“A winning comedy that gets good-natured fun out of characters behaving badly.” -VARIETY
6.30pm Christmas drinks and nibbles
7.00pm Film screens
Family is the most important thing in the world to Kaja. She is an eternal optimist in spite of living with a man who would rather go hunting with the boys, and who refuses to have sex with her because she "isn't particularly attractive" anymore. Whatever. That's life.
But when "the perfect couple" moves in next door, Kaja struggles to keep her emotions in check. Not only do these successful, beautiful, exciting people sing in a choir; they have also adopted a child – from Ethiopia! These new neighbors open a new world to Kaja, with consequences for everyone involved. And when Christmas comes around, it becomes evident that nothing will ever be like before – even if Kaja tries her very best.
AWARDS
Official Oscar® Entry - NORWAY - Best Foreign Language Film
Official Selection:
2011 Sundance Film Festival – Winner World Cinema Jury Prize
2011 ND/NF Film Festival
2011 Seattle International Film Festival
"I wanted to tell the story of an insistently happy person. No matter how hopeless and tragic the world may be, she smiles. Kaia lives through others, wants to be like everyone else, maybe for want of individual foundations. Her driving force becomes happiness; she’s made joy her survival strategy." Anne Sewitsky, Director
Official website including trailer
http://www.magpictures.com/happyhappy/
Year : 2010
Director : Anne Sewitzky
Cast : Agnes Kittelson, Henrik Rafaelson, Maibritt Saerens,
Joachim Rafaelson
Genre : Comedy/Drama
Country : Norway
Language : Norwegian (English Subtitles)
Rating : M
Running Time : 88 mins.
ABOUT THE ACTORS
AGNES KITTELSEN (Kaia)
Agnes Kittelsen graduated from the Norwegian Faculty for Performing Arts and was last seen as Tikken Manus in Max Manus. For this role she won an Amanda award for Best Female Supporting Role (2009) and Kanonprisen for Best Female Actor. Agnes has also played in the TV series Skolen and Brødrene Dal og mysteriet om Karl XIIs gamasjer on NRK, and in Unni Lindell's Honningfellen.
JOACHIM RAFAELSEN (Eirik)
Joachim Rafaelsen graduated from the Norwegian Faculty for Performing Arts. He acted in his first film at the age of 15, as Ole in Haakon Haakonsson, and has since then been in Glasskår, I am Dina, House of Fools, Codename Hunter, En udødelig mann, Sons, Hawaii Oslo and Varg Veum – Fallen Angels. On TV he has been in Sejer - elskede Poona and Lekestue on NRK.
MAIBRITT SAERENS (Elisabeth)
Maibritt Saerens is a Danish actress educated at Aarhus teater and employed both there and at The Royal Danish Theatre in Copenhagen. She has played in a number of Danish TV series, and is best known to Norwegians as Søs in Better Times which has aired on NRK.
HENRIK RAFAELSEN (Sigve)
Henrik Rafaelsen graduated from the Stockholm Academy of Dramatic Arts and is today employed by the National Theatre in Oslo. He has also been in productions at Det Norske Teatret and at Stockholm’s Stadsteater. In 2005 he played the lead in Robert Wilson's staging of Peer Gynt. He has also been in the films 5 Lies, Izzat, Tommy's Inferno and Angel. He also plays one of the leads in Limbo which premiered in the fall of 2010.
ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS
ANNE SEWITSKY (Director)
Recently graduated from the Norwegian Film School in Lillehammer, HAPPY, HAPPY is Anne Sewitsky’s debut as a feature film director. She has previously directed the short film Oh my god! for which she won an award in the category Generation Kplus at the Berlin Film Festival (2009). She has also directed episodes of Himmelblå (NRK) and was co-director of the TV series Norwegian Cozy which will air on NRK this fall.
SYNNOVE HORSDAL (Producer)
Synnove Horsdal is managing director, producer and partner in Maipo AS, and has been with the company since its inception in 2000. She is educated in film production in England, where she produced several short films and documentaries before returning to Norway in 1996. She has held – and holds – a number of positions in the film business, including being on the board of the Norwegian Film and TV Producers' Association. Synnove has produced 8 feature films, including Just Bea and The Last Joint Venture, as well as the TV series All for One.
ANNA MYKING (Director of Photography)
HAPPY, HAPPY is Anna Myking’s debut as feature film photographer. She has previously been the photographer on, among other projects, Anne Sewitsky's short Oh my god! and the documentary 99% ærlig which played in cinemas in 2008, as well as the teen film Respect (1st assistant camera). She has also been D.O.P. for a number of episodes of the TV series Hvaler.
RAGNHILD TRONVOLL (Screenplay)
Ragnhild Tronvoll was born and raised in Trondheim. She received her screenplay degree from the Norwegian Film School in Lillehammer, and has earned a living writing since graduating in 2006. She has, among other projects, been involved in developing Krønsj – a sitcom for children for NRK Radio, and she wrote the screenplay for the short feature Bokaj (graduation film from film school) which has won several awards at festivals – including silver at Cinema Juve, Valencia 2007.
Ragnhild also has a degree in graphic design and illustration from the Bergen National Academy of the Arts. She has studied fiction writing at Skrivekunstakademiet in Hordaland, and worked in an ad agency.
FULL LIST OF FESTIVAL SCREENINGS AND AWARDS
FESTIVAL SCREENINGS & AWARDS
Official Oscar® Entry – NORWAY - Best Foreign Language Film
USA 2011:
Sundance Film Festival – Winner: World Cinema Grand Jury Award
ND/NF Film Festival
Seattle International Film Festival
Minneapolis / St. Paul International Film Festival
Washington DC International Film Festival
Provincetown Film Festival
Nantucket Film Festival
Outfest
Martha’s Vineyard International Film Festival
Estes Park Film Festival
Rehoboth Beach Independent Film Festival
Berkshire International Film Festival
Tallgrass Film Festival, Wichita
INTERNATIONAL 2011:
Göteborg International Film Festival
Cinénygma Luxembourg International Film Festival
Transilvania International Film Festival
Norwegian Film Festival – Winner: Best Male Actor
Sydney Film Festival
Festival du Film de Cabour – Winner: Jury’s Special Mention
Brussels Film Festival – Winner: Best Screenplay
Jerusalem International Film Festival
L' Isola del Cinema, Rome
Guanajuato International Film Festival - Expresión en Corto
Espoo Ciné International Film Festival
Festival do Rio – Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival
Nordic Film Days Lübeck
Molodist – Kiev International Film Festival
Seville European Film Festival
Leiden International Film Festival
Calgary International Film Festival
Vancouver International Film Festival
Canberra International Film Festival
Zurich Film Festival – Winner: Film Critics Award
European Film Forum Scanorama, Vilnius
