The Norwegian documentary film “A New Kind of Wilderness”, directed by Silje Evensmo Jacobsen, won the grand jury’s prize in the international documentary category during this year’s Sundance Film Festival. Silje Evensmo Jacobsen and producer Mari Bakke Riise. Photo: Private – It’s absolutely wild! It is an out-of-myself experience. We worked on the film for the next four years, and coming from a dark cutting room to one of the world’s biggest film festivals was incredible in itself. And now that we win the main prize is such a great recognition. We are so proud and happy, says Jacobsen to news. – An unconventional choice news also spoke with the filmmaker earlier this week, before the award ceremony. – The family is open, generous, warm-hearted, funny and … uh, a bit weird, she explained. It’s the Payne family she’s talking about. More than 10 years ago, the family, living in Skollenborg outside Kongsberg, made an unconventional choice. Mother Maria quit her job as a teacher. Father Nik retired as a diver and small plane pilot. The car was sold, they bought a farm and moved to the countryside with their four children Falk, Ulv, Ronja and Freja to farm organically. They chose to live in harmony with nature. Grow your own food, homeschool and sleep together. Maria was a photographer and documented the family’s life project. Then tragedy strikes them: In 2019, Maria gets cancer and dies. The world is turned upside down. The whole Payne family gathered. Director Jacobsen says that Maria’s passing and the grieving process gave the film another depth and dimension. Photo: Maria Vatne Inspired by a blog to make a documentary film Their history has now become a film thanks to documentary filmmaker Silje Evensmo Jacobsen. By her own admission, she runs a small production company, “A5 Film”, and makes documentary films. So why and how did he become interested in this family? – The starting point for making the film was Maria’s blog, which I discovered almost 10 years ago; it was the picture she took and what she wrote about the life they had chosen, explains Jacobsen. The idea was first to make a series where she followed the family. This was nevertheless shelved. Director Silje Evensmo Jacobsen has previously made “KRAFT”, “Faith can move mountains” and the “Team Ingebrigtsen” series. Photo: Line Lyngstadaas – When the sad thing happened to Maria, I thought: “We have to do something anyway!” – It’s crazy that he’s going to Sundance! The result was the film “Unkjent landskap/A New kind of Wilderness”. – I started filming them shortly after Maria died, without support or any channel with the team. We were also a newly started production company with no money, so here we just had to invest, she says. The venture bore fruit. On Friday, the film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in the USA, where it is one of ten films competing in the “World Cinema Documentary Competition”. Sundance Film Festival Sundance film festival is a film festival in the USA that was started in 1973 with a focus on independent film, i.e. films produced by other than the major studios. It is the largest of its kind in the United States, and is held annually in the cities of Park City, Salt Lake City and Odgen in Utah, as well as at Sundance Ski Resort. Directors such as Kevin Smith, Jim Jarmusch, Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez have all had their breakthroughs at the festival. The festival is named after “The Sundance Kid”, Robert Redford’s character in the film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Redford was the festival’s first chairman. – For us at A5 Film, it’s absolutely wild! Sundance! It is unreal and exciting, says Jacobsen. Last week she traveled across the pond with producer Mari Bakke Riise and her family of five to attend the premiere. Two other Norwegian films have also been filmed, Benjamin Ree’s cinema documentary “Ibelin” and Thea Hvistendahl’s feature film “Handling the undead”. The Payne family at Sundance surrounded by (far left) Mari Bakke Riise and (far right) Silje Evensmo Jacobsen. Photo: Arash Ebrahimi The documentary film signed A5 Film therefore depicts a not quite A4 family. After Maria’s death, Nik desperately tries to keep his life project going. It will prove to be a difficult task. Reluctantly, the family must adapt to modern society again, at the same time as they are in a difficult grieving process. – They have some values that are incredibly inspiring for me as a mother, observes Jacobsen and adds that the children “climb three bare feet with an ax and are at one with nature”. – A six-year-old wolf makes a hole in the ice, fishes up fish and guts it, illustrates the filmmaker. The family lives in harmony with nature. Photo: A5 Film Standing ovation and rave reviews When the film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah on Friday 19 January, it was received with standing ovation and praise from the critics. I mention a fraction: Film Fest Report: “The Payne’s story is heartbreakingly moving”. Filmmakar Magazine: “A New Kind of Wilderness is certainly a stunner. Wow” Screen Daily: “Director Silje Evensmo Jacobsen creates a gentle, intimate portrait of the Paynes”. Family man Nik had to make a difficult choice after his loved one passed away. Photo: A5 Film A Utah-yourself experience Freja (14) and Ronja (18) are the oldest of the Payne children. Traveling to the USA and seeing one’s own, private life unfold on the screen together with strangers was “unique” and “overwhelming” – and perhaps a little embarrassing. – I have had a very funny upbringing, and being part of the film has meant a lot of feelings. And then it’s a bit embarrassing to watch yourself on film, admits Freja. Big sister says this: – The film has been a very emotional process. The fact that I get such a good response makes the difficult part worth it in the end. Ronja adds that the family was met with enormous love, and that they were stopped in the street afterwards by people who wanted to give hugs, share their own life experiences and brag about them and the film: – I don’t think I’ve ever said thank you so many times before in my life. Someone who was at the screenings told us that they have been at Sundance for 20 years and seen 500 films – they have never heard so much sniffing in the hall before, says Ronja. The award ceremony itself for the best film in the “World Cinema Documentary Competition” category will take place next Friday. That particular price does not play such a big role for Ronja. Eldest child in the Payne flock, Ronja, together with director Silje Evensmo Jacobsen. Photo: Magnus Sandnes – For me, it’s not about whether I win or not. We have already won by coming to Sundance. “Unknown landscape” will be shown on news in the spring.
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Norwegian family success won the Sundance Film Festival
