Screening: A devil with harpoon

Welcome to the screening of the documentary «En Djevel Med Harpun», followed by a conversation with filmmaker Mirko Stopar, Sunday, March 23, at 3:00 PM.

This film tells the story of the once legendary whaler Lars Andersen (1891-1967), known as the man who claimed to be responsible for the highest number of personal whaling’s in history (over 7,000).

Nicknamed “Lars the Devil,” he shot whales for money and glory, for Juan Perón and Aristotle Onassis, achieving folk hero status and amassing great wealth through his daring affairs with the harpoon. His outstanding feats as a gunner and expedition manager before World War II remained unparalleled, solidifying his reputation as Norway’s most famous whaler.

However, Andersen’s status suffered a significant blow when he collaborated with German interests during the occupation. Forced into exile, he eventually found refuge in Argentina and was erased from the history books.

Argentinian-Norwegian writer and filmmaker Mirko Stopar (1974) is from Buenos Aires and has lived in Norway since 2001. He has directed several documentaries that have won awards and been shown at cinemas and film festivals around the world.

He delved into Andersen’s life in his non-fiction book «Lars Faen» and explored it further in the documentary «En djevel med harpun». Through the two complementary projects, he presents Andersen’s narrative in the context of the heyday of whaling, drawing parallels to Norway’s oil industry and our own times.

After the screening, we invite you to join a conversation about the film, between Mirko Stopar and mediator, art educator and library student Kama Sofie Slåttøy Jannang from Oslo.

The film is in Norwegian with English subtitles. 78 min (1h. 17 min).

The conversation will be in English.