Master director Hirokazu Koreeda ends this year's Films from the South

Once again, the world comes to Oslo during this year's Films from the South Festival.

Red., 17 Oct 2023

This year's closing film at Films from the South is MONSTER, by master director Hirokazu Koreeeda. The film won best screenplay at Cannes and is an impressive and thought-provoking film about misunderstandings and the complicated world of young people. Palme d'Or winner Koreeda is back with a new drama where children and families are in the lead roles.

MONSTER is one of his best films, and it won both the award for best screenplay and the Queer Palm at this year's Cannes Film Festival. Koreeda once again proves his unique understanding and ability to work with children, and through a strong script in several dramatic layers, a truth gradually emerges and gives us insight and hope.

Legendary composer Ryuichi Sakamoto composed the music for MONSTER, which was his last work before his death. The film is dedicated to his memory. During the festival, there will also be a separate tribute to Sakamoto with the screening of the feature film MERRY CHRISTMAS, MR. LAWRENCE, the documentary RYUICHI SAKAMOTO: CODA, and a concert with music by Sakamoto played by Kjetil Schjander Luhr and Hans-Peter Lindstrøm.

- Another World Entertainment has distributed the seven newest films by Hirokazu Koreeda in cinemas in Norway, and we are grateful and proud to present MONSTER to a wide audience in Norway. We also thank Films from the South for the honour that MONSTER is this year's closing film at the festival," says managing director Marius Skarnes Olsen in Another World Entertainment.

Focus on Africa.

SCREEN AFRICA is a brand-new section at this year's festival and explores the flourishing joy of cinematic storytelling south of the Sahara. Both at Sundance and in Cannes, there has been a lot of attention around new voices in African film. Nollywood director CJ Obasi garnered a lot of attention with the artistic MAMI WATA at Sundance. At this year's festival in Cannes, the film press also gave a lot of space to the debutant Ramata-Soulaye Sy with the film BANEL & ADAMA from Senegal, and the magical-realistic debut film OMEN from the Belgian-Congolese rapper Baloji.

In addition, we have several spotlights on this year's festival, with controversial and exciting films from, among others, Iran, China, and Mongolia. Including the Iranian CRITICAL ZONE, which won the main prize at the Locarno Film Festival. From Latin America, we have several goodies from this year's Cannes festival, including the Chilean western drama THE SETTLERS.

Wim Wenders' new film PERFECT DAYS will also be shown at the festival and is an emotionally insightful marvel of a film about the simple everyday life of a toilet cleaner. The film received the award for best male lead at Cannes and is also Japan's Oscar candidate for 2024. Arthaus distributes PERFECT DAYS, which will premiere in spring 2024.

The program and tickets for this year's Films from the South will be released on October 26th.

Tickets for selected screenings, including THE BOY AND THE HERON are now on sale.

The 33rd edition of Films from the South will be held from NOV 11th – NOV 19th, 2023. The festival's screening locations are Vega Scene, Vika Kino, Cinemateket, Cosmopolite, and Colosseum.