Mongoland

Arild Østin Ommundsen’s first film, from 2001, takes place in Stavanger. Pia comes home for Christmas after six months in England, looking above all for Kristoffer, the boyfriend who was supposed to travel with her and pulled out at the last minute. Finding him proves harder than she expected, and the search keeps introducing her to people with their own quiet dissatisfactions. It was made on very little money and is credited with turning Norwegian cinema in a new direction, launching what became known as the Stavanger wave; most of its cast went on to well-known careers. It won a technical prize at the Amanda awards and is still shown in Norwegian cinemas every Christmas.