Norwave: Norwegian Cinema 1997-2006

Abstract

ABSTRACT: This article will examine Norwegian cinema from 1997 to 2006, a period marked by a growing awareness of both the international film market and the demands of an increasingly sophisticated domestic market on the part of Norwegian filmmakers. This period has come to be known as “Norwave.” It will be argued that the films of the Norwave attempt a two-fold task—on the one hand they seek to gain international acclaim of the kind associated with the likes of the Danish Dogma 95 directors and Finnish director Aki Kaurismäki, while on the other hand they attempt to create a public forum for the working out of specific issues in contemporary Norwegian identity and ideology. By analyzing eight of the most successful Norwegian films from the decade, the study maps out this tension between these global and local aspirations.