Utøya 22. juli

Utøya 22. juli U - July 22

On July 22, 2011, a heavily armed right-wing extremist attacked a youth Labour summer camp on Utøya island outside Oslo. The murderous attack claimed the lives of 69 victims. U – July 22 is about that day, the worst day in modern Norway’s history.

We get to follow 19-year-old Kaja in her desperate search for her sister. Filmed in a single take, the story unfolds as seen through the eyes of the victims.

World premiere at the Berlin Film Festival on February 19, 2018.

Written by Anna Bache-Wiig and Siv Rajendram Eliassen. Directed by Erik Poppe.

Awards

Valladolid International Film Festival Nominee (Best Film) Spain 2018
Ghent International Film Festival Nominee (Best Film) Belgium 2018
Amanda Awards Nominee (Best Film) Norway 2018
Amanda Awards Nominee (Best Screenplay) Norway 2018
Berlin International Film Festival (Ecumenical Prize) Germany 2018
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Reviews

  • “Erik Poppe’s Utøya July 22 is a visceral, brutal, yet heartfelt and earnest movie, which imbibes the innocent bewilderment and horror of its young characters.”

    ★★★★

    The Guardian, United Kingdom

  • “The film has the power to make our bodies catch up with our hearts — the power to help us safely experience the kind of terror we need to remember in a way that makes it impossible for us to forget.”

    ★★★★

    IndieWire

  • “This singular masterpiece demonstrates the power cinema can have to articulate the ineffable.”

    ★★★★★

    The Upcoming, United Kingdom

  • “Nothing short of a masterpiece.”

    ★★★★★

    NRK, Norway

  • “U-July 22 is a necessary film. And a terribly great film that takes us to the heart of the worst terrorist attack on Norwegian soil: the youth.”

    ★★★★★

    Dagsavisen, Norway

  • “In the way the story is told, the spectator is forced into the film and it creates a closeness to the teenagers and their experience in a way that could not have been done better. ”

    ★★★★★

    Kinomagasinet, Norway

  • “It’s very moving how well the film, with the politically engaged Kaja in focus, portrays the attack’s far-reaching effects on Norway's political future.”

    ★★★★

    Dagens Nyheter, Sweden

  • “[The] combination of extreme subject matter, supercharged emotional stakes, and the one-take approach make for a transformative cinematic experience. /…/ They succeed in making us feel as though we are legitimate eyewitnesses to the action.”

    The New Yorker, US

Screenwriter
Photo: Carl Martin Nordby Anna Bache-Wiig & Siv Rajendram Eliassen
Premiere
2018
Genre
  • Drama
  • Thriller

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