ThoughtGallery.org > A Portrait of Creativity: Edvard Munch on Film

A Portrait of Creativity: Edvard Munch on Film

A methodical expressionist print-maker and painter, Edvard Munch’s impact and influence on art span both the ages and artistic mediums. In a companion program to the Prize Prints exhibition, two films examine Munch’s often arduous artistic processes and enduring influence.

The Sun/Solen

Directed by Stein-Roger Bull (Norway, 2013). Originally broadcast on NRK (Norwegian public broadcasting) in 2013, The Sun is a film about two inimitable artists’—artist Edvard Munch and composer Edvard Grieg—life-long struggle to create the ultimate work of art.

The 11 oil paintings that cover the walls of the University of Oslo’s Aula—built for the University’s centennial in 1911—are the only decorations by Munch that can still be viewed in their original context. Munch and the University’s mural, The Sun (1909), radiates out to audiences from the wall behind the assembly hall’s podium, giving life to those who perform. Yet it took many years and numerous sketches and preparation before Munch reached the final result. The artist’s own photographs and hand-held film sequences, together with archival stills of Munch working, cast a portrait on the creative process and the mural’s theme.

Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A-minor, Op. 16 (1868) is inspired by and draws musical themes from Norwegian cultural heritage and folk music and gives it a symphonic form. The Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, with soloist Håvard Gimse, conveys the themes of Grieg’s musical score, to which he made over 3,000 corrections over the course of 40 years—the last of which was just three weeks before his death.

30 min. | In Norwegian with English subtitles.

About the director

Stein-Roger Bull, producer and director, develops cultural projects for NordicStories in Norway and abroad, including the opening of the library in Alexandria, Peer Gynt at the Sphinx in Cairo, Egypt, the opera Fidelio on Robben Island, South Africa, and a major European concert in Malta, among others.

Bull joined NordicStories from Nordisk Film AS, which in the course of his 12 years as CEO became Norway’s largest production company for film and television. Bull previously worked as Station Manager, as well as cultural and Entertainment Manager at NRK.

Let The Scream Be Heard/La skrik bli hørt

Directed by Dheeraj Akolkar (Norway, 2013). Let The Scream Be Heard is an artistic investigation to reveal and celebrate the essence behind Norwegian artist Edvard Munch’s timeless and universal artistry, his iconic painting, and more than 40,000 works of art, spanning over 62 years.

In a world where 15 minutes—or even seconds—of fame are the deeply satisfying and much sought-after rewards, director Dheeraj Akolkar explores why, after more than 150 years, the artist Edvard Munch is still celebrated today. Originally premiering in 2013, which marked the 150th anniversary of Edvard Munch’s birth, the documentary journeys into Munch’s mind and creative processes, closely examining and gaining insight from the artist’s words, values, and philosophies, witnessing the tests of his survival, and understanding what artistic integrity eventually amounts to in an ever-changing scheme of existence.

Through interviews with renowned contemporary artists and respected Munch experts—including Marina Abramovic, Patricia G. Berman, Ketil Bjørnstad, Tracy Emin, Magne Furuholmen, Liv Ullmann and Gerd Woll, among others—Akolkar creates an audio-visual collage on celluloid that enables audiences to discern and appreciate Munch’s continual relevance.

58 min. | In English.

About the director

After graduating with a Gold Medal in architecture from Pune University, India, Dheeraj Akolkar worked extensively in the Indian film industry on various films such as Lagaan (Academy Award Nominee, 2001), Devdas (Cannes Showcase, 2002; BAFTA nominated, 2003), Charas—A Joint Effort, Sala Bandar (official selection Rotterdam, 2004; nominated Best Short Film Edinburgh, 2004), and Black (Time magazine’s 5th Best Film of the Year, 2006).

As a writer, director, cinematographer, and producer, his own work includes the short films Jyotirgamaya/Lead Me to the Light (IDPA Awards for Excellence, 2005: Best Script and Best Editing), Whatever! (ICE 2006 2nd Best Film of the Festival), Sold My Soul (Official Selection Clermont Ferrand, 2007), and Asylum (Official Selection Rotterdam, 2010). He currently works between the U.K., India, and Scandinavia on a slate of five films under his London-based production company, Vardo Films. Akolkar is the associate director of an independent film festival in London called Bombay Mix and founder of a charity called Grassroots Stories, which specializes in making films that can inspire social change.

Special thanks to NordicStories and the Norwegian Film Institute.











When: Wed., Jul. 1, 2015 at 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Where: Scandinavia House: The Nordic Center in America
58 Park Ave.
212-779-3587
Price: $10 ($7 ASF Members)
Buy tickets/get more info now
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A methodical expressionist print-maker and painter, Edvard Munch’s impact and influence on art span both the ages and artistic mediums. In a companion program to the Prize Prints exhibition, two films examine Munch’s often arduous artistic processes and enduring influence.

The Sun/Solen

Directed by Stein-Roger Bull (Norway, 2013). Originally broadcast on NRK (Norwegian public broadcasting) in 2013, The Sun is a film about two inimitable artists’—artist Edvard Munch and composer Edvard Grieg—life-long struggle to create the ultimate work of art.

The 11 oil paintings that cover the walls of the University of Oslo’s Aula—built for the University’s centennial in 1911—are the only decorations by Munch that can still be viewed in their original context. Munch and the University’s mural, The Sun (1909), radiates out to audiences from the wall behind the assembly hall’s podium, giving life to those who perform. Yet it took many years and numerous sketches and preparation before Munch reached the final result. The artist’s own photographs and hand-held film sequences, together with archival stills of Munch working, cast a portrait on the creative process and the mural’s theme.

Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A-minor, Op. 16 (1868) is inspired by and draws musical themes from Norwegian cultural heritage and folk music and gives it a symphonic form. The Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, with soloist Håvard Gimse, conveys the themes of Grieg’s musical score, to which he made over 3,000 corrections over the course of 40 years—the last of which was just three weeks before his death.

30 min. | In Norwegian with English subtitles.

About the director

Stein-Roger Bull, producer and director, develops cultural projects for NordicStories in Norway and abroad, including the opening of the library in Alexandria, Peer Gynt at the Sphinx in Cairo, Egypt, the opera Fidelio on Robben Island, South Africa, and a major European concert in Malta, among others.

Bull joined NordicStories from Nordisk Film AS, which in the course of his 12 years as CEO became Norway’s largest production company for film and television. Bull previously worked as Station Manager, as well as cultural and Entertainment Manager at NRK.

Let The Scream Be Heard/La skrik bli hørt

Directed by Dheeraj Akolkar (Norway, 2013). Let The Scream Be Heard is an artistic investigation to reveal and celebrate the essence behind Norwegian artist Edvard Munch’s timeless and universal artistry, his iconic painting, and more than 40,000 works of art, spanning over 62 years.

In a world where 15 minutes—or even seconds—of fame are the deeply satisfying and much sought-after rewards, director Dheeraj Akolkar explores why, after more than 150 years, the artist Edvard Munch is still celebrated today. Originally premiering in 2013, which marked the 150th anniversary of Edvard Munch’s birth, the documentary journeys into Munch’s mind and creative processes, closely examining and gaining insight from the artist’s words, values, and philosophies, witnessing the tests of his survival, and understanding what artistic integrity eventually amounts to in an ever-changing scheme of existence.

Through interviews with renowned contemporary artists and respected Munch experts—including Marina Abramovic, Patricia G. Berman, Ketil Bjørnstad, Tracy Emin, Magne Furuholmen, Liv Ullmann and Gerd Woll, among others—Akolkar creates an audio-visual collage on celluloid that enables audiences to discern and appreciate Munch’s continual relevance.

58 min. | In English.

About the director

After graduating with a Gold Medal in architecture from Pune University, India, Dheeraj Akolkar worked extensively in the Indian film industry on various films such as Lagaan (Academy Award Nominee, 2001), Devdas (Cannes Showcase, 2002; BAFTA nominated, 2003), Charas—A Joint Effort, Sala Bandar (official selection Rotterdam, 2004; nominated Best Short Film Edinburgh, 2004), and Black (Time magazine’s 5th Best Film of the Year, 2006).

As a writer, director, cinematographer, and producer, his own work includes the short films Jyotirgamaya/Lead Me to the Light (IDPA Awards for Excellence, 2005: Best Script and Best Editing), Whatever! (ICE 2006 2nd Best Film of the Festival), Sold My Soul (Official Selection Clermont Ferrand, 2007), and Asylum (Official Selection Rotterdam, 2010). He currently works between the U.K., India, and Scandinavia on a slate of five films under his London-based production company, Vardo Films. Akolkar is the associate director of an independent film festival in London called Bombay Mix and founder of a charity called Grassroots Stories, which specializes in making films that can inspire social change.

Special thanks to NordicStories and the Norwegian Film Institute.

Buy tickets/get more info now