It moved straight to Cannes when the 85-year-old grandson of Liv Ullmann and the late Ingmar Bergman made his feature directorial debut.
– This is something you dream about, and do not dare to hope for, says Halfdan Ullmann Tundel (34 years old) in a press release.
He was invited to the world's leading film festival with his first feature film “Armand” in which Renate Rensef (36 years old) plays the main role.
– It took nine years to make this film since I first came up with the idea, and it is unreal that it will now have its first meeting with the audience at the most important film festival in the world, says Tondel.
A demanding role
Renate Reinsve plays the main character Elizabeth, who is called to attend a parents' meeting at short notice. The son is accused of “something,” and soon the school principal, the health nurse, and another pair of parents are also part of a meeting over which the school quickly loses control, the plot goes.
According to Rensef, this was a challenging role.
-It really took everything I had. Recording “Armand” was so intense that I lay down for two months afterward.
One actor has participated A series of photos on his personal Instagram page With background images from photography. And it seems that the 36-year-old is very proud that “Armand” will be participating in the major film festival:
“This group of best friends made a movie. So proud!”, She writes in the series of pictures.
Farrow's inspiration
Ingmar Bergman's grandson, Tundel, shot a short film about his grandfather's legendary Faroe Island in 2015, in which Rensvi also participated.
– It became so strong for both of us that we had to work together again. After all, it takes a long time to get financing for a film, and I've had a lot of doubts in the past decade, but Renate was a rock. The night she won Best Actress at Cannes, she sent me an SMS: “Think how good this is for our film!” Halfdan Ullmann Tundel said in the press release.
The producer of “Armand” is Andrea Berentsen Ottmar, who can therefore boast of having produced three feature films, all of which received their world premiere at Cannes. In addition to “Armand,” there are “The Worst Man in the World” by Joachim Trier and “The Sick Girl” by Christopher Burghley.
– It is the first time we have experienced traveling to Cannes with a debut film. It's an incredible acknowledgment of Armand's qualities. This means that our film gets the best possible start to life on big screens around the world, says Otmar.
The film “Armand” will be screened as part of the “Un Certain Regard” program during the Cannes Film Festival, while it awaits its cinematic premiere on September 27 in Norway.
– Unique voice
According to the Norwegian Film Institute, this is the fourth time in eleven years that a Norwegian film has been invited to the Un Certain Regard section, part of the film festival's official programme.
– Halfdan Ullman Tundel is one of our great new talents. The Cannes invitation is a great recognition of his unique voice as a director. It will be a very good start to the international careers of both Tøndel and the film “Armand”. “We are looking forward to the world premiere in Cannes,” says director Kjersti Moe from the Norwegian Film Institute.
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