The King’s Choice

Kongens Nei

Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Ireland

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Synopsis

Synopsis

THE KING'S CHOICE is based on the true the story about the three dramatic days in April 1940, when the King of Norway is presented with an unimaginable ultimatum from the German armed forces: Surrender or die.

With German air force and soldiers hunting after them, the Royal Family is forced to flee from the capital.
They decide to take separate ways, without knowing if they’ll ever see each other again.
The Crown Princess Märtha leaves Norway with the children to seek refuge in Sweden, whilst King Haakon
and Crown Prince Olav stay – to fight the Germans.

After three days of desperately trying to evade the Germans, King Haakon makes his final decision.
He refuses to capitulate, even if it may cost him, his family and many Norwegians their lives.

Biography

Born in 1960, Norwegian film director Erik Poppe started his career as a photographer for the newspaper Verdens Gang and Reuters, covering domestic news as well as international conflicts all over the world. He was awarded by the Norwegian press association and World Press Photo. He graduated as a cinematographer from the Dramatiska Institutet in Stockholm in 1991 and conducted several artistic and directorial research programs between 2001 and 2010. Since 2011 he has been a research fellow as a part of the Norwegian Artistic Research Programme and an Associated Professor at HIL, Lillehammer University College/The Norwegian Film School. He worked as Director of Photography on several features, as well as EGGS by Bent Hamer. Erik Poppe was awarded the Kodak Award at the Moscow IFF (1994) and won the Cinematographer of the Year award in Norway in 1995. In the same year he announced the end of his work as Director of Photography. For his commercial works Erik Poppe has received several awards. TROUBLED WATER from 2008 is the third part of his multi-awarded Oslo Trilogy, after his directorial debut with SCHPAA in 1998 and HAWAII, OSLO in 2004. His trilogy has participated in key festivals, and received prizes such as the Vesuvio Prize at Festroia in Portugal for Best Directing and the Nordic Council's Film Prize. His first English-language film, 1000 TIMES GOOD NIGHT, opened in Norway in October 2013 and had its international release in 2014. It won the jury's Special Grand Prix at Montreal Int. Film Festival and was sold to over fifty territories world-wide.

THE KING'S CHOICE is based on the true the story about the three dramatic days in April 1940, when the King of Norway is presented with an unimaginable ultimatum from the German armed forces: Surrender or die.

With German air force and soldiers hunting after them, the Royal Family is forced to flee from the capital.
They decide to take separate ways, without knowing if they’ll ever see each other again.
The Crown Princess Märtha leaves Norway with the children to seek refuge in Sweden, whilst King Haakon
and Crown Prince Olav stay – to fight the Germans.

After three days of desperately trying to evade the Germans, King Haakon makes his final decision.
He refuses to capitulate, even if it may cost him, his family and many Norwegians their lives.

Nominations & Awards

Cast & Crew

  • Directed by: Erik Poppe
  • Written by: Jan Trygve Røyneland, Harald Rosenløw Eeg
  • Produced by: Finn Gjerdrum, Stein B. Kvae
  • Cinematography: John Christian Rosenlund
  • Editing: Einar Egeland
  • Production Design: Peter Bävman
  • Costume Design: Karen F. Gram
  • Make-Up Artist: Elizabeth Bukkehave
  • Sound Design: Christian Schaanning
  • Original Score: Johan Söderqvist
  • Cast:
    • Jesper Christensen (King Haakon)
    • Anders Baasmo Christiansen (Crown Prince Olav)
    • Karl Markovics (Kurt Bräuer)
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