of the city’s leading restaurateurs, he’s heading for a brilliant life. However, things change when his father passes away and his mother insists that he takes over management of the ailing family steel mining business. He’s then torn between his chosen life, his sense of duty to his family and his father’s legacy. Blessed with an almost Shakespearean sense of drama, this remarkable familial tale from the director of The Bench proves that unexpected inheritances can be blessings – and burdens.

This is the second part in the trilogy by Per Fly that begins with The Bench (see the Lost Treasures section).
Dir: Per Fly, Denmark 2003, 115 mins, Feature Film, Subtitled.

Buy a ticket for Inheritance and see The Bench for just £1.00!

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In this critically acclaimed multi award-winning gem of a film, spirited ten-year-old Mala runs away from her well-to-do parents to find refuge with the slovenly caretaker of an abandoned farm. So begins a slacker comedy-drama which is funny, poignant and supremely elegant to watch. Wreathed in warm and inviting orange hues, it looks like it could have been shot in the middle of deep and dusty Nevada – rather than just outside Warsaw. Sit back, relax and let this great film wash over you.
Dir: Andrzej Jakimowski, Poland 2002, 89 mins, Feature Film, Subtitled.

There will be an introduction to the 7.30pm screening at Kino, on Monday 22nd November by film historian Mike Kirkup.

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This extraordinary documentary follows the compelling, emotional journey made by the affable Gunnar Hall Jensen. After a seemingly perfect life, Gunnar falls prey to a series of emotional and chemical demons and this film goes deep into his psyche as he voyages from his native Sweden to India in a last-ditch attempt to detox and – via encounters with the legendary Charles Bukowski – discover himself in the hope of getting back to being ‘comfortable’.

Funny and emotive in equal measures, Jensen is fabulously engaging and charismatic company – you’ll be praying for him to pull through!
Dir: Gunnar Hall Jensen, Norway 2003, 90 mins, Documentary, Subtitled.

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Three interweaving stories vie for attention in this intricately woven tale of secrets and deceit: A heart surgeon constantly lies to his loving wife; an older woman is lying to herself about who is to blame for her failings in life; and a married couple find out why their daughter has really disappeared from their lives. Daybreak is a brilliant collage of stories and emotions woven together effortlessly with an epic feel reminiscent of Paul Thomas Anderson’s Magnolia.
Dir: Bjorn Runge, Denmark 2003, 108 mins, Feature Film, Subtitled.

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One of the most awesome films you will ever hear, this is the story of one of the most amazing music groups in the world. Invented on the back of a fag packet in the 1980s by choir leader Petri Sirviö, Finland’s Screaming Male Choir have travelled the world screaming and shouting versions of traditional songs and national anthems to the bewilderment, joy and the occassional wrath of their international audiences. From their native Finland, to Tokyo, Iceland and Paris, we follow the group over five years performing to Joe Public and the highest echelons of the European Art world. Their struggle to scream their way through famous songs which are protected by bureaucracy is truly hilarious, and really quite inspiring. Don’t miss it.
www.finnish-institute.org.uk
Dir: Miko Ronkainen, Finland 2003, 76 mins, Documentary, Subtitled.

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There’s much food for thought in Annette K Oleson’s emotional drama as Anna (Ann Eleonora Joergensen), a priest in a women’s prison, discovers that one of the inmates, Kate (Trine Dyrholm), can perform miracles. As she uncovers the extent of Kate’s powers, Anna also becomes caught up in a series of events and discoveries about Kate and her dark past that severely test her faith… Filmed within the rules of Lars von Trier’s groundbreaking Dogme 95 manifesto that set out a series of filmmaking rules defining that films should be made without unnatural intrusions (such as fake lighting, sound effects etc.) In Your Hands is a poetic, and intelligent film with a raw edge. A true highlight of this year’s NLFF.
Dir: Anette K. Oleson, Denmark 2003, 101 mins, Feature Film, Subtitled.

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The popular hit of last year’s Northern Lights was the hilarious rom-com Jalla! Jalla!, the debut feature by Josef Fares. This year we’re delighted to present his follow-up, a comedy which is already on its way to smashing Jalla! Jalla!‘s European box office record. Kops is the story of Police officer Benny and his colleagues, who don't have much to do in the small town of Högboträsk. With most of their time spent drinking coffee, eating sausage waffles and chasing down stray cows the lack of crooks is enough for the Swedish authorities to close the station. Faced with the threat of losing their livelihood, the cops investigate a suspected act of vandalism and realise that they themselves may be able to raise the crime statistics high enough to stay in business... A genuinely entertaining, laugh-out-loud treat.
Dir: Josef Fares, Sweden 2003, 90 mins, Feature Film, Subtitled.

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When Alex locks eyes with the beautiful Aimee on a crowded train he suddenly abandons his girlfriend Simone and vaults out of the carriage to follow her. After a night of passion with Aimee that’s played out like a dream, Alex wakes up to a nightmare. Going back home to his apartment he finds it gone – the neighbours don’t recognise him, and neither does Simone. A haunting psychological fable, Reconstruction is set in a chilly, grainy Copenhagen that seethes with light. Christoffer Boe's daring debut feature turns convention and reality on its head to produce a deep and involving film that is being called the Danish Memento.
Dir: Christoffer Boe, Denmark 2003, 91 mins, Feature Film, Subtitled.

www.sodapictures.com

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When middle-aged police detective Richard (Ray Winstone) visits Naomi (North Easterner Jan Graveson), a Soho prostitute nine times over nine days without once soliciting sex, she teases him at his reluctance to bite the bullet and get on with it. But as his questions about her lifestyle grow more insistent, Naomi grows suspicious, but ultimately intrigued by his persistence and mysterious motives. However, the true reason for Richard’s visits and his questions is one she could never have guessed. A dark and disturbing debut thriller by Richard Hawkins featuring Winstone’s finest screen performance since the fabulous Sexy Beast, and it’s all topped off with a stunning soundtrack from Blur’s Damon Albarn.
Dir: Richard Hawkins, UK 2004, 91 mins, Feature Film, Subtitled.

Meet the filmmakers: Director Richard Hawkins and actress Jan Graveson will take part in a Question and Answer session after the screening on Sunday 21st November.
See the Special Events section for full details.

www.sodapictures.com

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From the director of the critical and box office hit Okay, which was screened at NLFF 2003, The Bouncer tells the tale of twenty-something Svend (Nicolai Coster Waldau: Wimbledon). Having spent his life trying to keep his elderly parents marriage on track, he’s run ragged. But when he meets Lizzie (Iben Hjejle: High Fidelity) he finds her a breath of fresh air: she’s pretty, and frank with it. When his new relationship with Lizzie makes him stop and think about his role in his ailing parents marriage the resulting discord has major consequences on them all.
An uplifting gem.
Dir: Jesper W Neilsen, Denmark 2003, 93 mins, Feature Film, Subtitled.

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It’s the summer of 1986 and hundreds of young people have gathered together in an Estonian student summer camp to celebrate the anniversary of the ‘fusion’ of Estonia and the Soviet Union. But there are tensions everywhere as the teenagers exposed to capitalist influences (including Duran Duran), and sporting some truly dreadful eighties haircuts, decide that the strictly communist gathering is not their idea of fun. Revolting against the regime, the students embrace a heavily romanticised ideal of Reagan-era America. An edgy and energetic film reminiscent of Richard Linklater’s Dazed And Confused, this is a defiantly optimistic story, and the first feature from directors Kilmi and Reinumäsi, themselves members of an emerging generation of new young filmmakers from post-Soviet Estonia.
Dir: Jaak Kilmi and René Reinumäsi, Estonia 2004, 98 mins, Feature Film, Subtitled.