KING OF NORWAY
A short film based on a true story from writer/director Sylvia Sether.
TRAILER - SYNOPSIS
- CAST BIOS
- FILMMAKERS
- DIRECTOR'S NOTE
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TRAILER
- coming end of May 2013
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SYNOPSIS
LOGLINE
Liv Skaarsguard had given up trying to make memories with a father who couldn't remember her, but when she learns that he's dying, she finds her way back to him and discovers that love is impossible to forget.
SYNOPSIS
For twenty-three years Olaf has been confined to a nursing home and his daughter Liv has been imprisoned by the guilt she feels for not visiting him. When Liv's estranged mother calls to deliver the news of his imminent passing, she is forced to return home and face what she's spent her entire life running from. As Liv confronts the past and finally steps into the present, memories overwhelm her, coming together like pieces of a puzzle. As her walls begin to crumble, Liv awakens to the mystery of letting go, regret, loss and the extraordinary strength of love.
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CAST BIOS
- MARIANNA PALKA ( LIV SKAARSGUARD) --
Marianna Palka was born and brought up in Glasgow, Scotland and moved to New York City at age 17 to study at David Mamet and William H. Macy’s Atlantic Theater Company.
Marianna wrote, directed and stars alongside Jason Ritter, Mark Webber, Charles Durning and Tom Arnold in the award winning love story, “Good Dick”. The film screened in the Dramatic Competition at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival and has gone on to be screened at numerous US film festivals as well as festivals across the globe. The film premiered at the 2008 Edinburgh Film Festival, where Marianna was honored with the New Director’s Award by Sean Connery. Good Dick was self released in the US to much success in 2009 by Palka and her co-producers, Jason Ritter, Jen Dubin and Cora Olson.
At the 2010 Sundance Film Festival, Marianna was a Sloan Juror with the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. She also performed in Nora Ephron’s critically acclaimed play “Love Loss and What I Wore” at The Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles. Palka can be seen in Peter Mullen’s 2011 BAFTA award winning film “Neds” and is the lead role in director Jeremiah Jones independent film “Restive“, which won the Audience Award at the 2011 Austin Film Festival and was nominated for Best Actress and Best Feature Film at the 2012 Charlotte Film Festival.
Marianna was seen in two short films at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. “Spoonful” by director Jenee LaMarque and in Bryce Dallas Howard’s second film “When You Find Me”, executive produced by Ron Howard for the Canon sponsored Project Imagina8tion.
Palka currently lives in Los Angeles and is a co-founder of the production company Morning Knight.
SALVATOR XUEREB (OLAF SKAARSGUARD) --
Salvator Xuereb was born in New York City of French parents, and raised between NYC and France. He has studied acting under Robert Modica in NYC and Bill Trailer in LA. Salvator Xuereb has been in numerous films including Big Stan (Rob Schneider) and Killing Zoe (Eric Stoltz) as well as many TV shows including: DEXTER, HOUSE, Men Of A Certain Age, 24, LEVERAGE, AWAKE, CSI and THE GLADES. His theatre credits include: NO EXIT, 7 Redneck Cheerleaders, and Love Bites, and It’s Just Sex. Salvator is married to writer Nikki Toscano (REVENGE, DETROIT 1-8-7). They have fostered and adopted a boy, as well as given birth to a boy and girl.
DARRIEN SKYLAR (YOUNG LIV) --
Darrien Skylar has been seen in several shorts over the last few years and was featured on the cover of KORN's CD titled: "Remember Who You Are."
GWEN HOLLOWAY (NURSE VALERIE) --
Gwen Holloway was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. While raising two exceptionally energetic sons, her first career path led to a real-life role working as a coronary care unit nurse. Her acting career, originally just an enjoyable hobby, blossomed after being cast in the feature film, "Nine Months", working opposite Robin Williams in (appropriately) the role of a nurse. Shortly thereafter she landed a part in "The Princess Diaries", and was hooked. In 2002, she left her heart (partially) in San Francisco, and moved to Los Angeles to pursue her passion for acting. Television credits include shows such as “House”, “Criminal Minds”, “The Mentalist”, “Body of Proof”, “CSI:NY”, “Studio 60”and “Nip Tuck”.
Gwen is a freakishly avid dog-lover and strong supporter of numerous animal rescue and welfare programs. She is also a die-hard Raider football fan, waiting patiently for a winning season. Currently, Gwen is enjoying her life in the southland, and is extremely grateful for the glorious experience and new friendships made while working on "The King of Norway".
KATHLEEN MACDONALD (ELLEN SKAARSGUARD) --
Kathleen Macdonald has performed in numerous stage and television productions in Los Angeles. Some of her credits include E.R. and House, M.D. and the Aspen Comedy Festival.
She continues to enjoy working both theatrically and commercially while raising a family here in LA.
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FILMMAKERS
- SYLVIA SETHER (WRITER/DIRECTOR/PRODUCER) --
Sylvia Sether first began honing her visual style directing/shooting & editing low-budget music videos for local indie rock bands. In 2009 she was one of eight women to be selected for the American Film Institute's Directing Workshop For Women. In 2011 she was one of six people chosen by The Los Angeles County Museum Of Art for it's annual Young Director's Night. Her second short film OVERDRAWN won the Art Of Film Award for Best In Show. She’s currently working on several film projects, including feature version of KING OF NORWAY. She hopes to get her first feature off the ground in 2013. www.sylviasether.com
FIONA WALSH (PRODUCER) --Fiona’s mother will tell you she came out of the womb a producer, which Fiona thinks is just her mother’s way of calling her bossy. She didn’t get the official title until 2005 when she graduated Cum Laude from San Francisco State University with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Cinema and a Minor in Anthropology.
After relocating to Los Angeles Fiona began her career in physical production, joining the DGA in 2008 as a Unit Production Manager and Line Producing short & feature films as well as unscripted television. She now works as a creative producer, having produced Sylvia Sether’s AFI DWW short “OVERDRAWN” in 2009, the feature documentary “DON’T CHANGE THE SUBJECT” in 2010 and the proof of concept short for the feature currently in development “SOUTH DOWN ORCHARD” in 2012.
ANNA MCROBERTS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) --Anna McRoberts is the president of Key Pix Productions, where she runs both the development and production divisions. She is the award-winning writer and producer of the highly successful "Air Buddies" franchise for Disney; "Air Buddies", "Snow Buddies", "Space Buddies", "Santa Buddies", "Spooky Buddies" and "Treasure Buddies" as well as the Christmas classic "The Search for Santa Paws" and the upcoming "Santa Pups".She recently made her directorial debut with the internationally acclaimed "The Wind Fisherman" which she wrote and directed after receiving the highly coveted DWW Fellowship from the American Film Institute.CASSIE PAPPAS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) --bio coming soon.ELENA WOODHEAD (LINE PRODUCER/UPM) --Elena Woodhead minored in film studies at NYU where she was primarily interested in the cultural implications and effect of cinema rather than actual production. It was only after working on a friend’s 16mm thesis film that she got her first taste of filmmaking. Having to drag lights and gear across the city, onto the subway, and then physically cutting and reattaching bits of film together really spoke to her. It wasn’t until she moved to Los Angeles and worked on her first professional film set that fell in love with Production. She’s now a film and television Line Producer and UPM. Elena has Line Produced Sylvia’s last four music videos and well as her short film OVERDRAWN.
VANNESSA MANLUNAS (DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY ) --VanNessa ManLunas has worked with companies such as Partizan, RSA and Alta Vista Films, shooting music videos for artists like ‘Greg Laswell’, ‘Army Navy’, and ‘All Wrong & The Plans Change’ among others. She just completed principal photography for her first TV Pilot for a Canadian Production and has shot numerous short films, one of them being "Overdrawn," which continues to travel with the film festival market today and won the LACMA Young Directors Award for Best Film.
VanNessa has been fortunate to work on film sets with some of the industry's most respected cinematographers including Robert Elswit, Rodrigo Prieto, Eric Steelberg, and remarkable female DP's Amy Vincent and Mandy Walker. The time she spent on set with this powerhouse group of talent has given her indispensable knowledge, and experience that has helped mold her into the cinematographer she is today.
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1760809/
DAVID HEINZ (EDITOR) --
For the past 10 years David Heinz has been working in post-production on both studio and independent features. Most recently he served as additional editor on THIS MEANS WAR for Fox and was the sole editor on THE FROZEN, an independent thriller which is set for a 2013 release. KING OF NORWAY marks his first collaboration with Sylvia Sether, though hopefully not his last as she seems to laugh at most of his jokes and this makes him feel good.
LEE TOSCA (PRODUCTION DESIGNER) --
Lee Tosca is a Production Designer and Art Director with over a decade of experience working on films, commercials, and music videos. Tosca graduated from Brooklyn's acclaimed Pratt Institutue and started her career as an Industrial Designer, working for renowned architect / designer Gaetano Pesce. Soon after, Tosca moved on to co-found 23-D, a prominent design business in New York City before moving onto work in film and television. As a Production Designer and Art Director, Tosca has worked with top artists and designers, including James Chinlud, Mike Mills, Fashion Designer Todd Oldham, photographers William Wegmen and Steven Meisel, among many others. She has done commercial work for brands including Coke, American Express, Victoria's Secret, and Honda. A native of Boston, Tosca lives in Los Angeles.
NANCY WEI (COSTUME DESIGNER) --
Nancy Wei is an accomplished costume designer in a variety of mediums such as film, television, commercials, theater and opera. This year, she has designed two TV show pilots for The Discovery Network's (DIAGNOSIS: DEAD OR ALIVE, BROKEN MINDS), Bob Cole Conservatory's opera production of "The Marriage of Figaro," Sylvia Sether's KING OF NORWAY, and recently wrapped on a horror feature (MUCK). Some recent commercial clients include: Direct TV, Time Warner Cable, Disney Universe, and Sony's Planetside2.
JOHN WOULD (COMPOSER) --
bio coming soon.
BRAD GILMORE (CASTING DIRECTOR) --
Brad is a Los Angeles-based Casting Director who has cast films for the domestic and international markets, including China, Vancouver, New York, London, Mexico, Turkey and India. He graduated summa cum laude in English and Economics from Fordham University (Lincoln Center) in New York City, and is a member of The Casting Society of America (CSA). Recent films and television include VAMPIRE (Official Selections: Sundance, Berlin, Hong Kong ‘11) directed by Shunji Iwai (NEW YORK, I LOVE YOU) with Kevin Zegers, Keisha Castle-Hughes and Rachael Leigh Cook; A BAG OF HAMMERS (Official Selection: SXSW ’11) directed by Brian Crano with Rebecca Hall, Jason Ritter and Amanda Seyfried; GIRLFRIEND (Official Selection: Toronto ’10, Gotham Audience Award Winner) directed by Justin Lerner with Jackson Rathbone, Shannon Woodward and Amanda Plummer; SUNSET STORIES (Official Selection: SXSW ’12) directed by Silas Howard and Ernesto Foronda, and executive produced by Justin Lin, with Sung Kang, Monique Curnan, Jim Parsons and Kevin Bacon; and the pilot RADICAL for Cynthia Mort (HBO’s TELL ME YOU LOVE ME, ROSEANNE and THE BRAVE ONE) with Lori Petty, Frances Fisher and Anita Briem. He is currently casting BURYING THE EX directed by Joe Dante (GREMLINS, THE BURBS, INNERSPACE).
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DIRECTOR'S NOTE
When I was seven years old, my dad was in a terrible accident that left him with cognitive impairment and the loss of his short-term memory. At the young age of forty, he ended up confined to a nursing home for the next twenty-three years of his life. KING OF NORWAY is inspired by my own complicated relationship with him and his passing in the summer of 2011. My experience with him was both unique and universal at the same time. Although tragic, it is a journey I am forever grateful for.
I see life has a beautiful melting pot of joy and pain, and the paradox is something I'm incredibly drawn to exploring. I love the thought that things can be up and down at the same time, even the experience of love and loss, or life and death.
I've always felt that death was something that our culture perceived as a bit taboo or negative; but from my own personal experience I've come to believe that death or loss can actually be a great awakener or gift in disguise. Rather than run from it, we should turn and face death. Anyway you look at it, none of us get out alive, and in the end, it is our choice and our choice alone to either perceive it as an ending or a beginning.
Although my dad was a bit of a mystery, we still had an undeniable connection that defied our own frail human bodies. I believe in the idea that the ones we love are always with us on a much deeper level than we can even begin to fathom. This film attempts to capture a glimpse of this.- Sylvia Sether--------
For more about Sylvia and KING OF NORWAY check out her April 2013 interview with STORY:
Sylvia Sether is a film director and writer in Los Angeles. She shares how a tragic accident involving her father shaped her into the person and the filmmaker she is today.
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Tweets
- Meet our editor David Heinz. He is rad (obviously.) For more info on David visit http://t.co/3Qc1FKjOHa. http://t.co/eNEAkblfgr
- RT @GoodDickTheFilm: Our actor/director/producer/writer @mariannapalka is in @KingofNorway_ by director @sylviasether -just got in to @palm…
- RT @GoodFilmLover: Are you someone wanting to change things? --- http://t.co/43VcoMlrR2
- We are excited to announce that KON will make it's world premiere at @psfilmfest the week of June 18th-24th! http://t.co/T2ub8juwF1
- RT @sylviasether: Just found out our film @KingofNorway_ will make it's world premiere at @PSfilmfest in June! We are beyond excited. http:…
- Meet Salvator Xuereb. He stars as "Olaf." Check out http://t.co/3Qc1FKjOHa for more info about Sal. http://t.co/7e0gCtATjX
- Meet Fiona Walsh, our awesome producer. (Fiona gets sh*t done.) For more about Fiona visit http://t.co/3Qc1FKjOHa http://t.co/v8jrUgon3q
- RT @sylviasether: "We answer with our work." - http://t.co/3odt77YIjD
- Meet @mariannapalka. Marianna plays "Liv" in our film. Please visit http://t.co/3Qc1FKjOHa to learn more about her. http://t.co/aKHhjuPUrz
- RT @DesiLydic: I'm hosting the @trevorproject #prom #may11 excited for @new92 @lukeedgemon @piatoscano! Come, support & enjoy ! http://…
- Meet our amazing director of photography VanNessa ManLunas. Check out her bio on http://t.co/mvNLPxbk0L http://t.co/za2qt9DvBG
- RT @AFIConservatory: Here's a cool interview with DWW alumna @sylviasether (Class of 2009) - http://t.co/iqT91gc8jB
- RT @STORYchicago: "This world is a terribly difficult and extraordinary place, and none of us gets out alive." -@sylviasether via http:/ ...
- Check out the interview about our film King of Norway.http://t.co/L1t8ThhG9G
- RT @sylviasether: Check out the interview I did about my film @KingofNorway_ with @BenArment http://t.co/rnSL1b3kUn
- RT @cvfoundation: @KingofNorway_ Thank you for your support! Please keep voting & sharing - 7 days left! http://t.co/aortNL6mwI #in ...
- Please help @cvfoundation & vote for their Creative Activist Program for #LA2050 http://t.co/saWoeeRAvy They are doing incredible things!
- Help out our friends @cvfoundation & vote for their Creative Activist Program for #LA2050 http://t.co/saWoeeRAvy We need your vote by 4/17!
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Posts
- We are happy to announce KING OF NORWAY will make it’s world premiere at the oscar qualifying Palm Springs ShortFest this June!
The festival (magically) falls on the two year anniversary of my Dad’s passing, as well as a year from when we shot the film in Northern California. The timing could not be more beautiful. We are so excited and grateful.
The festival takes place the week of the 18th-24th. We are not sure of the exact date and time of our screening yet, but we’ll keep you updated. You can also follow us on facebook/twitter for daily happenings.
Thank you to everyone who helped bring KON to life. The support has been mind blowing. We do hope you’ll join us in Palm Springs where we can hug you and thank you in person!
- Sylvia Check out STORY’S interview with KON’s writer/director Sylvia Sether.
Sylvia Sether is a film director and writer in Los Angeles. She shares how a tragic accident involving her father shaped her into the person and the filmmaker she is today.
- KING OF NORWAY officially completed March 2013
The movie is done! We are so grateful to all the people who helped us in tiny and huge ways. We are now submitting to festivals worldwide and waiting to find out where we will premiere. Stay tuned. Thank you all for your continued support.
