We had the opportunity to have a little conversation with Carl Georg Rødsten, in our Talent Spotlight series. He is a director with an exciting background in psychology, and an eagerness to experiment within the genres of surrealism and the psychological thriller. His curiosity about human nature and the human condition makes him a voice to follow in the years to come.

Who are you, and what do you do?

Who am I? Who are we? Why are we? I guess this is what I do. I'm a Norwegian-Burmese writer/director with a background in psychology. I've been working in the industry since completing my MA at the London Film School in 2013, a school deeply rooted in the British kitchen-sink drama tradition. Personally, however, I have developed a passion for experimenting with visual language, often within the realms of surrealism and the psychological thriller. This is perhaps due to my mixed background, which has led to my obsession with psychology and the absurdity of the human condition.

What is the latest project you worked on that you are proud of?

Recently I have completed two very different projects. One was an experiment with a one-take, three-minute drama about distance, helplessness, and the final goodbye, where I comment on the Western empathy gap by juxtaposing the Gaza crimes with the terror attack in Norway back in 2011.

The other is a heightened-reality satire about lunch and hierarchy in an office canteen. Here I play with commercial language and send the whole thing off with a musical number.

I'm proud of both, even though they are tonally quite at odds. But both explore what it is to be human and the absurdity of our existence, in different contexts and styles.

What is the most important thing you focus on as a director?

As a director, I'm very fascinated by human nature and the human condition. I explore how the individual meets society and how society meets the individual. Expectations, conflicts, cultures, and their absurdities.

Who in the nordics should get the spotlight next, and why?

Mari Ørstavik! A very exciting filmmaker and actress who has worked on the television series VGS and several great music videos, and is primed to make some amazing shorts in the future.

CONTACT:

Website: kakofoni

Instagram: @carlgeorgr