Gala premiere for the Norwegian drama The Riot

11 October 2023 - Last updated 13 October 2023

Last week SF Studios hosted a gala premiere for the Norwegian historical action drama The Riot (Norwegian title: Sulis), directed by Nils Gaup, at the Colosseum Cinema in Oslo. The epic film is about the origins of the labor movement and workers' rights in the mining city Sulis (Sulitjelma) in the early 20th century. The world premiere for the film was in Sulitjelma on September 15 attended by Norwegian and Swedish union leaders, the cast and crew and a big audience.

The film stars Swedish actors Otto Fahlgren (Beartown) and Simon J. Berger (Margrete – Queen of the North, Exit) in the leading roles. The cast also includes Norwegian actors Alexandra Gjerpen, Mads Sjøgård Pettersen, Stig Henrik Hoff and Heidi Ruud Ellingsen.

The Riot is produced by Storyline NOR with producers Tom Vidar Karlsen, Trond Eliassen, Petter Paulsen and Einar Loftesnesand and is distributed by SF Studios in the Nordics. The film premiered in cinemas in Norway on October 6 and will be released internationally.

Nils Gaup's film about the class struggle in the tough mining community in Sulis had its world premiere on 15 September. It happened at the place where the action takes place - in Sulitjelma. Today, no more than around 400 people live in the town of Sulitjelma. Close to a thousand were present at the film screening.

From the film participated director Nils Gaup; producers Tom Vidar Karlsen, Trond Eliassen, Petter Paulsen and Einar Loftesnes; Actors Otto Fahlgren, Rune Temte, Stig Henrik Hoff, Pernille Sandøy and Kristoffer Sagmo Aalberg; and Peggy Hessen Følsvik (LO manager and extra in the film). The Swedish trade union leader, Susanna Gideonsson, was also present.

The grand party premiere at the Colosseum cinema was on 5 October, with the director, cast and crew present. It was very atmospheric, and the actors received a standing ovation after the film. There were several participants from official Norway present. Attached is a list of well-known profiles who attended the screening.

About the film
The Riot tells the story of the struggle against oppression in the mining town of Sulitjelma, called Sulis, at the beginning of the 20th century. Konrad (Otto Fahlgren) and the suppressed workers stand together in the revolt against the mining company and its ruthless leader Wennstrøm (Simon J. Berger). The film deals with actual incidents at Norway's second largest workplace, where the mining company had all the power and where the workers struggled under inhuman conditions in the dangerous and dark mines. This was the Wild West of the Nordic countries. One January day in 1907, the workers had had enough of the oppression, slave labor and the brutality of capitalism and with Kata Dalström and Helene Ugland at the head, the workers founded their own trade union. The action in Sulis 1907 unfolds in the violent prelude to this revolt that later created the Scandinavian model and the modern society we see today. It is an important part of history that has never been told on screen before.

Gala premiere for the Norwegian drama The Riot

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