Kari Anne Moe / Norway / 2012 / 118min

Synopsis:

Four young people want to change the world – then the world changes them.

In Bravehearts we follow four politically involved youth between the summer of 2009 and the fall of 2011. Four youngsters who have the courage to say what they really think of our society, who wish to make the world a better place.

Sana, Henrik, Haakon and Johanne represent four different political parties. They are in the process of preparing for election campaigns with intense debate training. Sana is nervous before her first debate, Henrik is tired of having to defend himself against radicals, Haakon is running for the local election, and Johanne is about to withdraw from the debate-team.

Director Bio:

Kari Anne Moe (b. 1976) studied documentary directing at the Film and TV-Academy in Oslo, and at the documentary department at Volda University College. In 2005 she made the documentary film The Tambourine Man, which was screened at several festivals in Norway and abroad. She’s been working with Sant & Usant since 2007 as a director and producer. She released her latest film, Salesman 329 in April 2011 which won the award Short-Documentary of the year at Bergen International Film Festival 2011. Bravehearts is her first feature-length film.

Background Info:

Utoya island is a well-known Norwegian tourist destination. Shaped like a heart, it is located in Buskerud, about 35 kilometers west of Oslo. In 1950, the ex-owner, Oslo Regional Trade Union Confederation, yielded its ownership of the island to the Labor Party Youth League. Since then, the Labor Party holds its summer camp annually on this beautiful island.

Every July and August, teenagers from all over the country pitch their tents here on the lawn for the summer camp, and leaders of the Labor Party join in various activities. Some of the leaders deliver speeches.

On 23 July 2011, a gunman dressed in police uniform and carrying multiple weapons brutally murdered 86 innocent summer camp attendees. It was one of the most severe terrorist attacks since World War II and drew massive international attention. Most of the 85 victims were teenagers. There were almost 560 young adults aged 15 to 25 on the island. This terrible shooting has cast a shadow on the peaceful life of Norway, well-known for the Nobel Prize and a strong welfare system.The gunman was thirty-two year-old, Norwegian right-wing extremist named Anders Behring Breivik.