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When Heroes Lie – Norwegian television premiere

Press release 14.11.2012

The Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK) will present the documentary feature film When Heroes Lie on Saturday, 24 November 2012. The film's international premiere will be on Sunday, 18 November 2012, at the International Documentary Film Festival of Amsterdam (IDFA).

When Heroes Lie, the latest documentary feature by filmmaker Arto Halonen, has already garnered large-scale media attention and will show on NRK's channel 2 on Saturday the 24th of November in the primetime slot at 21.10. This television premiere is scheduled for the same weekend as the launch of the cross-country skiing World Cup. NRK is also one of the co-producers of the film.

When Heroes Lie uses the doping scandal at the Lahti 2001 World Ski Championships to examine the sport-doping culture both in Finland and abroad. The story progresses from Finland to Italy, Norway and Sweden, and draws a picture of the doping-corrosion in elite-sport, where a corrupt system forces individual athletes and coaches to serve as scapegoats if they are caught doping.

Based on confidential information and other sources, When Heroes Lie asserts that the history of Norwegian cross-country skiing is as doping-corroded as it is in Finland and Sweden. The film already gained a great deal of media attention in Norway after the Finnish premiere on November 5th. Norway's doping conversation has heated up even more since the recent revelations about the Lance Armstrong doping case and its connections to Norway's professional cyclists. Consequently, When Heroes Lie's television premiere comes in the middle of Norway's new attention to doping as a hot topic.

Before the Norwegian television premiere, When Heroes Lie will have its international premiere on Sunday the 18th of November in Amsterdam. The film will be screened at the world's largest and arguably most important documentary film festival, IDFA, in the ”Reflecting Images: Masters” series. The Masters series presents the latest and most prominent works of internationally respected directors. In addition, the festival has invited Halonen to serve as a jury member for IDFA's student competition. This 25th IDFA will take place in Amsterdam from November 14 to 25. Last year the festival film screenings attracted over 200 000 spectators.

When Heroes Lie is Arto Halonen's fifth documentary film to be selected for IDFA's main series. Other Halonen films to have appeared in IDFA are: Karmapa - Two Ways of Divinity (1998, Reflecting: Images), The Stars' Caravan (2000, Joris Ivens competition), Pavlov's Dogs (2005, Joris Ivens competition) and Shadow of the Holy Book (2007, Joris Ivens competition).

The film is written by Halonen, along with Jouni K. Kemppainen and Kevin Frazier, with cinematography by Hannu-Pekka Vitikainen and Arto Halonen, editing by Antti Tuomikoski and Sanna Liinamaa, sound design by Martti Turunen, and music by Tapani Rinne.

The film started its theatrical run in Finland on 5 October 2012.

 

NRK TV Schedule for 24 November 2012: http://tv.nrk.no/guide/24-11-2012?side=1

IDFA's Official Website: www.idfa.nl

Press photos: www.filmikamari.fi/pressit
(Username: press Password: noutaja)

Further information:

Art Films production AFP Oy
Merimiehenkatu 10
00150 Helsinki, Finland
+358 9 4159 3640
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When heroes lie movie poster

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