See the Nordic & Baltic Oscar Contenders this fall at Scandinavia House! On November 11, we’ll be screening The Remarkable Life of Ibelin (dir. Benjamin Ree, Norway, 2024), a contender for Best Feature Documentary at the 97th Academy Awards, following a screening of the short film Makayla’s Voice. *Director Benjamin Ree will be present for a film talk and Q&A following the screening.*

When Norwegian gamer Mats Steen died at age 25, his parents mourned what they thought was an isolated life. It was only once they had access to his blog that they discovered the deep friendships he created virtually before passing away from a degenerative muscular disease. Unbeknownst to them, Mats had in fact been long leading a vibrant digital life that had left a profound impact on a community of fellow gamers.

The Remarkable Life of Ibelin takes us on a journey through the breadth of Mats Steen’s adventurous online life, introducing us to Ibelin, his charismatic World of Warcraft persona. Through reconstructed animated moments from Mats’ gameplay, narrated entries from his blog and interviews with people who knew him as Ibelin, a picture of a remarkable young man emerges, one that underscores how community and soulful relationships can transcend the boundaries of the physical world. A winner of awards including World Cinema – Audience Award & Best Director at Sundance and Best Film at Tromsø International, the film has been acclaimed as “a heartfelt digital eulogy” (Empire Magazine) and “a rare and beautiful thing: a moving documentary that excavates the question of the ‘real’ in a profoundly humanistic and unconventional way” (NYTimes).

Preceding the feature film, Maykayla’s Voice: A Letter to the World (dir. Julio Palacio, 2024, U.S.) introduces us to a remarkable teenage girl whose spirit and determination defy expectations. Makayla has spent her life grappling with a rare form of autism that has rendered her essentially nonverbal, until her parents — filled with unwavering belief in their daughter’s potential —  embark on a transformative journey to discover the true depth of Makayla’s inner world. (Directed by Julio Palacio, produced by Sasha Levinson and executive produced by Roger Ross Williams; 23 min. In English with English subtitles.)

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