A provincial theatre troupe in the former Soviet Union has ambitions of performing in Moscow. A sugar-smuggling pact with the mafia was supposed to make their dream come true, but endless circles in muddy outskirts are starting to rise doubts about the deal. Time has come for radical decisions and serious sacrifices.
Destination Moscow was filmed entirely on location in Russia and Lithuania, to a large extent in previously forbidden areas. A combination of authenticity and deliberate play on preconceptions of the homo sovieticus, along with cascades of nonsensical language, quickly gave the film a cult status among moviegoers. Reviews differed from excellent to insultingly bad and some movietheatres even refused to show the film. The ambition was rather unusual for the Norwegian film industry – to produce a road movie with a Chekovian dramaturgy, inspired by European B-movies from the 1970’s where car chases definitively keep the speed limits. Unusual it was also for international distributors with the everlasting need for translated dubbing. But how can you dub nonsensical language? The overall outcome was a film with a longer life than the mainstream blockbuster, and with a reputation that has become somewhat of a reference, even to those who have never seen it. The film was the first collaboration of director/scriptwriter duo Runar Hodne and Jo Strømgren, initiated and produced by the renowned company Nordisk Film.
Apart from brief appearances in different short movies and feature films, Jo Strømgren has been a temporary guest in the film business as a director and scriptwriter. Together with Runar Hodne, he co-wrote and co-directed the feature film “Destination Moscow”, filmed on location in Lithuania and Kaliningrad. Together with Stein Roger Bull, he has co-directed the dance films “The Neighbour”, “Closed” and “The Accident”. The first gained a Rose d’Or in 2010. Apart from this he has developed several scripts for film and television, optioned by different production companies. The film business is however a tough one and it takes both time, courage and stamina to pursue a continuous career. Jo Strømgren has always seen film as a luxury opportunity which can enrich the overall understanding of story telling, especially for those working with live stage performance.
Direction: Runar Hodne, Jo Strømgren
Actors: Thorbjørn Harr, Espen Reboli Bjerke, Kyrre Texnæs, John Fjelnseth Brungot, Anna Dworak, Silje Færavaag, Ivar Mykland, Jo Strømgren, Lubomiras Laucevicus, Vytautas Kupsys, Victoras Karpusenkovas, Arturas Orlauskas, Andrius Zebrauskas
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Эстроген
The Neighbour
Rooms
Accident