Vibeke Løkkeberg’s doc The Long Road to the Director’s Chair, about the inaugural International Women’s Film Seminar in Berlin (1973) is set to become a multi-part TV series, announced Norwegian producer Anders Tangen of Viafilm February 14. The film opens this year’s Berlinale Forum (also Feb 14) where it is presented as a world premiere.
The Long Road to the Director’s Chair takes us back to Berlin, November 1973, drawing on compelling material shot by Vibeke Løkkeberg during the inaugural International Women’s Film Seminar at the Arsenal Cinema. Via interviews with female filmmakers from around the globe, the film takes us “on an inspiring journey of ambition, courage and the relentless pursuit of equality. It confronts us with past battles – battles that remain largely unresolved to this day.”
The footage remained untouched for nearly 50 years as the predominantly male management of state-owned broadcaster NRK declined to air the material. In 2019, the film reels were rediscovered in the archives of the National Library of Norway. This unexpected find “reignited Løkkeberg’s artistic vision, proving that the raw material was more than a collection of interviews: it was a treasure trove of authentic stories, forming the foundation for a powerful narrative film about women’s rights, equality and creativity.”
Anders Tangen, one of Scandinavia’s most prolific producers, known for series such as Lillyhammer and Norsemen, reveals that there is close to 3.5 hours of archival footage, of which only 70 minutes were used for the film. “A film’s format imposes certain laws with regards to dramatic structure,” he notes. “It means we still sit on a gold mine of material that we can use for a multi-part series of 30-minute episodes with different accents, allowing us to dig deeper and shine light on other topics.”
Tangen brings a camera crew to the Berlinale to shoot new material to support the historic footage, such as interviews with some of the women Løkkeberg originally encountered; to reflect on the past 50 years and to discover what their views are on contemporary events. Interviewees who are expected to attend the premiere screening include German filmmakers Helke Sander and Claudia von Alemann, who were the driving forces behind the 1973 seminar; Women Make Movies co-founder and US filmmaker Ariel Maria Dougherty; plus German producer Christiane Schäfer.
The crew will also follow the 80-year-old Løkkeberg when she participates in a FERA-organised conference held at the Nordic Embassy entitled ‘The 26% ceiling for female filmmakers in Europe’, and during the Q&A following the world premiere screening.
The Long Road to the Director’s Chair returns to the Arsenal Cinema for its February 14 world-premiere. A second screening is booked for February 15 at Kino Betonhalle at Silent Green.
