“My Fathers’ Daughter,” soon to be the first Sámi-language feature film to have its world premiere in Toronto, has released its first image featuring “Game of Thrones” actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, who will appear as himself for the foreseeable future. parental family drama.
Directed by Egil Pedersen, “My Fathers’ Daughter” is the story of Elvira, a confident teenager who is convinced she was conceived in a Danish fertility clinic. Firm in that belief, she often daydreams about who her father might be, imagining him as a famous movie star, in this case Coster-Waldau. However, those dreams are taken away from the girl when her real biological father unexpectedly appears.
Although “My Fathers’ Daughter” is Pedersen’s feature debut, he is an accomplished director who has directed 18 music videos, 15 short films and numerous commissioned films and advertisements. His most recent short film, a satirical comedy entitled ‘Koftepolitiet’ (‘Native Police’), was a hit in the Sami community.
Written and directed by Pedersen, “My Father’s Daughter” is a Norway-Sweden-Finland co-production between Rein Film, Paasan, Oktober, Bautafilm and Filmpool Nord. Pluto Film handles international sales.
The film also received support from Neo, the Norwegian Film Institute’s program that finances debut films for talented directors. “Without Neo the film wouldn’t have been made,” Pedersen explains. “After many years of rejection by the Norwegian Film Institute, we were accepted by Neo. Also important was the audience insight program Publikum, which uses artificial intelligence, analyzed by humans, and in combination with interviews with potential audiences. All of this is aimed at increasing the potential of the story. For me, I became bolder in the way I used political and other real-world references.
In narrative terms, “My Father’s Daughter” was a way for Pedersen to tackle themes that influenced his life over the years. “I always knew I was Sámi, but as a child I never felt good enough to be a real Sámi among other Sámi people. Later, as a teenager, I faced racially motivated violence because I looked like Sámi.”
The director says that after graduating from Norwegian film school, he didn’t believe he would be accepted as a Sámi filmmaker, but the International Sámi Film Institute eventually embraced him as part of their community. “In the 2010s, I slowly transformed with doubt and hesitation into a Sámi filmmaker.”
“My Fathers’ Daughter” debuts on September 8 in the Discovery section of this year’s Toronto Film Festival.
