00:00:00: Hi Hans-Peter Molland, we're here at San Sebastian to talk about your new film Growth of the Soil which already premiered in Toronto.

00:00:07: How is it be at San Sebastiano?

00:00:09: Both

00:00:09: has been wonderful!

00:00:10: I have a very special relationship with these festivals Great to back there and was overwhelming reception yesterday at the Cuneirs.

00:00:18: so i feel really good today.

00:00:19: Your films this epic drama based on Knud Hamsen's eponymous novel growth of The Soil.

00:00:25: when did you encounter that source material for first time?

00:00:29: Maybe twenty or I knew about it before then because It's been very deeply ingrained in our culture.

00:00:35: Obviously, you know he won the Nobel Literature Prize In nineteen-twenty i think we were And He was required reading school...I got kicked out of school so I never get to read it.

00:00:44: You escaped

00:00:44: it But I read it as a twenty year old but it Was on Our bookshelf at home and that is Very much part Of our Culture.

00:00:50: What

00:00:51: captured you About The novel That you wanted To adapt?

00:00:53: Different things when I was Twenty different Things When I started Waiting it.

00:00:58: differently because when I am an older man, it's different aspects of the story that touch you.

00:01:03: When you're twenty there is a big struggle and self-sufficiency.

00:01:07: first of Isaac then together with Ingrid now its love story.

00:01:11: i think unique love stories in which they are brought together not out of passion but out of necessity.

00:01:17: Love grows out of that need to be mutually reliant on each other.

00:01:22: collective struggles what's necessary to have a dignified life.

00:01:31: Why Isaac is part of the big wheel, he has accepted his pact with God.

00:01:37: you know which... His god is nature and I'll do my best to farm the land.

00:01:41: i will be diligent And then little bit of surplus Is what we're gonna build our future on.

00:01:47: so it very meticulous A never-ending You Know The Big Wheel kind Of participation in life.

00:01:52: So that sort of acceptance That world is bigger than yourself in the story, more than this toughness of standing against adversity.

00:02:03: Nature is like another protagonist

00:02:26: For me, also because I have a great affinity for nature to portray it as it is not as glorified or as romanticized picture portrait but rather all its magnificence in all its aspects which are sometimes extremely cruel.

00:02:41: And the second of all... ...I wanted Nature to be way that they perceive It Which Is Sometimes Generous and Other Times Not.

00:02:48: So Also That Its Something They Accept As A Constant In Their Life.

00:02:53: We Like To Say That Norway Got Cru- And

00:03:12: there's another important element I think both in Norway and of course, In your film and that is capitalism or the industrialization.

00:03:19: This kind materialist values, how do you see that in the bigger picture of film and society?

00:03:54: mutual respect.

00:03:54: You know, they are equals in that relationship and have different jobs but very much equal standing in the relationships.

00:04:01: now of course when outside world then comes it defines the world from the outside not inside which is difficult you know?

00:04:09: It suddenly brings some ideas that are strange to them at least to Isak for English.

00:04:14: she's capable about meeting strangers unknown.

00:04:19: She has benefited a lot being courageous meeting the unknown.

00:04:23: So, you know she meets Issa as a stranger and dares to go with him?

00:04:28: Yes!

00:04:28: She has her rock because she's not stupid.

00:04:31: but when she sees that he is nice man so it could stand on her rock.

00:04:35: of course once she had surgery we don't see it.

00:04:39: But we must assume if somebody trusted us they said I can take care of you And every time she takes giant and courageous lead she will be rewarded.

00:04:52: We hope that it's going to bring some benefits.

00:04:55: Of course, what she doesn't realize which is very human nature Is we don't see the big changes That happen in our lives because we are so near sighted when they happened You know?

00:05:04: We do not have a bird-eye view.

00:05:05: So when she comes back She brings capitalism with her Because you know...we've seen property and definition of society.

00:05:14: But what she really brings?

00:05:16: this idea of selling your labor for price.

00:05:19: It certainly has a trade And shes free from the farm, she doesn't have to be there anymore.

00:05:23: She has skills and can make her own money.

00:05:26: so it changes the whole dynamics of their relationship And some new challenges that forces or really challenge their relationships.

00:05:33: Hamzons

00:05:34: novel was written almost a hundred years ago.

00:05:37: I couldn't help but think this perception.

00:05:40: even though Inge is very strong independent woman in full rounded character There's an idea in his novel that female emancipation destroys a form natural balance between men women and I couldn't help think that this is a very male perspective.

00:05:54: That it makes sense from the male point of view.

00:05:56: for men It was like as if their whole life had been uprooted And suddenly nothing, even should be because the woman becomes emancipated.

00:06:04: Did you think about these themes & issues?

00:06:07: I think your right about Hansen having this perspective.

00:06:09: Its

00:06:10: definitely in the novel!

00:06:11: I wouldn´t say to film.

00:06:12: actually You have tuned us down Because Inga become more complex film than she is in the novels

00:06:20: where I start the story, we start in a time without society.

00:06:23: Without just man and woman as mutually dependent there is no hierarchy And they're both equally free but also equally dependant.

00:06:31: So that idea of emancipation Is kind of irrelevant In this context.

00:06:36: If you look at what we used to call primitive culture like Inuit Culture Man & Woman are so integrated and mutually dependent and equal.

00:06:45: But You cannot break free from The Context That You Live and because you will perish.

00:06:51: Our modern idea of emancipation is actually a consequence of our industrialized society where it suddenly disrupted the balance between humans, y'know?

00:07:02: It's not always been like.

00:07:04: if we look at Viking culture for instance women had much more power than they'd have in the nineteenth century in Norway.

00:07:10: They were allowed to own property...they are allowed to remarry The idea that its been gradual growth towards finally you know, women gaining more rights.

00:07:20: It's not so simple.

00:07:22: I agree with the novel having and that is a weak part of it actually Not weak but very much dictated by his times.

00:07:28: But i don't think its always been like this.

00:07:30: How

00:07:30: did you find actors for these characters who have to carry so much?

00:07:35: I had seen Halbert both in theatre on screen And then I saw Asta was casting another film.

00:07:42: She was absolutely mesmerizing So I asked her if she would be interested.

00:08:08: What was the biggest challenge when shooting out there in nature?

00:08:12: Yes, sir.

00:08:14: I

00:08:18: must say though that film crews in Norway, we are used to dressing well and so it was not too bad for us actually.

00:08:24: I wanted as much shooting time possible both with the actors but also be able have many chances at right weather or seasons.

00:08:32: So i did forego a lot of luxuries in exchange for our shooting times.

00:08:37: We started out by saying what can you do without?

00:08:40: No dolly One electrician just a gaffer Just one grid to help with camera assistant for Berlin.

00:08:48: That was it, things like that and then having as light a crew possible sometimes.

00:08:53: we were just ten eleven twelve people you know?

00:08:55: And they gives you flexibility in the give.

00:08:57: each everybody just carries a case or so very egalitarian.

00:09:02: no hierarchy because you have lunchboxes make-up cases and everyone has to help us.

00:09:09: How

00:09:09: did you find this location?

00:09:11: is all one of them?

00:09:12: Did you use different ones to create their scenery?

00:09:16: by looking at many places for the main sort of hub, and when I found this place then i started exploring surroundings.

00:09:23: So most of that film is shot around The Final Farm some few places like for instance where they have a halfway made house.

00:09:32: it's nearby Earth is a few hundred meters away And maybe a kilometer down the hill were there meat etc.

00:09:39: But I started going into all the nooks and crannies in the area and adjusted to those things.

00:09:45: It's a very special place.

00:09:47: There was lot of fun to explore it.

00:09:48: The novel is epic in scale, and though your film has almost three hours... ...it's probably impossible put everything off the novel on one film.

00:09:57: How did you know what take-in would leave out?

00:10:00: First obligation when somebody else's material as a departure point Is accept exactly that That its'a departure point.

00:10:07: For me this isn't discredit for the novel But I had make my own material.

00:10:12: So i have molded , shaped to reimagine and things so that it makes sense for me.

00:10:18: Because its a huge transformation from literary piece, the whole different language as you know.

00:10:24: That is first thing.

00:10:25: You have just accept that things will change.

00:10:27: And then It's important be curious about what material holds in spirit of not text or literal things.

00:10:36: I think we succeeded In real deep heart The story there.

00:10:40: But we've taken enormous liberty.

00:10:44: two-part novel, the first half that we have used.

00:10:47: I've been more drawn to the poetic aspects of this story than conventional stories.

00:10:52: so we have invented ways to liberate ourselves and at the same time be feeling that pulse on a story is still there when... And i think uh.. We haven't managed.

00:11:02: do it except with things that tie the story to very concrete aspects in that culture or period like emancipation.

00:11:11: The novel came out just as women have gotten the vote, yeah.

00:11:15: Of course what's never talked about is that it was only fifteen years earlier than men got common vote or eighteen years ago It was actually for a privileged class who had voted That

00:11:25: true!

00:11:26: Very few people know that lower classes very long time were excluded from voting and still are in some societies

00:11:33: And I think to my point of doubt its power that separate man & women and pitas against each other while our common struggle against some power, not each other.

00:11:45: So it has really hurt our relationships.

00:11:47: like you said the... It's a threat to men that remain more rights and when in actuality it should be all of our rights against exploiting power.

00:11:57: That is most important.

00:11:59: Your film has been The Norwegian Oscar Entry.

00:12:02: How do feel about?

00:12:03: Obviously

00:12:03: its an honor because Its recognition on the film Of course its whole different.

00:12:08: I mean In way its absurd To have competition.

00:12:11: Thank you, just told me the exact same thing.

00:12:13: And I think your right!

00:12:14: You're both right.

00:12:15: It's absurd to have a competition between films

00:12:18: But once you enter a competition it is always more fun to succeed and again we are brought into compete instead of recognizing each other work as different than in hopefully interesting.

00:12:31: another absurd thing was being at this festival.

00:12:33: lots good films.

00:12:34: i never had time for film festivals that see them afterwards.

00:12:37: This time my ambition will stay longer.

00:12:41: both Fatherland and Minotaur, but they're all sold out.

00:12:44: So it was good for them though.

00:12:46: I heard that very good.

00:12:47: Do you have a new project?

00:12:48: You are working on at the moment?

00:12:49: Yes

00:12:50: i do again.

00:12:50: It's been quite a long time.

00:12:53: Hopefully we'll get full financing in next few months Start shooting maybe one year.

00:12:58: Thank-you

00:12:59: so much for this interview.

00:13:00: We were looking forward to other film of course And to see a theatrical release.