False Belief is the story of a couple getting entangled in the gentrification of a New York neighbourhood, where the original residents are about to be evicted. In 2008, Norwegian artist Lene Berg moves in with her partner D, a black publisher, in Harlem. After making a report to the police that he has been harassed by a neighbour, D himself gets arrested. But for what? This incident marks the start of a dangerous journey where D's belief in the justice system makes him a hostage in the hands of institutions he thought would defend him. But what is D's conviction based on? Is he an everyday hero or an idiot who has not understood the rules of the game? Doesn't he know that thousands of black men are sent to jail in the United States daily for insignificant violations? How could he think his experience would be any different?

With the help of D's candid story, accompanied by a rich visual material consisting of both moving and still images, collages and cardboard figures, court documents and Berg's own words, the film attempts to create meaning in an absurd course of events - a course that will eventually have very serious consequences for the couple. By examining what may seem like a small and isolated case, False Belief provides insight into how police and prosecutors are actively used as weapons against minorities and dissidents in a country that claims to be the latter's foremost defender.

False Belief had its world premiere in the "Forum Expanded" program at the International Film Festival in Berlin in 2019 and is supported by, among others, Kunstnernes Hus, Henie Onstad Art Center, Sørnorsk Film Center and the Norwegian Film Institute.

Lene Berg (b. 1965 in Oslo) studied film at the Dramatic Institute in Stockholm. In 1997, she directed the feature film En Kvinnas Huvud (A Woman's Head). Berg has since worked with a variety of formats and produced works for galleries, museums and public spaces. She has directed a number of short films in addition to the feature films Kopfkino (2012) and The Gompen Report and other reports of surveillance in Norway 1948-1989 (2014), two films that stem from her interest in individuals and groups breaking with political and social norms.

Kunstnernes Hus Cinema is closed until further notice. But we intend to continue supporting both Norwegian and international filmmakers through making their films available to our public. We're therefore thrilled to launch Kunstnernes Hus Home Cinema.

This is how it works: a new film will be available for viewing on our website every Wednesday at 6pm. The films chosen are either movies shown at our cinema or a work by a filmmaker that will come to visit us later in the year, to familiarise the audience with his or her practice. Each film will be available for a week. In addition, short interviews will be published, where filmmakers talk more about their film as well as their experience of this peculiar time.

Kunstnernes Hus Home Cinema is free for everybody. Should you want to support us, our team, the filmmaker or the artist, feel free to become a member of Kunstnernes Hus or vipps us any amount that you like (Vipps: 563558). Supported by FrittOrd.

Thank you and happy watching!