A moving American coming-of-age documentary about a year at a folk high school in Finnmark, Northern Norway. We get a visit from the renowned cinematographer on the film, Tor Edvin Eliassen from just outside Narvik!

This observational and beautifully photographed documentary takes us to Pasvik in Finnmark. Just across the river from Russia, we find Pasvik Folk High School, which welcomes students from Norway and abroad every year who are curious to learn more about hunting, fishing and wilderness life. FOLKTALES follows three students through a year of dog sledding, life-changing experiences and new milestones: Here we meet Bjørn Tore, who has difficulty making friends, Dutch Romain, who struggles with severe social anxiety, and Hege, who is still grieving the death of his murdered father. All three experience being pushed far out of their comfort zone – and all three grow with the challenges they face.

With their new film, the Oscar-nominated directorial duo Rachel Grady and Heidi Ewing (JESUS ​​CAMP) portray Norwegian folk high school life from an American perspective – which means, among other things, that the school’s many dogs get plenty of screen time. Dogs play a central role in education, both as draft animals and indispensable companions in everyday life. This combination of candid human drama and engaging depictions of animals and the outdoors makes FOLKTALES a moving portrait of a school year that changes everything.

Age limit: 15 years