NRK Visits Trollfilm: A Photo Feature on Making Films About Difficult Topics for Children

DOVRE, December. 2025 – Journalist and photographer Ida Kippersund Bringslid from NRK, Norway's national broadcaster, came to visit our studio here at Trollfilm. The result is a beautiful photo feature that I wanted to share with our international readers—though, as the article is in Norwegian, I thought I'd give you a brief summary of what it's about.

The feature takes you inside our studio on Dovre, following the work we do here: making animated films about difficult topics for children. War. Domestic violence, Co-dependence, Alcoholism, And now, with our upcoming film Blind Octopus—Incest between siblings.

From the article, with headline: 'Making children's films no one else dares to make'. Photo: Ida Kippersund Bringslid

Blind Octopus is a short film based on Blekkspruten, a book by Gro Dahle and illustrated by Svein Nyhus. It tells the story of Golden, a six-year-old girl who experiences abuse from her older brother. It's a story about shame and confusion, but also about finding the courage to speak up and getting the help you need. Working with material like this is demanding—I often consult with child psychologists to find a visual language that reaches children without being too frightening.

Hand-crafted animation takes time. A short film can take years to complete, and a feature film even longer. That's why we always have several projects in different stages of development—alongside Blind Octopus, we're also working on our feature film Christmas Survivors, set right here in the Dovre mountains.

The article also reflects on Angry Man, the film about a boy named Boj living with domestic violence, which received more international awards than any other film in the world in 2010. King Harald of Norway attended the film’s premiere—and was moved to tears. Yet when the film was introduced in Norwegian schools, some parents protested, concerned that the content was too heavy for young children. I still respectfully disagree. Children who experience difficult things need to know they’re not alone—and they need language to describe what they’re going through. That’s the first step toward healing.

This is what drives the work we do at Trollfilm. Not just making films, but making films that can make a difference for someone who needs them.

I'm grateful that NRK chose to tell this story, and proud that they came all the way to Dovre to do it. For those of you who read Norwegian, you'll find the full article linked below. For everyone else—I hope this gives you a small window into what we're working on. Read the full NRK article here (in Norwegian).