Etching
A cinematic epic poem consisting of static pictures and deprived of any commentary, which presents the demolition of four old greenhouses in the famous Botanical Garden of the Natural History Museum in Oslo. In 2014 this experimental garden, the pride of Tøyen, one of the central districts of the capital city, will celebrate its 200th anniversary which brought about the changes in its image. Anja Breien regards the picturesque ruins, which have served as an asylum for plants for many years, as a metaphor of transitoriness. She narrates the story of a world disappearing in the name of progress. She ponders upon whether ‘modernisation’, a key to the 20th century, is currently rather a destructive anachronism in the face of which we are helpless. The greenhouse will be replaced by a modern architectonic construction combining advanced technology with original design.
Anja Breien
Anja Breien was born in Oslo in 1940. After her college exams she travelled to France, where she first studied French and then from 1962 to 64 attended IDHEC, the French film school. She has approached film making from various angles: production manager, continuity, assistant director. Her debut as director was the short film Vokse opp in 1967. Breien's feature film debut was in 1971 with Rape (Voldtekt). Since then she has directed several short and seven feature films, among them Next of Kin (1979) and the two outstanding comedies Wives (1975) and Wives Ten Years After (1985), the latter awarded an Amanda for best film in 1986. She also wrote the script for Second Sight (1994), and her films have represented Norway in numerous international festivals.
Selected filmography
1967 Dorastanie / Vokse opp / Growing Up
1967 Jostedalsrypa (short)
1969 17 maja – film o rytuałach / 17. Mai – En film om ritualer / 17. May – A Film about Rituals (doc., short)
1970 Dni z tysiąca lat / Dager fra 1000 år / Days From A Thousand Years (short)
1971 Gwałt / Voldtekt / Rape
1971 Twarze / Ansikter / Faces (short)
1972 Więzienne mury / Murer rundt fengslet / Walls round the Prison (doc., short)
1973 Bezdomni / Herbergistene / Homeless (doc., short)
1974 Witaj, mój bracie! / Mine søsken, goddag / Hello, My Sibling
1975 Starsi / Gamle / Old (doc., short)
1975 Żony / Hustruer / Wives
1977 Godziny miłości / Den allvarsamma leken / Games of Love and Loneliness
1979 Spadek / Arven / Heritage
1981 Polowanie na czarownice / Forfølgelsen / The Witch Hunt
1984 Papierowy ptak / Papirfuglen / Paper Bird
1985 Żony dziesięć lat później / Hustruer – ti år etter / Wives – Ten Years Later
1989 Góra / Fjellet / Mountain (doc., short)
1990 Złodziej klejnotów / Smykketyven / Twice Upon a Time
1996 Żony III / Hustruer III / Wives III
1997 Solvorn (doc., short)
2001 Zobaczyć łódź kołyszącą się na falach / Å se en båt med seil / To See a Boat in Sail (doc., short)
2005 Bez tytułu / Uten tittel / Untitled (short)
2009 Kontur / Riss / Etching (doc., short)
2009 Jazydzi / Jezidi / Yezidi (doc., short)