A three-day exclusive Norwegian Film Festival, organised by The Indo Cine Appreciation Foundation (ICAF), began with the screening of My Cardboard Dad on Monday in the presence of dignitaries and movie buffs, at the Russian Centre of Science and Culture in the city. Arvind Gopinath, Consul, Royal Norwegian Consulate, Chennai, inaugurated the fest and said that Norway had a history of over a century in filmmaking. “The journey began in 1908 when Norway made its first feature film The Dangers of Fishermen,” he said.
Arvind said Norway made about 15 to 20 feature films every year, besides 300 documentaries and added that the Norwegian Government was actively involved in promoting their films in other countries. Chief guest M Rajaram, Secretary, Tamil Development and Information Department, said that though the Norwegian film industry was small, it was progressing well.
ICAF president S Kannan said, “Norway is one of the coldest countries in the world, but it makes warm films.”
The foundation’s general secretary E Thangaraj said this was the first time the foundation had organised an exclusive festival for Norwegian films, though it had showcased a few films from the region on different occasions. The guests were given a book that detailed the achievements of Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa in in the last two years, as a memento.