Norway is “Homesick” for Anne Sewitsky’s Latest

Recently, the Norwegian Film Institute has started showing more diligent support to their local filmmakers, in particular those whose projects astray from the mainstream path. Director Anne Sewitsky is one of a handful of artists who will benefit from this aid. Thanks to her highly successful film Happy, Happy (2010) – which got picked up for distribution by the Magnolia Pictures folks (see our interview with her below), Sewitsky has been granted €1.7 million for the production of her latest piece Homesick.

Gist: Focusing on yet another female heroine, Homesick will tell the story of Charlotte; a woman who finds a new home by moving in with her boyfriend and best friend’s family. Charlotte will be faced with a long untold secret; she has a ten-year brother that she has never met before. Their encounter will surely set the dramatic wheels in motion to deliver a moving melodrama

Worth Noting: Sewitsky’s Happy, Happy became the first Norwegian film to received the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance in 2011. The film would go on to become Norway’s official entry for the Best Foreign Language Film category at the 84th Academy Awards.

Do We Care: Domestic dramas appear to be Sewitsky’s calling card. As with her previous work, this project will most likely be plagued with complex characters at a crossroad in their lives. She will work from a script written by Ragnhild Tronvoll, who also wrote Happy, Happy, which seems like an ideal decision from both parts to continue their partnership. Aiming for a 2014 release, let’s hope this film stays true to the wave of very sophisticated gems coming from the relatively new importers of hip foreign films – the Norwegians.

Interview: Anne Sewitsky (Happy, Happy) from IONCINEMA.com on Vimeo.