Double bill: The Dream Castle and Farewell, Illusions
By Wam & Vennerød | Introduction by Tone Minerva Grenness and Karianne Vennerød
Wednesday 15.03.23
Wednesday 15.03.23
Welcome to a double screening of The Dream Castle (1986) and Farewell, Illusions (1985) from the film trilogy The Song of the Broken Dream by Svend Wam and Petter Vennerød. The two films are presented in completely newly restored editions.
With an introduction by media scholar Tone Minerva Grenness and screenwriter, filmmaker and producer Karianne Vennerød.
About the films
The Dream Castle
1986 | directed by Svend Wam & Petter Vennerød | Norway | durationh: 1h 30 min language: Norwegian, without subtitles
Three couples in a collective, with five children and an emerging punk brother in tow. This time it is the golden 70s that gets to review. Wam and Vennerød accurately portray a time during the 70s when the idea of community began to crack and individualism and selfishness took a hold in Norwegian society. The Dream Castle is the second part of the trilogy.
Farewell, Illusions
1985 | directed by Svend Wam & Petter Vennerød | Norway | duration: 2h 21 min | language: Norwegian, without subtitles
A harrowing and partly self-deprecating story about the first large and well-educated generation born shortly after the war. In this film, to their dismay, they turn 40 and hold powerful positions in the society they once wanted to rule. The film was an audience success in Norwegian cinemas and was also well received in the USA. It is considered the film duo's masterpiece and concludes the trilogy The Song of the Broken Dream.
About the filmmakers
Svend Wam (1946–2017) and Petter Vennerød (1948–2021) produced and directed a number of Norwegian films between 1975 and 1995. The designation Wam & Vennerød was often synonymous with films that dealt with social realism and had a gloomy tone and dramatic ending. Several of their films were well received by both critics and audiences at the time. The duo proclaimed themselves anarchists, and were determined to make films that differed from classic Norwegian dramas and comedies.
Introduction
Karianne Førland Vennerød is a screenwriter, director and producer who ran Merkur Film AS for a number of years together with Petter Vennerød. She has also worked with production and scripts on several TV programs such as "Født i feil kropp" and "Heia Tufte!". She is currently working on the documentary The Last Film.
Tone Minerva Grenness is a media scholar at the University of Oslo and was the first in Norway to write a master's thesis on Wam and Vennerød in 1994. Her focus was on the three films in The Song of the Broken Dream.
