For the World Refugee Day screening of the 2020/21 GRAMNet/BEMIS Film Series we brought back a film that we wanted to show a few years ago, when our host venue was temporary closed due to the School of Art fire.

69 Minutes of 86 Days by Egil Håskjold Larsen is a moving documentary that follows three year-old Lean’s journey from an unfamiliar port in Greece on the edge of a beach, through passport controls, congested trains, tents, and a large field, to the quiet streets of Uppsala, Sweden. Following the online screening we had a live Q&A with the filmmaker.

69 Minutes of 86 Days

Documentary: Norway (2017)
Director: Egil Håskjold Larsen
Running time: 70 min
Arabic with English subtitles

On a path littered with lifejackets, in the middle of a crowd of people on the run, a 3-year-old girl slowly emerges. Full of a child’s energy and curiosity, carrying her little 'Frost' backpack on her back, she takes in her surroundings between hundreds of adult trouser legs. She understands the gravity of the situation she and her family find themselves in, but filled with childlike wonder she continues her journey. For every step she takes, she emanates a longed-for feeling of hope. To Lean, it’s a step closer to her grandfather in Sweden.

Egil Håskjold Larsen has worked as a cinematographer and director since finishing his studies in 2008. Studying fine art photography in Turkey, and finally documentary filmmaking in Norway. In 2016 he released his first documentary film Ad Astra. The film has been screened at festivals and at The Autumn Exhibition 2016 in Norway. 69 Minutes of 86 Days is his first feature length documentary film.

 

First published: 16 June 2021

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