Explores family, gender identity, culture, and belonging in unique, highly entertaining film

Starring BAFTA-nominated comedian Asim Chaudhry

(BBC’s People Just Do Nothing, Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, viral British Airways commercials);

Based on a bestselling young adult novel

Winner, Audience Award (Norwegian Film Festival)

Winner, Best Youth Film (Nordic Film Days)

In Competition at Palm Springs Film Festival

Official Selection: OUTShine Film Festival, Pink Apple, and ImageOut Film Festival

 Trailer

Press Kit includes interview with director

Screener access: Please login or register as PRESS (Casting to TV Option)

Images: https://press.viaplaygroup.com/

INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITY: Asim Chaudhry (BBC’s People Just Do Nothing, Emmy®-winning Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, Industry, viral British Airways commercials)

A festival favorite with wins for “Audience Award” and “Best Youth Film,” the coming-of-age comedy drama Listen Up! (Hør her'a!) makes its exclusive debut in the US on Thursday, December 12 on the Viaplay US streaming service. With humor and colorful characters, Listen Up! tackles important themes, including family, culture, gender identity and belonging, in a unique, affecting and hugely entertaining way. Starring two-time BAFTA nominated comedian Asim Chaudhry (BBC’s People Just Do Nothing, Emmy®-winning Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, Industry, viral British Airways commercials), the feature film follows the life and challenges of Mahmoud and his sibling as they grow up in an immigrant community just outside Oslo, and is based on a bestselling young adult novel by Gulraiz Sharif.

We join 15-year-old Mahmoud, played in a stellar performance by newcomer Mohammed Ahmed, at the start of the summer holidays as he deals with family challenges, finding love and his never-a-dull-moment neighborhood. When his Uncle Ji (Asim Chaudhry) visits for the first time from Pakistan, not only does Mahmoud have to guide his uncle around the city, but he must also teach him about a life he doesn’t understand.

Then, in the middle of it all, Mahmoud discovers that his little brother Ali (Liza Haider) has a secret about their preferred gender and name of Alia, and this sets in motion a harrowing, but ultimately redemptive process within the family.

Listen Up! is directed by Norwegian-Iranian filmmaker Kaveh Tehrani and written by Erlend Loe (Quick, Nord) and Nora Landsrød (The Architect).

Cinekid Festival Jury: "The jury salutes this intelligent satire on class and gender that tells a universal story on the complexity of living in a modern family and the refreshing take on family love and unity. We will never forget the timing, the humour and the heart of the young Mahmoud coming of age in support of Alia."

Festival Recognition

Winner, Audience Award (Norwegian Film Festival)

Winner, Best Youth Film (Nordic Film Days)

Best Children’s Film and Youth Jury Award (Cinekid Festival)

Best Children's Movie - Kaveh Therani, Best Newcomer - Kriti Surjan Thepade (Amandaprisen 2024)

In Competition at Palm Springs Film Festival

Official Selection: Pink Apple, Switzerland 2024, OUTShine Film Festival, USA 2024, Minneapolis St. Paul IFF, USA 2024, Conquest, USA 2024, BUFF, Sweden 2024, Cinekids, Netherlands 2024, ImageOut Film Festival, Rochester NY 2024, and Junges Filmfestival, Germany 2024

Norwegian and Urdu with English subtitles.

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COMING UP ON VIAPLAY US: 

·         Thurs., Nov. 21: RONJA, the Robber’s Daughter, Season 1 - One of the most ambitious Nordic series ever, this fantasy adventure series aired outside the US on Netflix and was a Top 10 series in 15 countries and was adapted by the creator of the iconic Nordic series The Bridge (Trailer)

·         Thurs., Nov. 28: Max Verstappen – Anatomy of a Champion – With unprecedented access, this behind-the-scenes portrait examines the relationships that shaped Max into the driver he is today. (Trailer) Also added: Max Verstappen Picture Perfect and Verstappen Near Perfect

·         Sun., Dec. 1: This Is Not A Christmas Movie – This award-winning black comedy follows a family's efforts to be virtuous, culminating in a Christmas dinner rife with miscommunications, romantic misadventures, and a potential hostage crisis. (Feature Film). Other holiday movie additions include: The Christmas Party and A Holy Mess.

·         Thurs., Dec. 5:  Ace of Base: All That She Wants – International top-selling pop band Ace of Base share full story of phenomenal career in three-part documentary series featuring intimate, never-before-seen footage. Interview Opportunities: band members Ulf Ekberg, Jenny Berggren (Trailer)

About Viaplay:

The Viaplay add-on streaming service features thousands of hours of premium Nordic and European series and films. Viaplay’s US content offering focuses on the Nordic region’s high-quality and psychologically penetrating titles: from atmospheric and suspenseful crime dramas and provocative and stylish young adult series to award-winning dramas and riveting documentaries.

Now available:

·         Nordic Noir/Crime Dramas: Sir Ian Rankin’s iconic detective reimagined in the BBC hit series Rebus starring Richard Rankin; BBC Nordic Noir End of Summer; Lars Mikkelsen in Face to Face, an intense interrogation drama; Murderesses, a gripping Polish crime thriller; Furia S1&2, a hit political thriller; Veronika, a psychological thriller with a supernatural twist; Trom, a mystery set in the picturesque Faroe Islands; Detective Maria Kallo S1&2, based on the bestselling book series; Darkness: Those Who Kill S1-3, a hugely popular Nordic Noir series; and Black Sands, a dark, popular Icelandic mystery; as well as all three films from the renowned Millennium/The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy

·         Dramas: Classic fantasy adventure series and Netflix Europe hit Ronja, the Robber’s Daughter; timely, isolationist drama The Fortress, starring Russell Tovey; charming, award-winning comedy drama All and Eva; contemporary family drama series Secrets starring Pilou Asbæk; The Architect, the award-winning dystopian dramedy starring Eili Harboe (Succession); International Emmy-nominated The Dreamer – Becoming Karen Blixen starring Connie Nielsen (Gladiator); and Swedish ‘TV Drama of the Year’ nominee Limbo

·         Young Adult Series: Provocative dramas Threesome, S1-2 and Delete Me, S1-2 and International Emmy®-nominated, coming of age LGBTQ+ series One of the Boys  

·         Documentaries: Revealing music docuseries Ace of Base: All That She Wants; haunting true crime docuseries Under the Radar – Secrets of a Swedish Serial Killer; sports docs on racing legend Max Verstappen and footballers Bendtner, Cody Gakpo, and Haaland; and celebrity profile Liv Ullmann: A Road Less Travelled.