Erik Poppe

Born in Norway in 1960, Erik Poppe became a photojournalist soon after graduating high school. He took photos in conflict areas including Rwanda and Afghanistan, working for the Norwegian newspaper Verdens Gang, as well as Reuters. When he returned to Scandinavia, Poppe enrolled in the Dramatiska Institutet in Stockholm where he studied cinematography. Poppe shot a number of commercials and features until 1997, when he began to exclusively focus on directing. Poppe's first three features were referred to as his "Oslo trilogy." "Schpaaa" ("Bunch of Five") (1998), a documentary-like look at a couple of youths in metropolitan Oslo gangs, was the first. In 2002, his series "Brigaden" (NRK, 2002-03) premiered. The show followed the personal and professional lives of firefighters. In 2004 Poppe released the second film in his trilogy. "Hawaii, Oslo" was an omnibus film about disparate people crossing paths on the hottest day of the year. "Troubled Water" ("De usynlige"), a drama about a young man released after serving his time for accidentally killing a young boy, completed the trilogy in 2008. His next film, "A Thousand Times Good Night" ("Tusen Ganger God Natt") was his most personal to date. Based on his own experiences as a photojournalist and the trouble he had finding a way to fulfill both his personal and his professional lives, the most obvious alteration Poppe made to change the gender of the protagonist. In the film, the photojournalist is named Rebecca, and played by Academy Award winner Juliette Binoche. It was released in Norway in 2013.