Two Norwegian Documentaries Nominated for News & Documentary Emmy

The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, which awards the Emmy prizes, has just announced its nominations for productions that premiered in 2023. Among them are two Norwegian productions.

The Takeover

Anders Hammer's short documentary The Takeover is Emmy-nominated in the category for Outstanding Short Documentary. Hammer, who is the director, cinematographer, editor, and producer of the documentary, made the film for the production house Field of Vision, which distributes it via its website. The Takeover is co-produced with Charlotte Cook.
 
The film explores what happens under the new regime in Afghanistan. What happens to young women and human rights when the Taliban once again rule the country? Anders Hammer, who has spent extended periods in Afghanistan, filmed during the collapse of the US-supported regime and the sudden Taliban takeover.

Filmed for a year in Afghanistan

-I am very pleased that The Takeover has been nominated for an Emmy, says Anders Hammer. I filmed for a year in Afghanistan after the Taliban took power and tried to get as close as possible. I hope the Emmy nomination brings more attention to the critical human rights situation in Afghanistan depicted in our documentary. It has been almost three years since the Taliban took full control of the country, and there is no sign of improvement for Afghan women and others who are not part of the Taliban. The fundamentalist movement does not respect freedom of speech and press freedom and quickly resorts to violence against those who oppose them. Afghan girls are still not allowed to attend school beyond the sixth grade, Hammer says.
 
The short documentary won the jury prize for best short documentary at Sheffield DocFest. The Takeover premiered in Norway at Film from the South in November 2023. The film has received screenplay support from the Norwegian Film Institute, as well as support from Viken Filmsenter, Fritt Ord, and the Fund for Sound and Image.

Hidden Letters

The other Norwegian documentary that may receive an Emmy is Hidden Letters, is produced by Mette Cheng Munthe-Kaas. Hidden Letters is nominated in the category for Best Documentary and is about the secret Chinese written language nushu. This language was developed by and for women, allowing them to express themselves freely and articulate forbidden and taboo thoughts and feelings.
 
The film is directed by Violet Du Feng and Zhao Qing. Du Feng also wrote the screenplay and produced the film together with Mette Cheng Munthe-Kaas.
 
-It is exciting that our film Hidden Letters is nominated for an Emmy in the category for Best Documentary. It is a film about a secret woman's language from a small village in China that can resonate so broadly and is truly exciting. The idea for the film came from conversations between my mother and me here in Norway, and I am grateful that director Violet Du Feng jumped on board. She has done a fantastic job creating a beautiful film that touches so many across cultures and borders. As far as I know, this is one of the first co-productions between Norway, China, and the USA, and it is also special that the film is being distributed in China, something that has been long worked on. For me, as someone who has produced many international films, both thematically and content-wise, I am happy that Hidden Letters joins the long line of recognition for Norwegian documentaries, showing that our stories can reach and engage a global audience, says producer Mette Cheng.
 
The Emmy winners will be announced at Palladium Times Square in New York on September 26. It can also be followed on watch.theemmys.tv.