Panel | How can artistic freedom of expression be promoted in conflict areas?

For several years, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has supported film productions in countries where filmmaking is challenging due to economic, political, or social reasons through the Sørfond funding scheme.

The director of The Mulberry House, Sara Ishaq, is currently working on the film highly anticipated film, The Station. The film received support from Sørfond last year. In connection with the screening, Claire Hubert, Deputy Director of the Section for Human Rights, Democracy, and Gender Equality at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will take part in a conversation with the Norwegian producer of The Station, Ingrid Lill Høgtun. Lasse Skagen, Head of Programming for Films from the South, will moderate the conversation.

Høgtun has many years of experience producing Sørfond-supported films from countries such as Sudan, Lebanon, and Egypt, to name a few. In the conversation, they will talk about Høgtun’s concrete experiences producing films in these countries and the impact it has had on filmmakers and the local film industries. They will also explore more broadly how Norway works to promote artistic freedom of expression internationally. In addition, they will take a closer look at how Sørfond fits into the government’s overall efforts to support artistic freedom of expression, freedom of expression in general, and human rights.

The event is done in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Sørfond.

About Sørfond

Sørfond supports film production in DAC countries – countries where producing films is difficult due to economic, social, or political reasons. Sørfond is operated by the Festivalkontoret Foundation and the Norwegian Film Institute, and is funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. At this year’s festival, you can see two films supported by the scheme: EVERYBODY LOVES TOUDA and WHO DO I BELONG TO?