Headline: Staer Film Embarks on Distribution and Big-Budget Movie Ventures
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Two years after its launch, Staer Film, Norway's esteemed boutique production company under the leadership of Elisa Fernanda Pirir, is expanding its operations to embrace distribution and films with larger budgets.
Driven by its dedication to visionary filmmakers, regional productions, and international collaborations, Staer Film's new Tromsö-based distribution arm, led by Eleanor Debreu, will provide a platform for its most groundbreaking co-productions. These films will benefit from innovative and tailored marketing strategies.
The initial release this autumn is "A Sweetness from Nowhere," a Swedish film by Ester Martin Bergmark, celebrated for his debut, "Everything Must Go." Excerpts of this playful exploration of desire through documentary, poetry, and evocative storytelling will premiere at the Nordic Film Market Works in Progress at the Göteborg Film Festival on January 31st. Producer Anna-Maria Kantarius of Garagefilm will present the film.
Upcoming titles include two partially shot in Northern Norway, with the potential for a presence at the Cannes Film Festival.
"Wake of Umbra" ("Estela de Sombra"), by renowned Mexican director Carlos Reygadas ("Silent Light," "Post Tenebras Lux"), promises to be "a sensitive and aesthetically rich Reygadas movie," according to Pirir. Details remain confidential for now. The Mexican-Polish-Norwegian collaboration is led by producer Cristina Velasco of Paloma Negra Films.
"The Visitor," by Lithuanian rising talent Vytautas Katkus, won the Cannes Critics' Week Next Step Prize in 2022 and the Copro Development Award in Les Arcs, France. It follows Danielius (30) as he attempts to reconnect with an old acquaintance upon returning to his hometown after his father's death. Lithuania's M-Films is co-producing with Staer Film and Sweden's Garagefilm. "The sound, the material is beautiful," raves Pirir, lamenting the lack of aesthetically driven features like "The Visitor" in Norway.
Recognizing the niche market for non-European and non-U.S. foreign films in Norway, Pirir and Debreu emphasize their commitment to finding audiences for each title through passion and guerilla marketing techniques.
Simultaneously, two of Staer Film's own productions are showcased at this week's Nordic Film Market in Göteborg.
"Like There is No Tomorrow" is Staer Film's most ambitious feature to date, boasting an estimated budget of €4 million ($4.1 million). Rising talent Tess Quatri brings to life a personal narrative set in the Canary Islands. In the film, young mother Frida (30) struggles to raise her daughter amidst the influx of Scandinavian tourists. However, their lives take a turn when soaring rents force them into the streets, threatening the safety of Frida's child.
Quatri shared her inspiration during her pitch at Göteborg: "I grew up on one of these islands. I learned about care, the importance of caring for the earth and others. I learned that motherhood is the ultimate form of care, and that we all need to embrace it. I want there to be a tomorrow."
Pirir seeks experienced co-production partners in Sweden and Spain for this project.
Also in the Works in Progress section is "Árru," a musical film about Maia, a young reindeer herder, as she battles to protect her ancestral grazing lands from an impending mining project. "A Sámi leader's return ignites a resistance camp, but his reappearance stirs up painful memories," the logline reads.
Elle Sofe Sara, an acclaimed dance and joik (Sámi traditional song) performer, makes her directorial debut in collaboration with established screenwriter Johan Fasting ("Power Play," "Ninjababy") and editor Michael Leszczylowski ("War Sailor," "Gösta"). The film features music by electronic artist Kaada, created with joik artists Sara Marielle Gaup and Simon Issát Marainen. Pirir explains that "joik is used by the protagonist as an alternative means of expression when she loses her words." World sales for "Árru" are currently being negotiated.