IN PRODUCTION - Don't call me Mama

DON’T CALL ME MAMA feature debut from Nina Knag, starring acclaimed actress, Pia Tjelta and produced by The Global Ensemble Drama. The film is in pre-production and shooting will commence in June 2024.

Starring Pia Tjelta (Made in Oslo, 2022; Blind Spot, 2018; State of Happiness, 2018) alongside Kristoffer Joner (War Sailor, 2022; The Quake, 2018), Tarek Zayat (Shorta, 2020) and Kathrine Thorborg Johansen (Power Play, 2024; Ragnarok, 2023). Synopsis Eva, a popular high school teacher and wife to the town's mayor, faces the ultimate test when she falls in love with a young asylum seeker, sparking a forbidden relationship with fatal consequences for them both. The film explores nuances of nativity and exploitation, power and powerlessness, and what appears to be a simple tale of forbidden love evolves into a thought-provoking moral study on cynicism and selfishness masked by generosity. The script is written by Nina Knag and Kathrine Valen Zeiner (Made in Oslo, 2022; Wisting, 2019). Nina Knag will make her feature debut as a director with DON’T CALL ME MAMA. She is behind several award-winning short films and has experience as a series director. DON’T CALL ME MAMA is led by award-winning actress Pia Tjelta who in 2018 conquered at San Sebastian Film Festival, taking home the Silver Shell for Best Actress for her role in Tuva Novotny’s debut feature, Blind Spot. “DON’T CALL ME MAMA is a thought provoking and brilliant script about surpassing forbidden boundaries leading to fatal consequences for everyone involved. With the great creative team, including Nina, Pia and Eleonore, I am sure that this will be a psychological thriller with great international potential”, says Rikke Ennis, CEO at REinvent International Sales. Director Nina Knag says: "My ambition is to make a controversial, intimate, and impactful film about power and desire, seen through the eyes of a boundary-pushing protagonist. A complex female character that we rarely see in film. I’m convinced that Pia Tjelta is made for the role of Eva, as she is one of the most exciting and brave actresses I know. The fact that REinvent got involved so early and has such faith in the project I take as a great vote of confidence, and I know they will do everything they can to bring the film to an international audience”, says Knag. Actress and Executive Producer, Pia Tjelta follows: "I am extremely proud, for the first time, to step into the role of executive producer on such a uniquely potent project with a filmmaker I deeply respect. On a higher note, this story casts a critical eye on how Western countries treat people fleeing from war and poverty. The story strips us bare, exposing our prejudices and revealing our true nature when faced with others' vulnerability - especially when we ourselves have something at stake. Will we uphold our ideals, or will we save our own skin at any cost? What type of person are you when it really comes down to it?I was initially involved in the project as an actor, and I see Eva as one of the most revolutionary characters I have ever had the opportunity to portray. Finally, I get to work with Rikke and her team at ReInvent again. I hope that with this story, we can reach many people who could relate to it, since this could just as easily be you or me.”