Beta Cinema has come on board as the world sales agent for Norwegian director Hans Petter Moland’s “Growth of the Soil,” which will have its world premiere in the Special Presentation section of Toronto Film Festival.
“Growth of the Soil” is an epic love story set against the breathtaking yet unforgiving landscapes of Norway’s mountains, based on Knut Hamsun’s Nobel Prize-winning novel. The film stars Herbert Nordrum (“The Worst Person in the World”) and Asta Kamma August, who was selected for the 2024 Shooting Stars program at Berlin Film Festival.
The story unfolds in the remote Norwegian wilderness, where Isak seeks a place to settle. High above the tree line, he finds a barren yet promising stretch of land. As the harsh terrain tests his limits, he encounters Inger, a solitary woman marked by resilience and quiet secrecy. Together, they build a life from the ground up — cultivating the land and raising a family as the seasons turn. Yet as years pass and the world closes in, time, hardship and desire reshape them.
Moland’s breakout film “Zero Kelvin” (1995), starring Stellan Skarsgård, won the Jury Prize in San Sebastián, and his collaboration with Skarsgård continued across several films, including “Aberdeen” (2000), “A Somewhat Gentle Man” (2010), “In Order of Disappearance” (2014) and “Out Stealing Horses” (2019). Moland’s films have been nominated for the Golden Bear four times, twice winning awards. Moland also is a three-time Amanda Award recipient, receiving an Amanda Lifetime Achievement Award in 2025.
