The case in summary: Laurens Pérol is a 27-year-old director who hitchhikes to all screenings of his film “To practice”, both in Norway and abroad. Pérol moved from Stuttgart to Kabelvåg in 2017 to attend film school. The film “Å øve” is about a young trumpet player and climate activist who refuses to fly, and chooses to hitchhike to an audition in Oslo. Pérol and lead actress Kornelia Melsæter are both concerned with climate and the environment, and no one in the film project used airplanes. – I have plenty of time. It is around an hour and a half until I have to leave Bodø. Laurens Pérol laughs as he drags the heavy suitcase behind him. The yellow jacket lights up, and in his hand he holds a sign with the text “Rognan”. He is going on to the next pre-premiere for the film “Å øve”. Despite the fact that the film has received several awards, the director keeps his feet planted on the ground. The 27-year-old hitchhikes to all film screenings, both in Norway and abroad. Laurens Pérol hitchhikes through Norway to Oslo while showing the film “To Practice”. From Stuttgart to Kabelvåg, the 27-year-old speaks Norwegian as well as his jacket is yellow. In 2017, he moved from Stuttgart to Kabelvåg. Germany’s sixth largest city was replaced by Lofoten’s oldest fishing village. Why? Kabelvåg houses a full-fledged, state-of-the-art film art school. Perfect for a budding young filmmaker who wanted a smaller place with beautiful scenery. – During my final year, I started writing a script for what was to be my bachelor’s film, says Laurens. It’s hard not to notice Laurens Pérol in the yellow jacket. And of course the jacket has the same color as Trines. Photo: Sondre Skjelvik / news Due to the corona, the recording was postponed somewhat, but in October 2020 he received permission from the school to borrow both equipment and people so that the feature film “Å øve” could become a reality. In March, almost four years later, the film premieres in Oslo. But it has already managed to make a name for itself both nationally and internationally. In October, the film received the critic’s prize at the Hof International Film Festival in Germany, one of Germany’s most important film festivals. The Norwegian actor, director and screenwriter Liv Ullmann presents an award to Laurens during the Nordic Film Days in Lübeck. Photo: Olaf Malzahn A month later, during the Nordic Film Days in Lübeck, it won best feature film debut. The prize was awarded by Liv Ullmann herself. But why on earth does the director hitchhike to all the screenings? Because the film is about exactly that. A promise to oneself can present challenges So, what is the film about? Lead actor Kornelia Melsæter says: – Trine wants to become a trumpet player. At the same time, she is a climate activist. Her two great passions. Suddenly, a golden opportunity appears for Trine. Auditioning for Tine Thing Helseth herself at the opera in Oslo. Trine is put in a tight spot when she gets the opportunity of the day, far away from Lofoten. It’s just a problem. Trine refuses to fly. – She simply chooses to hitchhike, says Melsæter about her own character and adds that metaphorically it means much more: – Perhaps it is as much about how problematic it can be to stand by one’s own principles. You can be pulled in several directions. A promise you make to yourself can bring with it a number of challenges. Here you can see the trailer for “To practice”: Wrote the script while hitchhiking The crew, which consisted of Laurens, Kornelia and four others, completed the recording in 12 days. Six days in Lofoten, before they did six days on the roads between Northern Norway and Oslo. – The other actors lived along the road. They were selected based on where they live, says Laurens. Laurens also hitchhiked to the film festival in Lübeck. Photo: Privat In the writing process, the German decided to do the same as “Trine”: hitchhike to Oslo. Naturally, he met a number of interesting people. – Many of them were chosen to be actors in the film. Kornelia adds that she therefore, for practical reasons, had not met the other actors before they recorded. Kornelia Melsæter plays Trine in “Å øve”. The character is put in a difficult dilemma since she refuses to fly. – Doesn’t everyone work like this? quips the lead actor. – I didn’t really need to know them. Trine was not supposed to have such a relationship with them. Therefore, it was in many ways very true to the character. During the recording, they also met several other interesting people – who ended up getting roles in the film. – Some played fictional characters, some more or less played themselves. It was all very nice and relaxed, but it wouldn’t have been possible without Laurens. A good idea trumps resources Both Kornelia and Laurens say they themselves are concerned about climate and the environment. To be true to the character Trine, it was therefore very natural that no one in the project used airplanes. – If I flew to Lofoten? No, of course I took the train north, says Kornelia. Laurens has moved a little further towards Rognan in search of a ride. There are three hours until he is to be at Rognan. In the worst case, he has to crawl to the cross to catch the train – which leaves from the building behind. Photo: Sondre Skjelvik / news Laurens believes that the film industry, on a general basis, could perhaps learn a bit from the environmentally conscious group behind “Å øve”. – It is about seeing what is possible. Sometimes you have to fly, but I always consider all other possibilities first. And in connection with this project, flying was completely out of the question. He argues that the film industry is a huge machine that often uses a lot of resources. – I have learned from my projects, and other people’s projects, that the idea always beats the technique. Do you really need a truck with lighting in tow? Perhaps we can convince the public in a different way? The yellow jacket is everywhere – even at the film festival in Hof. The costumes in the film are mostly recycled or homemade. Photo: Luca Scheuring / lucascheuring.de The film “Å øve” is now previewing in a number of cinemas around Norway before the big premiere day in Oslo on 1 March. The young director describes it all as a rollercoaster of emotions. And to Oslo there will of course be hitchhiking.
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Laurens Pérol releases the film “To practice” – news Nordland
