DuEls
- Knowbox dance
- 7 days ago
- 5 min read
kNOwBOX dance Film Festival 2025
Official Selection Film Spotlight
DuEls (2024)
Directed by Jonas Åkerlund
📍 USA & Sweden ⏱ 60 minutes
DuEls is a visceral dance film by Jonas Åkerlund, transforming a 2020 museum performance into a cinematic journey that channels the raw energy of Vigeland’s iconic sculptures.
Film Description
DuEls is a dance film by the renowned Swedish director Jonas Åkerlund. It is based on Nagelhus Schia Productions’ successful dance performance choreographed by Damien Jalet and Erna Omarsdottir first presented at the Vigeland museum in Oslo in 2020. Through a series of short and visceral pieces performed in the form of a tour performance through the museum, the dance contributes to release the concentrated energy in Vigeland's iconic sculptures.
Meet The Makers
What do you hope to communicate with our audience through your work?
Through our work, we hope to communicate the transformative power of dance by showcasing its ability to continually evolve through dialogue with other art forms—offering audiences groundbreaking, hybrid expressions that expand the boundaries of what dance can be.
Our theme this year is "Bodies in Motion: A Dance Film Celebration" to move beyond borders and dance through time. Telling stories only the body can speak. How do you think your film relates to this theme?
"DuEls" embodies the theme by using dance to physically interpret and animate the emotional and mythological depth of Vigeland’s sculptures—transforming silent, eternal forms into expressive, living narratives through the dancers' bodies. The film captures the unspoken struggles, dualities, and energies that only embodied movement can fully convey.
Biography

Jonas Åkerlund is an internationally awarded director of feature films, documentaries,
music videos, commercials, and stage shows. He is known for his distinctive storytelling
and visually driven signature style that often pushes the boundaries of the status quo.
Åkerlund has directed music videos for the likes of Madonna, Lady Gaga, U2, The Rolling
Stones, Beyoncé, Pink, Jennifer Lopez, Metallica, Paul McCartney, Ozzy Osbourne, Duran
Duran, Robbie Williams, Christina Aguilera, Smashing Pumpkins, Lenny Kravitz and
Maroon 5 to name a few. For this he has earned several Grammy Awards, an Icon Award,
MTV Video Music Awards, the prestigious MVPA Hall of Fame Award including an
MVPA win for the music video for Lady Gaga’s Paparazzi, and most recently a UK music
Video Award for best concert film (Rammstein:Paris).
Åkerlund’s latest feature film Polar (2019) starring Mads Mikkelsen, Vanessa Hudgens,
Katheryn Winnick, Matt Lucas and Richard Dreyfuss has aired to over 130 million
subscribers and landed the #1 spot on iMDb MovieMeter for two consecutive weeks. He is
also known for the films Lords of Chaos, Small Apartments, Spun and Horsemen.
With a love of the arts, Jonas endeavors to explore all facets and mediums in the art world.
His art projects have been exhibited in Frankfurt, Seoul and Stockholm. He also directed
the TV-film Place (2009), featuring Mikhail Baryshnikov and Ana Laguna.

Film Credits
Nagelhus Schia Productions
Presents
A
4 ½ production
Co-produced by
M12 Edisen Iceland Dance Company The Vigeland Museum
DuEls
A film by Jonas Åkerlund
Based on the dance creation DuEls by Damien Jalet and Erna Omarsdottir
End credits
1. Directed by Jonas Åkerlund
2. Choreography and concept by Damien Jalet and Erna Omarsdottir
3. Director of Photography Eric Broms
4. Producer Håkon Øverås
5. Editor Marcus Eriksson
6. Executive Producers Guro Nagelhus Schia and Vebjørn Sundby
7. Co-producer Birna Paulina Einarsdottir
8. Line producer Vigdis Roset
Technical Producer Sigve Sælensminde
Post Producer Henric Larsson
9. Make-up Cecilie Greve and Linda Røhmen
Hair Irina Jensen
10. Performance produced by Nagelhus Schia Productions
Co-produced by Iceland Dance Company
11. Produced by Nagelhus Schia Productions and 4 ½ Fiction
Co-producers Edisen, M12 Studios, Iceland Dance Company and The Vigeland Museum
12. Nagelhus Schia Productions
Artistic Director Guro Nagelhus Schia
Assistant Artistic Director Vebjørn Sundby
Rehearsal Director Kristin Hjort Inao
Producer Tara Ishizuka Hassel
13. Nagelhus Schia Productions dancers:
Judith Arupa, Iannes Bruylant, Jon Filip Fahlstrøm, Anna Einemo Frøysland, Damien Fournier, Catharina Vehre Gresslien, Christina Guieb, Vilja Kwasny, Matthea Lara Pedersen, Victor A. O. Pedersen, Guro Nagelhus Schia, Vebjørn Sundby, Hanne Elisabeth Svenning
14. Iceland Dance Company dancers:
Thyri Huld Arnadottir, Erna Omarsdottir, Elin Signy Ragnarsdottir, Halla Thordardottir
15. Iceland Dance Company
Artistic Director Erna Omarsdottir
Producer Hlynur Pálsson
Rehearsal Director Kata Ingva
16. Production Manager Elisabeth Nøstvik
Assistant Director Tom Jørgensen
Make-up assistant Sondre Håland
Costume Assistant Elise Nohr Nystad
Sound Technicians Terje Wessel Øverland and Svein Sandvold
17. Focus Puller: Jonas Skulstad Murstam
Assistant Camera Olafur Jonsson, Marius Søreide and Laila Kelloniemi
DIT Kevin Smilden and Eirik Svensen
Grip Bjørn Berger
Gaffer Thor Erik Løkken
Electrician Håvard Holtop
Lighting Asssistants Vidar Glesnes, Karl André Bru, Jørgen Werner, Jørn Bruvang og Eirik Bruvang
18. Assistant to Jonas Åkerlund Ida Nordfeldt and Jack Dentinger
Covid assistant Tom Nygaard
2nd AD: Storm Hummelvoll Andersen
Production Assistants Jonathan Eide, Morten Skaug, Oscar Chandler and Hannah Haslie
19. Director Vigeland Museum: Jarle Strømodden
Head of Operations and Security Vigeland Museum: Jon TT Brandsnes
20. Post Production
Color Björn Frithiof
Conform Adrian Ledel
VFX Peter Törnestam
Titles Robin Olofsson
Sound Rune Klausen
Post producer Joakim Dahl
Post Supervisor Henric Larsson
21. Suppliers
Light equipment Dagslys
Camera M12 & KRYPTON
Catering Modern Catering and Lille Persille
Assistance Filmassistentene
Post Production image Edisen
Post Production sound Supersonic.DK
22. Additional Music by: Stephen Arndt
1. Room II-XII: Talking Tree
Concept, choreography, text: Erna Omarsdottir
Performer: Erna Omarsdottir
Original music by Lieven Dousselare, adapted and developed by Valdimar Johannssson
Costume: Erna Omarsdottir
2. Room III: Sin
Choreography: Damien Jalet and Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui
Dancers: Thyri Huld Arnadottir, Damien Fournier
Music: Valdimar Johannsson
Costumes: Alexandra Gilbert, Line Maher
Originally created as part of “Babel (words)”, Brussels, 2010
3. Room V: Trio
Choreography: Damien Jalet
Dancers: Jon Filip Fahlstrøm, Damien Fournier, Vebjørn Sundby
Costumes: Line Maher
4. Room VII: Les Médusées
Choreography: Damien Jalet
Dancers: Christina Guieb, Guro Nagelhus Schia, Halla Thordardottir
Music: Winter Family
Rhythmic composition: Gabriele Miracle
Costumes: Line Maher, inspired by an original design by Bernhard Willhelm
Originally created as part of “Les Médusées”, Louvre Museum, Paris, 2013
5. Room VIII: The Dark Fountain
Choreography: Erna Omarsdottir and Damien Jalet
Dancers: Thyri Huld Arnadottir, Judith Arupa, Iannes Bruylant, Jon Filip Fahlstrøm, Anna Einemo Frøysland, Damien Fournier, Catharina Vehre Gresslien, Christina Guieb, Vilja Kwasny, Erna Omarsdottir, Elin Signy Ragnarsdottir, Matthea Lara Pedersen, Victor A. O. Pedersen, Guro Nagelhus Schia, Vebjørn Sundby, Hanne Elisabeth Svenning, Halla Thordardottir
Original music: Ben Frost
Costumes: Line Maher
Originally created as part of “Black Marrow”, Melbourne, 2009
6. Room IX: Venus in Furs
Choreography: Damien Jalet
Dancer: Christina Guieb
Original music: Christian Fennesz
Costumes: Undercover/Jun Takahashi
Originally created as part of “Dysfashional”, Luxembourg, 2007
7. Room XI: Aleko
Choreography: Damien Jalet and Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui
Dancers: Guro Nagelhus Schia and Vebjørn Sundby
Music: Tsintskaro (traditional Georgian song), sung by Hamlet Gonashvili
Costumes: Alexandra Gilbert
Originally created for The Aomori Museum of Art, Japan, 2006
Special thanks to Randi Nagelhus
Nagelhus Schia Productions is funded by Viken fylkeskommune, Talent Norge, Sparebankstiftelsen DNB and Bærum kommune
Festival Screenings/Awards
Monthly winner in the category Best Dance Film, Best Choreograhy and Best Set Design at the World Film Festival in Cannes in December 2024
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