Latest news with #PasvikFolkHighSchool
Los Angeles Times
01-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Teens connect with nature in ‘Folktales,' a dogumentary about a different kind of school
For centuries, mythology looked to gods to explain a disquieting world. But in the new documentary 'Folktales,' from 'Jesus Camp' filmmakers Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady, which follows a trio of jumbled Scandinavian teens to a remote Norwegian school that builds character in the snowy wild, the answer to life may just lie in what 'god' spells backward. In other words, yes, let's go to the dogs: sled dogs, specifically, whose personalities, purpose and compatibility are the secret sauce to a lesson plan that seeks to get kids out of their heads and into a stronger sense of self. The beautiful Alaskan and Siberian huskies that animate the dog-sledding instruction at Norway's Pasvik Folk High School are what help lift this handsomely photographed film above the usual heart warmer. Ewing and Grady are no stranger to this scenario, having observed at-risk Baltimore youth striving for stability ('The Boys of Baraka') and unhappy Hasidic Jews attempting to remove themselves from all they've ever known ('One of Us'). The situation is less sociologically dire in 'Folktales,' but it isn't any less compelling as a subject or less worthy of empathetic attention, especially when the stage for potential transformation is as rapturous as the birthplace of Vikings. Pasvik is 200 miles north of the Arctic Circle, which means self-reliance isn't optional and knitting carries more practical weight than learning a math formula. As gap-year institutions dedicated to nurturing the transition to adulthood, folk schools have roots going back to the 19th century. Pasvik sees survival training as unlocking potential in teens too devoted to their phone screens. As convivial dog-sledding teacher Iselin puts it to the students, she wants to 'wake up your Stone Age brains.' For anxious, bubbly 19-year-old Hege, who lost her father and struggles with image issues, unplugging is tough at first. But she responds to its benefits, especially when entrusted with the care of Odin, a gorgeous, lovable canine with an expressive howl. Socially awkward Bjorn wants to stop harboring sad thoughts and second-guessing his nerdiness. Nothing like a majestic creature who rewards your undivided attention, then, to refocus one's energies. When the students are tasked with spending two nights in the forest alone with just their assigned huskies and camping acumen, their struggles give way to a turning point, what another kindhearted instructor describes as the special inner peace that comes with just 'a fire, a dog and a starry sky.' You also gather that Ewing and Grady may have been seeking some inspiration themselves. Hence, some arty montages of the icy wilderness (including some woo-woo yarn-and-tree symbolism) and an ambiance closer to warm spotlight than objective inquiry. That makes 'Folktales' decidedly more powdery than densely packed — it's all ruddy cheeks, slo-mo camaraderie and the healing power of steering a dog sled through breathtaking terrain. It looks exhilarating, and if the filmmakers are ultimately there to play, not probe, that's fine, even if you may not know these kids at the end any better than you did at the beginning. It's hard to say whether negative-minded high school dropout Romain will wind up on the other side of what troubles him. But we see how happy he is making friends and catching a glimpse of moose in the wild. It's a simple message, but 'Folktales' sells it: Nurture via nature.
Washington Post
01-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
Teenagers go to the dogs in ‘Folktales'
'The key that a dog holds to unlocking something inside a person is enormous,' someone says in 'Folktales,' and if that doesn't sell you on the movie, I don't know what will. In fact, if I had a quibble with Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady's moving documentary about teenagers in an Outward Bound-style program in Norway, it's that there's a lot about the people but not quite enough about the dogs. 'Folk high schools' are a Scandinavian invention of the 19th century, created to give rural people free education; today they offer survival-skills immersion for 'anyone seeking a year of independence before adulthood.' Sort of like a gap year where you're tested to the limits of your physical abilities and beyond. 'Folktales' zeroes in on one such institution, Pasvik Folk High School in Finnmark on the border of Norway and Russia, 200 miles above the arctic circle, and introduces us to a group of insecure, urbanized kids who seem as ready to face the frozen north as a bunch of baby ducks. What makes it easier are the sled dogs for which the students will care and bond with before learning how to hook up teams and ride across miles of ice and snow. They're as motley as the young humans but possessed of the confidence of working animals — they are where they belong and doing what they're meant to do, and part of the lesson for the kids is absorbing that animal assurance, earning the dogs' trust and applying it to themselves. Most of them seem to need the help. Ewing and Grady don't give us clues about who applies for the folk high school programs and who gets in, but the students we meet are deeply insecure and fearful about moving into a world for which they're not ready. Hege, still reeling from the violent death of her father two years earlier, sums up her existence as 'chaos,' while Bjorn, a big, goofy self-professed nerd, worries that he has no friends because he's 'annoying.' The most tender of these tenderfoots is Romain, so lacking in self-confidence that he psyches himself out of activities before he can even try them. Granted, the activities include hunting, killing and skinning deer; hiking miles with full packs; and camping out through midnight downpours. The lessons lead up to dogsled runs through the tundra and 'solo nights,' during which the kids venture out into the bitterly cold wilderness with only a canine for company. 'In the beginning, the students think it's all about the dogs, but the dogs are just a method,' says Iselin, one of the teachers. 'The higher goal is the human being. The dogs teach us to be more human.' She points out that we humans still have the same brains we had 10,000 years ago, brains that find modern life profoundly confusing, and the magic of 'Folktales' is in watching Hege, Bjorn and Romain rewire themselves amid the harsh, uncomplicated beauty of their surroundings. The filmmakers gild this frozen lily with techniques that sometimes amplify the experience and sometimes detract: lots of sweeping ambient music on the soundtrack, long shots and drone shots and a recurring visual trope involving the Norns of Norse mythology, who weave the fates of humans using red thread that winds its way through the film with a poetry that can feel forced. By contrast, the dogs are simply themselves in their individuality: Guinness, Odin, frisky Billy, shy Dia and old Sautso, whose passing in 'Folktales' is treated with a respect commensurate with his life and in whose fading presence a young adult like Hege can come into her own. The great satisfaction of this documentary is seeing the troubled children of the early scenes emerge with a maturity and equanimity that comes from pushing oneself past the furthest you thought you could go. The dogs, by contrast, never change. They don't need to. Unrated. At AFI Silver. An occasional cussword. In Norwegian and English, with subtitles. 105 minutes. Ty Burr is the author of the movie recommendation newsletter Ty Burr's Watch List at
Time Magazine
25-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Magazine
The Story Behind 'Folktales' and the Arctic Refuge Where Teens Escape the Anxieties of Modern Life
In Finnmark, Norway, 200 miles above the Arctic Circle, stands Pasvik Folk High School. In Folktales, the latest documentary from filmmakers Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady (Jesus Camp, One of Us), the pair ventured there to document its students, teenagers effectively taking a gap year, hundreds of miles away from the distractions of everyday life. The school focuses entirely on building character over grades and discovering a way of life immersed in nature. Visiting Finnmark, at the very top of Norway, is an experience like no other. 'I was surprised how much the place would affect me personally,' says Grady. 'As soon as you're there, your nervous system just settles down.' Ewing and Grady discovered folk schools after listening to a podcast by a dog sledder named Blair Braverman. They then read Braverman's book, Welcome to the Goddamn Ice Cube: Chasing Fear and Finding Home in the Great White North. 'She mentions in one chapter that she went to a folk high school in the north of Norway that changed her outlook on life,' says Ewing. Once the filmmakers learned more about folk schools, they were compelled by the idea of a school where students could go for a year and prioritize self-actualization over academics. 'As filmmakers, we've always been interested in those moments that flash between being a child and being an adult. And we're very intrigued by the words says to a young person that actually launch them in one direction or the other. If you can capture those moments as a verité filmmaker, it's extremely satisfying,' says Ewing. Folk schools are a popular way of learning across northern Europe. Over 400 exist in Scandinavia, 80 of which are in Norway. There's a great deal of variation across folk schools; students can learn filmmaking, circus arts, or even how to live like a Viking. But Ewing and Grady focused on a folk school where students learn primarily with Alaskan Huskies to hone their outdoor survival skills. 'There's the idea that these animals can help a human become more human,' Ewing says. Ewing and Grady embarked on making Folktales guided by a set of key questions. What could help young people deal with social anxiety? What can a young person who's lived through COVID-19 do that can allow them to truly connect? And is there anything that can get a member of Gen Z off their phone? 'When we were scouting for this film, we met the teachers. It was their life's calling to do this work. They told us stories about how they're working with the kids, and how they saw them change before their eyes, how these animals and taking care of them bring out the humanity in an individual,' says Grady. The filmmakers and crew spent nearly the entire year at Pasvik Folk High School, observing every student. When it came to deciding who their main characters would be, Ewing and Grady were looking for students who weren't happy with the status quo and actively wanted change. 'Bjørn, Romain, and Hege were searching for something that they articulated clearly to us the first time we met them. There was a generosity of spirit, a vulnerability, and a tenderness to all three of them,' says Ewing. Each of the three students wanted something different. Bjørn longed to make friends. Romain wanted to get over social anxiety. And Hege wanted to find purpose after the loss of her father. A day at Pasvik isn't easy. The kids tasked with taking care of the dogs get up in the early hours before breakfast to feed and give fresh water to 40 Alaskan Huskies. Then they eat before the whole school meets as a group and goes over the day ahead. They often all watch the news together, which didn't make the cut for the documentary. 'It was fascinating, but we decided it didn't fit. Audiences didn't want to watch the news,' says Grady. The kids have plenty of unstructured time, but there are also big adventures, like skiing with the dogs, dogsledding, and ice skating on the river. One week a month, they'd go on a full expedition where they'd learn to do things like building igloos they'd then sleep in. 'It's like Outward Bound, but on steroids,' says Grady. While folk schools are places where students can get away from the torment of social media and focus on the world outdoors, they are not specifically designed to be a digital detox. No limitations are placed on students using their phones—should they wish to, they can be on them 24/7. But students get their hands dirty at folk schools, often literally. They learn a wide range of practical skills, including making knives, making fires, and knitting clothing. Ewing and Grady noticed something remarkable during their time at Pasvik. 'We noticed that over time, they were less and less on [their phones]. It seemed like IRL finally could compete with the scrolling,' says Ewing. 'Being in the wilderness and being with one another really gave the phone a run for its money.' Though Folktales takes place in Norway, much of the dialogue is spoken in English. Pasvik and other folk schools attract students from around the world, and most Norwegians are fluent in English. 'They're very polite,' says Grady. 'So if they're around a non-native Norwegian speaker, they'll speak in English. One of our characters, Roman, is Dutch, so whenever he's in a scene, English is being spoken. But when Norwegians are with each other, they'll speak Norwegian.' Following a group of teenagers has its own challenges, but there's a Hollywood adage that you should never work with animals, especially ones as demanding as Alaskan Huskies. 'Filming them was actually much easier than filming the Gen Z teenagers. They didn't care what they looked like. They were always happy to see you. Maybe a mount that would be put on them would fall off, but they didn't care. They were having a blast!' says Grady. 'They stand on you and knock you over. They're cool, but they need full attention all the time, which I think is great for these teenagers,' says Ewing. Throughout Folktales, it's awe-inspiring not only to witness the harsh beauty of the Norwegian Arctic but also the growth of Bjørn, Romain, and Hege. From climate change to gun violence to geopolitical instability, there's so much doom and gloom surrounding their generation that it almost feels like a better life is all but impossible. But all three subjects in Folktales grow, throughout the year captured on film, to be more well-rounded people capable of things they never thought possible. Away from the stress of everyday life, they have the opportunity to reach for something greater, and it's a chance they eagerly take. Documentaries have historically captured some of the harsher aspects of society that demand to be revealed to a wider audience. But Folktales is refreshingly optimistic. It feels almost like a spiritual successor to Lauren Greenfield's Social Studies, a fascinating look at the way social media affects teenagers, though one that's far bleaker in tone. But Ewing and Grady didn't necessarily set out with the intention of making a film with a positive outlook. 'We set out for curiosity about what happens in a folk high school,' says Ewing. 'Who goes there and why do they go there? What happens to them? The hope just emerged from the people—and the dogs.'
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Magnolia Pictures Acquires Sundance Documentary ‘Folktales' About Arctic Norwegian Teens & Their Sled Dogs
EXCLUSIVE: Magnolia Pictures has acquired North American rights to Academy Award-nominated filmmakers Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady's Folktales. A July 25 theatrical release is planned. The acquisition puts the filmmaking duo behind the Oscar-nominated Jesus Camp back in business with Magnolia. More from Deadline Magnolia Takes Global Rights To Sundance-Winning Thriller 'Plainclothes' Magnolia Pictures Acquires Sci-Fi Thriller 'The Assessment' Starring Alicia Vikander, Elizabeth Olsen & Himesh Patel Magnolia Pictures Acquires Action-Thriller '40 Acres' Starring Danielle Deadwyler The new documentary, which had its world premiere in January at the Sundance Film Festival, follows teenagers who converge at a traditional folk high school in Arctic Norway during a gap year where they must rely on only themselves, one another and a loyal pack of sled dogs as they all grow in unexpected directions. In Norse mythology, the three 'Norns' are powerful deities who weave the threads of fate and shape humans' futures. Today, Pasvik Folk High School in northern Norway aims to produce a similar life-changing effect on its students. Guided by patient teachers and a yard full of heroic Alaskan huskies, the teens discover their own potential and develop deep relationships with the land, animals and humans around them. 'Twenty years after the seminal Jesus Camp, we're ecstatic to welcome Heidi & Rachel back home, at the height of their powers, with this visually thrilling exploration of the transformative bond between humans, dogs, and nature,' said Magnolia Pictures co-CEOs Eamonn Bowles and Dori Begley. 'Every single frame of Folktales was designed with the big screen in mind. It's a movie best experienced with others, so having the rare opportunity to show it to the public the way it was truly intended to be seen is an absolute thrill for both of us,' said Ewing and Grady. 'Folktales is a film about growing up, a love letter to that sacred in-between time where the wild can teach us what it means to be human. We hope audiences feel the magic we discovered while shooting in this wondrously remote corner of the world.' Folktales is co-produced by Kari Anne Moe and Gudmundur Gunnarsson. Executive producers are Lisa Schejola Akin, Jeffrey Akin, Maiken Baird, Michael Bloom, Christine Connor, Ian Darling, Ryan Heller, Kelsey Koenig, Mary Lisio, Jenny Raskin, Regina K. Scully and Ian Stratford. The doc is a Loki Films, Impact Partners, Topic Studios and Fifth Season production. The deal was negotiated by Magnolia Pictures SVP Acquisitions John Von Thaden, with WME and Hayden Goldblat at FKKS on behalf of the filmmakers. Best of Deadline 'Ginny & Georgia' Season 3: Everything We Know So Far Everything We Know About The 'Reminders of Him' Movie So Far Everything We Know About 'The Phoenician Scheme' So Far
Yahoo
26-01-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Folktales' Review: ‘Jesus Camp' Directors Head to Norway for a Frigid, Furry and Very Sweet Coming-of-Age Doc
A warm and big-hearted crowdpleaser set against a cold and seemingly inhospitable backdrop, Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady's Folktales can look to Sundance precedent to safely expect to find a welcoming audience. Their new documentary is Boys State (or Girls State) with Norwegian dogsledding instead of American civics. More from The Hollywood Reporter James Mangold Delivers Call to Action for Filmmakers to "Battle Sleepwalking of Our Culture" Sara Bareilles Debuts World Premiere of Song Co-Written by Brandi Carlile at Sundance Dave Franco on Luigi Mangione Comparisons: "I've Never Received More Texts in My Life" Or perhaps, to look to the filmmakers' own catalogue, Folktales is a dyslexic Jesus Camp, its young subjects turning to dog instead of God for personal growth. Either way, Folktales is an easily embraceable coming-of-age documentary that makes up for what it lacks in depth with its surplus of wise, vaguely anthropomorphized canine companions. It's a film that benefits from being seen with a crowd, not just to experience its lavishly furry and frigid images on the biggest screen possible, but to be part of a communal ritual in which everybody simultaneously coos at and cajoles the featured animals. Yes. There are humans in Folktales as well. The movie is set at Pasvik Folk High School in the upper reaches of Norway. The folk high school system was established to educate rural residents, but largely exists today in the form of international magnet schools attracting teenage students between high school and the rest of their lives. Although the school's principal instantly emphasizes that Pasvik isn't a 'gap year' program, it's absolutely a gap year, in which kids somewhat disconnect from the hustle and bustle and technology of modern life and attempt to use their lessons in sledding and survival skills to reactivate their Stone Age brains. The curriculum at these folk schools once heavily integrated Norse folklore and mythology. The documentary uses fleeting reenactments and insufficiently justified framing devices to connect a contemporary story with legends involving Odin and the Norns, the Norse equivalent of the Fates, three figures spinning threads of destiny for humans and gods alike. Perhaps to mirror the three Norns, Folktales keeps its eye primarily on three affable kids. Hege is hung up on the approval of peers and still struggling with the recent murder of her father. Nerdy Bjørn Tore has difficulties finding friends, admitting that people often think he's annoying. Romain, who is Dutch, has crippling anxiety, extremely relatable self-doubt and no evident interest in learning about nature. All three are adrift in different ways and over the course of the documentary, viewers will discover that what teens need to gain confidence and refine their identities is nothing less than SOME VERY GOOD DOGS. Pasvik has a huge kennel and an unspecified number of dogs, and over the course of the nine-month program, under the watch of on-camera instructors Iselin and Thor-Atle, the kids will be taught to care for the dogs — who are all VERY GOOD DOGS — learn sledding techniques and take periodic, increasingly unsupervised wilderness retreats accompanied only by their VERY GOOD DOGS and the smallest assortment of tools and provisions. I don't think it's a spoiler to reveal that, over the course of 106 minutes, Hege and Bjørn Tore and Romain will learn valuable lessons that will shape their personalities forever, though not always in exactly the ways you'll expect. The documentary isn't always subtle in its treatment of the journey; if I heard one more story about the Norns and their most important words for humanity, I was prepared to throw lutefisk at the screen — but the arcs are gentle and sweet and the directors don't try to convince you that one night sleeping in the snow with an axe and a blue-eyed husky will give you all of the resources you need to make it in the world. Even a VERY GOOD HUSKY. With Lars Erlend Tubaas Øymo as director of photography and Tor Edvin Eliassen as cinematographer, Folktales is beautifully shot, alternating between the intimacy of its treatment of the human subjects and dogs — the red-bathed close-ups of dog visages linger long after the closing credits — and the bird's-eye drone photography you apparently cannot make a documentary without these days. Any time the documentary gets too figurative and dreamy, viewers are treated to the kinetic rush of an amateurishly steered dogsled lumbering or tipping in the snow to snap you back to reality like a plunge into an icy body of water (something else the students do to help build character). The comfort the subjects obviously feel with Ewing and Grady yields a level of reflection that makes for occasional moments of startling candor — Hege's story of her father's death, in particular — but is generally surface-deep, which matches the documentary's treatment of the school at large. Parallels to the Norns aside, three subjects ends up being limiting. I kept having questions about all the other students flitting through the background, as well as the non-survival, non-puppy aspects of their study. Every once in a while, you hear somebody speaking French or Spanish and it's tempting to wonder what brings those people to Pasvik rather than other, similar schools. But then you get a scene of Hege learning to howl with her dogs or Bjørn Tore and Romain bonding or one of the teachers beaming at a pupil's transformation, and the lack of depth seems more like 'simplicity' or 'purity,' part of an enjoyable, immersive lesson. Best of The Hollywood Reporter Dinosaurs, Zombies and More 'Wicked': The Most Anticipated Movies of 2025 From 'A Complete Unknown' to 'Selena' to 'Ray': 33 Notable Music Biopics 25 Christmas Comedies to Watch This Holiday Season
