Whether you’re a gamer, a Lara Croft fan, or just keeping up with action movie releases, you will likely have heard that Tomb Raider is getting another reboot this March. The film is expected to come out on March 16th, 2018 and will likely be a box office hit. However, you may not know a whole lot about the director of the film, Roar Uthaug. He is a Norwegian film director, and he graduated from the Norwegian Film School. He has directed and released several films, beginning with a slasher flick called Fritt Vilt (Cold Prey) in 2006. He also directed several more movies after this.
Roar Uthaug is not a well-known name in America. However, if Tomb Raider goes well, we could see this director reaching higher levels of prominence in the States. So, it might be worth knowing a little more about the director. Please, read on to learn Five Things You Didn’t Know about Roar Uthaug.
He Directed the Second Student Film Nominated for an Academy Award
A special section of the Academy Awards is set aside for student films only, known as the Student Academy Awards. Each participating country must put up their nominated film, and the Academy chooses a few that advance to the next stage. After this, a winner is chosen. Roar Uthaug’s film The Martin Administration was a comedy, and only about 30 minutes long. Its claim to fame is that it was only the second Norwegian film to ever be nominated for a Student Academy Award. Though the film didn’t end up winning, the nomination itself is a great honor for an inexperienced filmmaker.
He Directed Another Academy Award Submission
At the 88th Academy Awards, Roar Uthaug’s film The Wave was selected yet again to be sent as Norway’s official submission for the Academy Award for the Best Foreign Language film. The film was a catastrophe drama, following an avalanche in a Norwegian fjord that created an 80-meter tsunami that consumed everything in its path. Though the film didn’t end up being nominated for the award, it was still a great movie. Plus, there is a sequel in the works for those who liked the first one.
He Wants to Raise Awareness about Natural Disasters
Another side effect associated with The Wave was the springing-up of conventions on general safety and tsunamis. The goal of these conventions was to raise awareness about natural disasters, and to train people on how to best overcome associated challenges. Roar Uthaug is a huge proponent of such conventions. He praises their ability to gather people together and teach them how to be safe. Plus, they offer a good source of funding and exposure for the groups behind the conventions — allowing them to reach even more people.
He Was Named One of the Top Ten European Directors to Watch
Variety creates a list of the Top Ten European Directors to Watch every year based on the submissions at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival (a festival that hosts films from all over Europe). In 2013, Uthaug was named number nine on the list, based on his film Escape that he debuted at Karlovy Vary. This place on the list was certainly accurate — Uthaug has come so far in the past five years that his career is nearly unrecognizable.
The Landscape of Norway Affects His Films
According to Uthaug, the culture of Norway places a lot of emphasis on nature. Due to their lack of huge metropolises, and the omnipresence of forests and other untamed areas, films from Norway have a distinct flavor that you cannot achieve in any other locale. The influence of nature stands out — especially when you apply it to a genre that normally doesn’t include too much nature. This is a great way to change things up, and generate fresh filmmaking ideas or new twists on old ones.
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