Norwegian Films: Toronto Film Fest Nov. 8th 2016

The Crown Prince and The Crown Princess of Norway will be in attendance when Norway`s official entry for the Academy Awards "The King`s Choice" is being screened at TIFF Bell Lightbox, Toronto, November 8.  Norwegian director Erik Poppe’s critically acclaimed movie has broken Norwegian box office records; this will be its first North American screening and the first time the film has been shown outside of Norway.  During their official visit to Toronto in Canada between November 7-10, The Crown Prince and The Crown Princess of Norway will attend the screening of Norwegian director Erik Poppe’s local blockbuster and Official Oscar entry The King’s Choice (Kongens nei) for Canadian and American industry and press. The Crown Prince`s grandfather and great grandfather  “Norwegian filmmakers have strong relations to Canada and to the Toronto International Film Festival as a pivotal film and industry event, and of course it makes the presentation here in Toronto special that the film is about The Crown Prince's great-grandfather and grandfather,” added executive director Communications, Strategic Insight and International Relations Stine Helgeland, of the Norwegian Film Institute. Set during German invasion of Norway  Starring Danish actor Jesper Christensen as King Haakon VII and Norwegian actor Anders Baasmo Christiansen as The Crown Prince and scripted by Jan Trygve Røyneland and Harald Rosenløw Eeg, the film is set during the German invasion of Norway in 1940. On these few days in April, King Haakon VII was faced with the Germans’ ultimative demand for capitulation, a passive government and a Crown Prince ready for action – when “the real events turned a brave man into the people’s King.” He refused. No 1 on Norwegian cinema charts  Released on September 23rd, The King’s Choice has sold more than 600.000 domestic tickets and couting (for Nordisk Film Distribusjon) and is No 1 on this year’s Norwegian box office charts; followed by Me Before You (406.740) and Ice Age 5 (378.654). Norway has a population of 5 million inhabitants. Celebrating first screening outside Norway  “Of course we are looking forward to present The King’s Choice with The Crown Prince and The Crown Princess in Canada – we will also be celebrating that this is the first time the film will be shown outside Norway,” said Norwegian producer Stein B Kvae, who produced the film with Finn Gjerdrum for Paradox. Screening at TIFF Bell Lightbox  The presentation of the film will take place on November 8 at TIFF Bell Lightbox, the headquarter of Toronto International Film Festival.      Stine Oppegaard  Norwegian Film Institute. Head of International Relations, Feature Films; stine.oppegaard@nfi.no  Tel: +47 908 59 638