Congratulations to LFS alumnus Øyvind Asbjørnsen, who produced the film MAGNUS. The documentary, directed by Benjamin Ree, has enjoyed tremendous international success, after having its international premiere in the Spotlight Section at the Tribeca Film Festival.
Variety reported that MAGNUS was acquired for cinema distribution in almost 60 countries, including the UK, Ireland, U.S, France and Germany. LFS alumnus Øyvind Asbjørnsen served as Executive Producer and Cinematographer on the film. The 76-minute documentary has been compiled from more than 500 hours of footage shot over a decade, from when a 13-year-old Carlsen was being bullied by his classmates in Norway for his obsession with chess to becoming world champion and the highest ranked player of all time aged 22. Asbjørnsen says: “I started shooting Magnus when he was 12 and the film "The Prince of Chess" was released in 2005. The last 3, 5 years we have been working on this new film about the World Chess Champion, a true child prodigy.”
MAGNUS Carlsen is heralded as the ‘Mozart of Chess’. At 19, he became the youngest player to be ranked Number One and at 23, he won the World Chess Championship. Unlike many chess grandmasters, he possesses an innate ability and a remarkable memory that he blends with creativity and intuition. But Magnus’ journey eventually proves that there can be other elements of the game, ones that are impossible to measure or calculate. This documentary follows his path from introverted young geek to the confident and victorious man he is today.
MAGNUS has also been screened at Traverse City Film Festival, Filmfest Munich and Moscow International Film Festival.
Next, the film will be screened in the Journey section at the BFI's London Film Festival, on the 10th and 11th of October. You can buy tickets here.
Watch a teaser of the film here.