Dancing Queen
When shy, awkward seventh grader Mina joins a hip-hop dance crew, she must decide who she is and what matters most in this bright, joyous feel-good movie of the year.
Bright, plucky, and still swaddled in a layer of baby fat, 12-year-old Mina (newcomer Liv Elvira Kippersund Larsson in an astonishing debut) is at that tender age where childhood games with best friend Markus are still an everyday thing, yet boys are beginning to pique her interest. Starting 7th grade in the small Norwegian village of Hamar and supported by a loving, tight-knit family, including her free-spirited grandmother (Anne Marit Jacobsen) once known as the Funky Juicy Mama, Mina's world is rocked at the arrival of handsome new student Edwin (Viljar Knutsen Bjaadal), aka E.D. Win, famed hip-hop dancer. When Edwin announces that he's starting a dance crew at school with the goal of winning The Mjøsa Challenge, the shy middle-schooler won't let a little thing like not being able to dance get in her way. But as Mina rehearses new moves under grandma's guidance, the pressure of fitting in with her hip new "friends" takes its toll as her grades suffer and tensions at home reach a breaking point. With the competition fast approaching, Mina comes to realize she must decide what matters most in this bright, joyous, and loving look at that tender age where identity is formed and being yourself is the best move of all.
- Director: Aurora Gossé
- Principal Cast: Liv Elvira Kippersund Larsson, Cengiz Al, Viljar Knutsen Bjaadal, Anne Marit Jacobsen, Anders Baasmo
- Country: Norway
- Year: 2023
- Running Time: 92 min.
- Producer: Thomas Robsham
- Screenplay: Silje Holtet
- Cinematographers: Åsmund Hasli
- Editors: Helge Billing
- Music: Mimmi Tamba
- Website: Official Film Website
- Filmography: Casper and Emma Go Treasure Hunting (2018), Karsten og Petra lager teater (2017)
- Language: Norwegian
- Has Subtitles: Yes
- International Sales: LevelK