''Northern Lights'' is a 1978 independent film that dramatizes the founding of the

Nonpartisan League The Nonpartisan League (NPL) was a left-wing political party founded in 1915 in North Dakota by Arthur C. Townley, a former organizer for the Socialist Party of America. On behalf of small farmers and merchants, the Nonpartisan League advocate ...

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the Native Americans in the United States, indigenous Dakota people, Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north a ...

, a populist political movement in the

American Midwest The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of the United States. I ...

in the early 1900s.

Production

The film was produced, directed, written and edited by John Hanson and

Rob Nilsson Rob Nilsson is a filmmaker, poet, and painter, best known for his feature film '' Northern Lights'', co-directed with John Hanson and winner of the Camera d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival (1979). He also is known for directing and playing the l ...

, and starred Joe Spano,

Robert Behling Robert Behling (born 28 March 1991) is a German slalom canoeist who has competed at the international level since 2006. He won four medals at the ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships with two silvers (C2 team: 2009, 2015) and two bronzes (C2: 20 ...

, Susan Lynch and

Michel Wagner Michel may refer to: * Michel (name), a given name or surname of French origin (and list of people with the name) * Míchel (nickname), a nickname (a list of people with the nickname, mainly Spanish footballers) * Míchel (footballer, born 1963), S ...

. It was filmed on location in North Dakota during the fall and winter of 1977, and used many locals as extras. The filmmakers filmed in grainy black-and-white 16mm as a conscious rejection of Hollywood production values, and about a third of the dialogue is in Norwegian. Judy Irola's cinematography has been compared favorably to ''

Days of Heaven ''Days of Heaven'' is a 1978 American romantic period drama film written and directed by Terrence Malick, and starring Richard Gere, Brooke Adams, Sam Shepard and Linda Manz. Set in 1916, it tells the story of Bill and Abby, lovers who travel t ...

''. Due to the extreme cold winter weather, with temperatures reaching as low as –40, many of the outdoor scenes had to be shot in short bursts, as cameras and other equipment only functioned for a short time before freezing up.

Accolades

The film was awarded the Caméra d'Or at the 1979

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...

for best first feature film (defined as "the first feature film for theatrical screening (whatever the format; fiction, documentary or animation) of 60 minutes or more in length, by a director who has not made another film of 60 minutes or more in length and released theatrically."Caméra d'Or Rules & Regulations 2011
.

References

External links

*
Cannes Film Festival at IMDb

''John Hanson: Northern Lights''
posted by Prairie Public on their official YouTube channel {{Authority control 1978 films 1970s English-language films 1978 drama films American black-and-white films Films set in North Dakota Films shot in North Dakota North Dakota culture American drama films Films directed by Rob Nilsson Caméra d'Or winners Nonpartisan League Films set in the 1900s American Playhouse 1970s American films

Production

Accolades

See also

References

External links