Having the time of your life? Well, not quite yet in Mina’s case: a nerdy teenager at the start of a new school year, Mina is keen to fit in, and even keener to impress E.D. Win, a young hip-hop dancer whose number of Instagram followers far exceeds his ability to empathise. Full of self-doubt, Mina nonetheless challenges herself to take part in a dance competition, a journey she starts with the support of her spirited grandmother, a fountain of no-nonsense wisdom whose candid advice is always an invitation to laugh. Progressing from a awkward initial audition to a final show-stopping number, Mina learns how to fight off the demon of self-doubt and overcome harmful body-image issues. Ooh see that girl, watch that scene, digging the dancing queen!
(Berlinale)
Aurora Gossé, born in 1987 is educated as director at The Norwegian Film School. Her graduation film We who see in the dark won the Critics Award at The Short Film Festival in Grimstad in 2015 and was nomina-ted for the Students Academy Awards the same year. With the music video Echo she won This Years Talent at Vid Awards in 2016 and got an honorable mention at The Short Film Festival in Grimstad. It was also shortlisted for the Nordic Music Video Awards. She has directed two family films and a tv-series of the popular Casper & Emma franchise. She has also directed the series Tainted, Countrymen and Super Hero Academy for NRK and TV2.
director's statement
»Mina knows what she wants and fights to achieve her dream, no matter how much opposition she faces. She is an energetic and brave 12-year-old at the turning point between children and young people, in the middle of a time where emotions are extra strong and a lot is at stake. /.../ A smart strong-willed girl with a rich imagination and emotional life. This is a story that depicts the transition from child to youth. The naive versus the selfaware.Originality against the perfect. The playful, spontaneous versus the serious and dutiful. The vulnerable versus the confident. About doing what others expect of you versus following your own dreams. About having faith in yourself versus changing to be accepted. A story filled with contrasts, as life is. Dancing Queen takes children and young people seriously.«
- Aurora Gossé