In January 2025, Stan and Reinsve flew to Romania for rehearsal and costume tests before leaving together with Cristian Mungiu and part of the team to Norway. It was in Romania that Stan found out about the Academy Award nomination for his leading performance in The Apprentice by Ali Abbasi.
Written by Mungiu, Fjord tells a story about the encounter between two neighbouring families living in a remote Norwegian village. Mihai (Sebastian Stan) is Romanian and Lisbet (Renate Reinsve) is Norwegian. In the other couple, Mats is Norwegian while Mia is Swedish. Their children go to the same school. The families will have to admit, handle and resolve their different views about family, education and progress. What are the limits of personal freedom and from which moment onwards the society compels you to conform?
“Fjord is a story about irreconcilable views of the world, about conformity, tolerance and the limits of freedom and intimacy”, said Cristian Mungiu in a statement.
He is producing through Romania’s Mobra Films in coproduction with Why Not Productions (France), Eye Eye Pictures (Norway), Snowglobe Film (Denmark), Aamu Film Company (Finland) and Filmgate Films (Sweden).
“The financing is still in progress, and so far the project is supported by the Romanian Film Centre (CNC), Creative Europe - MEDIA, Film i Vast, and Western Norway Film Commission”, executive producer Tudor Reu from Mobra Films told FNE.
The project received the biggest amount of 703,538 EUR / 3.5 m RON at the latest batch of the grants contest organised by the Romanian Film Centre, whose results were announced at the end of October 2024.
For Fjord Mungiu will be working with some of his usual collaborators, including Romanian DoP Tudor Vladimir Panduru and editor Mircea Olteanu.
The approximately 40-day shooting will start in March 2025 in Møre & Romsdal, Norway, and the premiere of the film is set for 2026.
This is the first film in Romanian for Stan (42), who left Romania as a child, and the second meeting on screen between him and Renate Reinsve after A Different Man by Aaron Schimberg, which brought Stan the Best Leading Performance award at the Berlinale 2024, as well as the Golden Globe in the Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy category.
Production Information:
Producer:
Mobra Films (Romania)
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Coproducers:
Why Not Productions (France)
Eye Eye Pictures (Norway)
Snowglobe Film (Denmark)
Aamu Film Company (Finland)
Filmgate Films (Sweden)
Credits:
Director: Cristian Mungiu
Scriptwriter: Cristian Mungiu
DoP: Tudor Vladimir Panduru
Editor: Mircea Olteanu
Production designer: Marius Winje Brustad
Costume designer: Kirsi Gum
Sound: Constantin Fleancu, Pietu Korconen, Kristian Eidnes
Cast: Sebastian Stan, Renate Reinsve
