It was on Sunday that the film festival in Berlin, also known as the Berlinale, received a complaint about the children’s film “Helt super”. The anti-racist film organization Artef (Anti-Racism Taskforce for European Film) believes the film contains stereotypical representations of people of color, according to Berlingske Tidende. It further caused the festival to cancel the gala premiere of the film. The filmmakers tell news that they are disappointed, and do not understand the reaction. – The film has been seen by 110,000 in cinemas in Norway, and won the audience award during the junior edition of the Tromsø International Film Festival this autumn, says director of drama Ellen Alveberg at Qvisten Animation. She says that they have not gained insight into what the complaint is about beyond what has come to light. – Surprised and very disappointed, Alveberg points out that the film has been sold to more than 150 countries, including the USA. – It has happened without any reactions. Our intention has been to tell a story that everyone is good enough just the way they are, she says. The creators behind “Helt super” do not understand the complaint. – Are they surprised? – Surprised and very disappointed. We missed the premiere performance and the celebration of the film. – What do they think about how the Berlinale has handled the case? – Me has been invited to participate in the competition in the Generations programme, and is experiencing this shortly before the film is to be shown. If we cannot trust that the festival will stand by its choices, one will have to consider participation in Berlin in the future. The festival risks becoming irrelevant if they don’t themselves decide which films to see. The head of communications at the Berlinale, Frauke Greiner, wrote in an e-mail to news that they had spoken to the filmmakers, the production company and the Norwegian Film Institute after receiving the letter. – After discussions with them and a meeting with Artef, I decided that I needed more time on both sides to find a way to present the first view, writes Greiner. – We took these concerns very seriously in accordance with our ethical guidelines. We discussed with experts and wanted more feedback. The Berlinale has decided that there will be a warning text at the subsequent film screenings, according to Greiner. NFI: – Nothing to be warned against Artef is an organization that will deal with institutional racism in European film. He is supported by various film organisations. NFI has previously given a grant to a course run by Artef. Director Kjersti Mo of NFI tells news that she believes the way the festival has handled the case is unsustainable. NFI director Kjersti Mo says artistic freedom and freedom of expression are under severe pressure in our time. Photo: FRODE FJERDINGSTAD / FRODE FJERDINGSTAD – This is a question of principle. After all, the film was invited and was to have its international premiere, and there was a lot of excitement about it, she says and continued: – We didn’t want to include that “warning text”, I think the film stands well on its own. She says that they have told the film festival what they think about the matter, and that they have had many long discussions with the festival. – Artistic freedom and freedom of expression are under intense pressure in our time, and the fact that a film is shown unimpeded at a festival is important if we are to have good discussions afterwards. This also applies to children’s films. – Stand out as absurd After the decision to cancel the gala premiere, the Berlinale sent out a notice to everyone who had bought tickets for a later screening of the film. There they wrote, according to Berlingske Tidende, that one has become “aware that the film can be interpreted differently than the director had intended, and the film’s portrayal of people of color can be perceived as a stereotype”. To the newspaper, the film festival underlines that they are “following the situation and are willing to do more if necessary”. The Virke Produsentforeningen, which organizes Norwegian production companies, also reacts strongly to how the Berlinale has behaved. – It is alarming that a well-reputed festival like the Berlinale behaves so untidy and completely without its own integrity in such an important matter of principle as having the ownership to program its own festival, says Åse Kringstad who is the head of the Virke Produsentforeningen. Åse Kringstad is the leader of Virke Produsentforeningen. Photo: Virke Produsentforeningen Virke Produsentforeningen says they are concerned about what it means for the dissemination of film in the future, and believes the Berlinale is not to be trusted. – This is deeply problematic from a freedom of expression perspective, and we cannot sit idly by and let this happen, says Kringstad. – That the Berlinale now says they will stage the film with a “warning text” also seems absurd. – Stands out as a mystery The film was released in Norway in September 2022. Film critic Birger Vestmo in news then rolled a four. He says that he is very interested in knowing the context in which the criticism is presented and what the background for the complaint actually is. – It stands out to me as a mystery. It seems like excessive wake searching here. At the same time, I am a little nervous that I have overlooked something that a white man in his 50s has not understood. But I can’t quite understand that there should be anything controversial in “Helt super”. He is a funny children’s film with a safe and well-known theme of trusting one’s own inner qualities, he says. He adds that he believes that the complaint appears to be very loose and without substance. Alveberg says that they are shaken and disappointed in Qvisten Animation. Film critic Birger Vestmo believes that the complaint against “Helt super” is loose and without substance. Photo: HENRIETTE DÆHLI / news / Henriette Dæhli – The trip to Berlin was supposed to be a nice celebration of the film, but it didn’t turn out to be anything we were looking forward to. The festival has handled this in an unusually messy and unprofessional manner, where it has been difficult to understand what this is actually about. We were supposed to be happy guests, but it didn’t turn out that way. news has still not managed to get in touch with Artef. In an earlier version of the case, it was stated that NFI is among the organizations that support Artef. It is not right, but NFI has in one case given a grant to a course run by Artef, when the organization was completely new.
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The Berlinale stopped the premiere of a Norwegian children’s film after an anti-racist complaint – news Culture and entertainment
