Welcome to Norway!

Rarely has a comedy been as topical as Rune Denstad Langlo's (Chasing the Wind, GFF 2014) film about Per Primus, a jovial racist who turns the family-owned hotel into accomodation for refugees in order to save it from financial ruin. For Swedes, it's easy to draw parallels to Bert Karlsson, but Anders Baasmo Christiansen's unpleasant hotel owner is nowhere near as skilled an entrepreneur – the hotel is so dilapidated that the authorities don't want to pay him. Things are hardly improved by Abdi, a refugee from Eritrea who really gets on Per's nerves. Eventually, though, they are forced to cooperate. Welcome to Norway! is a warm and moving dramedy about prejudice, friendship and the occasionally absurd existence that refugees may encounter in remote parts of the Nordic countries. (Göteborg Film Festival)