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.

DuEls Trailer

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

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