Design: Skogen

Sonisk music film festival will take place on the weekend October 28-30 at the newly renovated Cinemateket Trondheim. The festival will present nine feature films and six short films. A record fair organized by Crispin Glover Record Shop will be held during the festival.

The festival is an initiative by people from the movie and music scene in Trondheim, with the idea to make a festival for and by music enthusiasts. The team behind the festival are Knut Martin Kristensen, Robert Hoven, Ida Madsen Hestman, Kjetil Kvale Sørenssen, Magnus Holder Bjørk and Kari Westergaard. Sonisk is made in collaboration with Cinemateket Trondheim.

“This year’ program is made up of new documentaries, established classics and one exclusive Norwegian premiere. To set the festival mood, we also have short films and introductions to the films on the main programme.”, Knut Martin Kristensen says. “We want to fill Olavshallen with music, film, record fairs, quizzes and concerts in the coming years. The festival is founded on idealism. We will build stone by stone, but we have ambitions to be an important European music film festival in the future.”

Festival program:

Friday 28.10

19.00 Nothing Compares (Kathryn Ferguson 2022, 1h 37 min). The film is presented in collaboration with BIFF, Bergen International Film Festival
21.30 Stop Making Sense (Jonathan Demme 1984, 1h 28 min) + Bukta Sessions Episode 2: Vennskapsbya (9 min)

Saturday 29.10

11.00 Cobain: Montage of Heck (Brett Morgen 2015, 2h 12min)
12:00 Record fair at Crispin Glover Record Shop
15:30 Anonymous Club (Danny Cohen 2021, 1h 23min) + Bukta Sessions Episode 6: Transformasjon (19 min)
18.00 Other Music (Puloma Basu/Rob Hatch-Miller 2019, 1h 23min) + Bukta Sessions Episode 4: Undergrunn (17 min)
20.30 Sparks Brothers (Edgar Wright 2021, 2h 20min)

Sunday 30.10

13.00 Sympathy for the Devil (Jean-Luc Godard 1969, 1h 41min) + Bukta Sessions Episode 3: Et siste farvel (17 min)
15.30 Freakscene: The Story of Dinosaur Jr. (Philipp Reichenheim 2020, 1h 22min) + Bukta Sessions Episode 1: Brente minna (13 min)
18.00 In the court of the Crimson King: King Crimson at 50. (Toby Amies 2022, 1h 26min) exclusive Norwegian premiere! + Bukta Sessions Episode 5: Sagn (19 min)

The festival is receiving financial support from Trøndelag County Council, Trondheim Municipality and Sparebank1 SMN. The main partner – Cinemateket Trondheim. Other partners – Olavshallen, Skogen, Fagtrykk and TBA.

Tickets on sale now: https://cinemateket-trondheim.no/sonisk/

Nothing Compares (Kathryn Ferguson 2022)
“An exploration of Sinead O’Connor’s rise and fall and her enduring cultural impact. By the age of 20, O’Connor was one of Ireland’s brightest rising stars but her decision to use her fame as a platform to speak out on a number of controversial issues shifted her narrative from global stardom to worldwide condemnation. In a new interview, O’Connor reveals the abusive upbringing that left her feeling betrayed by both church and community and ultimately led her to find the therapeutic power of music.” The film is presented in collaboration with BIFF, Bergen International Film Festival. 

In the court of the Crimson King: King Crimson at 50 (Toby Amies 2022)
“What began as a straightforward documentary about the cult rock band King Crimson as it turned 50, mutated into an exploration of time, death, family, and the transcendent power of music to change lives. But with jokes.”

Anonymous Club (Danny Cohen 2021)
“The antithesis of a rock biography, ANONYMOUS CLUB paints a raw and intimate picture of enigmatic singer-songwriter, Courtney Barnett – an anti-influencer who is a powerful voice for our times, a recluse acclaimed by audiences the world over and a strong female artist in conflict with herself.”

Freakscene: The Story of Dinosaur Jr. (Philipp Reichenheim 2020)
“Homage to one of the most influential bands on the American East Coast, which inspired the rock scene – an emotional, tragically funny and sometimes noisy roller-coaster ride by a dysfunctional family – Dinosaur Jr.”

Other Music (Puloma Basu/Rob Hatch-Miller 2019)
“In the summer of 2016, New York City lost a beloved and influential hub of independent music culture. Other Music–located on East 4th Street between Broadway and Lafayette in the heart of Manhattan’s East Village neighborhood–was more than just a store that sold CDs, records, tapes and magazines. It was a place where bands were formed, record labels were born and careers were launched.”

Sparks Brothers (Edgar Wright 2021)
“In 1974, John Lennon was startled as he was watching Top of the Pops. He rang Ringo Starr. “You won’t believe what’s on television,” he reportedly said. “Marc Bolan is playing a song with Adolf Hitler.”With interviews from rock’s top talents, this exciting documentary pays tribute to the unconventional 50-year journey of American pop-rock duo Sparks.”

Stop Making Sense (Jonathan Demme 1984)
“The Citizen Kane of concert films, documenting Talking Heads at the height of their popularity, on tour for their 1983 album “Speaking in Tongues.” The band takes the stage one by one and is joined by a cadre of guest musicians for a career-spanning and cinematic performance that features creative choreography and visuals.”

Cobain: Montage of Heck (Brett Morgen 2015)
“Kurt Cobain–lead singer, guitarist and songwriter of Nirvana–remains an icon 20 years after his death. Through the lens of his home movies, recordings, artwork, photography and journals, this fully authorized documentary is a raw and visceral journey through Cobain’s life and career–from his earliest years in Aberdeen, WA, through the height of his fame.”

Sympathy for the Devil  (Jean-Luc Godard 1969)
“While The Rolling Stones rehearse “Sympathy for the Devil” in the studio, Godard reflects on 1968 society, politics and culture through five different vignettes.”

Short films: Bukta Sessions
“Bukta Sessions is a series of live music videos, documentary-style, offering unique locations and a regional focus. It is initiated by the local music festival, “Bukta”, and directed by Carl Christian Lein Størmer. The project has involved all aspects of the music scene, from artist to stage, captured unique moments, and through a musical prism unveiled big and small peculiarities in the Northern Norwegian soul and history.”