Filmmaker Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel is fulfilling his destiny

Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel widens his eyes and runs his hand through his hair: he remembers when he won the Caméra d’Or – the award for best debut feature film – at Cannes last May, for his film Armand. The director had flown home to Oslo a few days earlier than planned.

“I woke up on Saturday morning to the message that I’d won the award,” recalls the 34-year-old in his Oslo flat. “I sprinted back to the airport, flew to Zurich where I changed into my tuxedo in the airport…