Norway 2021, 57 min, HDA Motlys Production
by Ane Helga Lykka
The Elk Forest
Intimate and warm, THE ELK FOREST explores the need to feel a sense of belonging in a fragile, shrinking community. The elk hunt has always had a sacred aura to the people living in Engerdal, a small village in Norway. The hunt for the biggest animal in the forest brings the hunters closer to each other, and creates the yearly main event in the village.Sigrid has hunted elk for years, but is still not sure if she actually wants to shoot the beautiful animal. She’s hunting with her father, Geir, who is faithfully doing everything he can to facilitate for his daughter’s first kill. Sigrid is moving home after studies in Oslo, hoping to be able to combine life as a professional folk-musician with the life close to nature in her home village.
Halvard has hunted for a lifetime. He is starting to feel his body ageing, but it will take a lot of him to put his rifle away for good. Giving up the hunt is a bit like letting go of a part of yourself.
Nelly was one of the first female hunters in the village. Now she has prosthesis in both of her knees, and can barely walk, but declares that “as long as the will to hunt is greater than my wits, I will continue to hunt”.