Norwegian Epic 'Growth of the Soil' Lands 15 Global Distribution Deals
The film, Norway's Oscar entry, topped the domestic box office after winning two awards at San Sebastián.
By Nikolai Morales ·
One. That is the number 'Growth of the Soil' reached at the Norwegian box office during its opening weekend. The film, directed by Hans Petter Moland, climbed to the top spot after releasing across Scandinavia through Scanbox Entertainment.
Beta Cinema has finalized distribution agreements with 15 partners across four continents. The deals cover North America, the United Kingdom, Europe, and Asia. Greenwich Entertainment will handle the release in North America. Conic has secured rights for the U.K. and Ireland. Neue Visionen will distribute the film in Germany and Austria.
Additional partners include Teodora Film in Italy, A Contracorriente Films in Spain, and Cherry Pickers in the Benelux region. Frenetic Films has rights in Switzerland, while Weird Wave will show it in Greece. Scanorama handles the Baltic states. Vertigo Media will release the film in Hungary, and Beta Film will distribute it in Bulgaria.
Big Tree Entertainment has acquired rights for India. Falcon Pictures will release the film in Indonesia. Imovision handles the distribution in Brazil. Palace Films has secured rights for Australia and New Zealand.
The film is Norway's official entry for best international feature at the 99th Academy Awards. It previously premiered in Toronto and at San Sebastián. At the San Sebastián festival, the movie won the Silver Shell for best leading performance. It also received the jury prize for best cinematography.
Based on a Nobel Prize winning novel, the story follows Isak, a man who crosses mountains to find land. He settles in an unforgiving area above the tree line. He meets Inger, a woman with similar resilience. The two build a home and family from scratch. Their relationship changes as time passes and the world around them shifts.
Herbert Nordrum and Asta Kamma August star in the leading roles. They are joined by Gard B. Eidsvold, Anders Baasmo, Oddgeir Thune, and Sjur Vatne Brean. Moland co-wrote the screenplay with Eidsvold. Oskar Dahlsbakken shot the film. Danish composer Kaspar Kaae composed the score. Håkon Øverås produced the project for 4 ½ Fiction in co-production with Scanbox.
