Copenhagen-based DR Sales, gross sales rep of the Oscar-winning “Mr Nobody Against Putin” and Sundance hit “A New Kind of Wilderness,” has closed a raft of offers on the Norwegian wildlife documentary “Frost Without Snow and Ice” (“Frost uten Snø og Is”) on the heels of its world premiere on the Thessaloniki Documentary Pageant.
Broadcasters and distributors who’ve snapped up the most recent work by Asgeir Helgestad (“A Call from the Wild,” “Queen With out Land) embody WDR/Arte (Germany), Towards Gravity (Poland), Movie Europe (Czech Republic and Slovakia), Now TV Restricted (Hong Kong), VRT (Belgium), RTS, SRF and RTSI (Switzerland), NRK (Norway), RÚV (Iceland), SVT (Sweden) and DR (Denmark), with extra gross sales underway in response to DR Gross sales.
Along with his fifth movie, Helgestad – certainly one of Norway’s most awarded wildlife and nature cinematographers – has spent 10 years in Norway’s arctic archipelago of Svalbard, patiently monitoring a polar bear referred to as Frost and her cubs – two of them named ‘Snow’ and ‘Ice.” The film explores the increasingly challenging coexistence of humans with polar bears – the world’s largest land predators – as local weather change forces the mammals nearer to human settlements to hunt for meals, making harmful encounters unavoidable.
Chatting with Selection, Helgestad stated the largest problem on a narration standpoint was to discover a stability between the robust emotional connection he felt for Frost – “the way she cared about her young captures my heart!” – and telling a narrative that will resonate with the overall viewers. “I struggled for a long time with how to tell her story, or perhaps our story. The answer came unexpectedly in 2023,” he stated.
“I was staying in the small cabin I often used while filming her. In Norway, these cabins usually have a guest book where visitors leave a note of thanks. Then one day, I found myself writing a ‘thank you’ letter to Frost in that book.”
Telling an genuine, sincere and interesting story was additionally quintessential for Helgestad who needed individuals “to see with their eyes and feel with their body” what he had skilled. “There are many important films about climate change, but for me, the relationship with Frost and the years I spent on Svalbard were always at the heart of this film.”
On a technical entrance, maintaining batteries heat whereas filming underneath as much as 40 levels under zero, was the largest problem. “I often had to keep 5-6kg of [batteries] inside my snowmobile suit,” Helgestad stated. Digital camera-wise, he used his RED cameras “that have been quite reliable in such conditions” and “a Canon 60mm F4 with a doubler to maintain a safe distance from Frost and not to disturb her. For me, ethical filming comes before anything else,” he insisted.
The movie was produced by Helgestad and Ageliki Lefkaitou’s Artic Mild, in co-production with Lofoten Movie Collective, WDR/Arte, NRK, SVT and RÚV.
Government producer Kim Christiansen, in control of documentaries and co-productions at DR Gross sales stated: “Being part of this production has been an absolutely thrill – but considering the wild journey of the 10 years shooting you need to have a good patience working with Asgeir Helgestad,” he quipped. “Now finally, the film has been released, and the reception has been even greater than expected. We’re so happy to have the film out already in so many territories, and who knows, we might have to wait another 10 years to work with Asgeir again, but it will for sure be worth the wait.”
Subsequent competition stops embody Seoul Worldwide Eco Movie Pageant, Shanghai Worldwide Movie Pageant and Doc Edge New Zealand.
