Hammarskjöld

Dag Hammarskjöld was posthumously awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and was one of the world’s foremost diplomats of his time. In 1961, he has one year left in his position as Secretary-General of the United Nations, having succeeded the Norwegian Trygve Lie. After this final year, he plans to move back to Österlen and leave politics behind for good. The Cold War looms large, and in Africa a deep conflict divides Congo.

Hammarskjöld takes on the complex mission of mediating peace and unity in the volatile, divided country—an impossible task according to many, and a suicide mission according to others.

The film is directed by Danish filmmaker Per Fly, known for critically acclaimed works such as The Bench (2000), The Inheritance (2003), and Monica Z (2013). With Hammarskjöld, Fly has created one of the largest Scandinavian film productions of the winter. The film also has a strong connection to Trøndelag: the score by composer Raymond Enoksen was recorded at Øra Studio with pianist Else Bø and musicians from the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra and Trondheimsolistene.

We look forward to opening the festival with this powerful film about one of the world’s most renowned advocates for peace—and his mysterious fate.