LevelK Boards Göteborg Couch Surfing Drama ‘Live a Little’ From ‘Force Majeure’ Producer Marie Kjellson: ‘It’s About Setting Boundaries’ (EXCLUSIVE)

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In the spirit of daring Scandinavian elements, LevelK, a Copenhagen-based sales and aggregation company, has acquired global distribution rights for the Swedish film “Live a Little” (“Leva lite”). The movie generated an enthusiastic response at its world debut in Gothenburg last weekend, winning the SEK 50,000 ($4,500) Angelo award from the Church of Sweden for the best new Swedish cinema release.

The image is additionally recognized as a contender for the significant Dragon Prize worth SEK 400,000 ($36,000), which will be presented as the Best Nordic Film on February 1st. (or) This picture has also been shortlisted for the prestigious SEK 400,000 ($36,000) Dragon Prize – Best Nordic Film award, to be given out on February 1st.

Fanny Ovesen, who is making her feature film debut and was nominated for a Crystal Bear in Berlin for her short film “She-Pack,” stars in a youth-focused story that explores the complexities of consent and boundary setting. The seasoned producer Marie Kjellson, known for her work on Ruben Östlund’s “Force Majeure,” is producing this project for Kjellson & Wik.

Fanny Ovesen, who gained recognition at Berlin with a Crystal Bear nomination for her short film “She-Pack,” takes center stage in a movie that tackles the tricky subjects of consent and boundary setting within youth culture. Veteran producer Marie Kjellson, famous for her work on Ruben Östlund’s “Force Majeure,” is at the helm of this production for Kjellson & Wik.

From a film enthusiast’s perspective, the narrative revolves around me and my best friend, a pair of spirited Swedes named Laura and Alex, embarking on an exhilarating journey across Europe, couch surfing our way through various cities. Our adventure takes a turn in Warsaw, where an unforgettable night out leads to me waking up the next morning, disoriented and discovering an intimate encounter with a stranger. As my memories of that evening remain hazy, I find myself on a personal odyssey to understand my own body, limits, and truth. The fragments of that fateful night continue to resurface, casting doubts in my mind. Was the encounter consensual or not?

Tine Klint, the founder and CEO of Levelk, found ‘Live a Little’ to be quite captivating,” she said. “It offers a compelling and personal account of dealing with uncertainties and self-discovery; it’s daring, truthful, and brimming with emotion!

Ovesen mentioned that the inspiration for the new feature stemmed from a distressingly similar event experienced by one of her friends.

The director stated, “An incident involving my friend occurred where she awoke next to a man, having been couch surfing together. She had experienced a blackout, and chose to view herself as someone who’d foolishly erred and betrayed her boyfriend, rather than acknowledging herself as a victim of rape. I wanted to delve into this personal struggle on screen. Moreover, there was a larger theme I wished to highlight.

The central theme revolves around exploring youth, its challenges in managing relationships and intimacy, particularly the struggle to establish boundaries and remain true to oneself. This isn’t just about non-consensual circumstances, but also consensual ones.” Furthermore, Ovesen emphasized the significance of portraying the story from a female perspective throughout the creative journey.

Instead of merely transforming the male gaze into a perspective that objectifies men from a woman’s standpoint, she aimed at developing an emotional connection with the characters. This was achieved through visual storytelling, thanks to her cinematographer Mattias Pollak (“Explosions of the Heart”), and also in character development, ensuring both Laura’s boyfriend and the man she spends the night during her blackout were portrayed realistically. She expressed a hope that young men in the audience could relate to these characters, which might stimulate some profound introspection.

Although the topic at hand was challenging yet urgent, Ovesen expressed that she aimed to develop a lively, exhilarating, and humorous road trip film set in an intriguing universe – the global couch-surfing community, teeming with extraordinary individuals.

The young director has chosen to create an authentic, multi-cultural atmosphere by selecting non-actors from diverse backgrounds, alongside Embla Ingelman-Sundberg (known for her role in “Carousel” on Netflix), Aviva Wrede (“Hashtag”), and the rising French talent Oscar Lesage (“The Substance,” “Marie-Antoinette”), who will be portraying the main adversary.

Ovesen shared with EbMaster that she anticipates her movie will stir the viewers’ sensory experiences and stimulate meaningful discussions on topics such as boundaries and ambiguous areas of consent.

The movie titled “Live a Little” was jointly produced by Renee Hansen Mlodyszewski from True Content Production in Norway, Monica Hellstrom from Ström Pictures in Denmark, and Film i Väst. Kim Magnusson of Scandinavian Film Distribution and Thomas Robsahm of Amarcord served as executive producers. The Swedish Film Institute, Eurimages, the Norwegian Film Institute, the Danish Film Institute, Nordisk Film & TV Fond, Czech Film Fund production incentives, Creative Europe Media, Lindholmen Science Park, Yle, and other contributors provided co-financing for this project. TriArt, a leading arthouse specialist, is responsible for its domestic distribution.

LevelK’s Göteborg slate encompasses the submissions for the Nordic Lights festival, specifically “Way Home” directed by Charlotte Sieling and “Sudden Outbursts of Emotion” by Paula Korva.

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2025-01-30 09:47