When I first saw the archive material , I felt a connection to my mother that I hadn’t before. Growing up, filmmaking felt like a battleground, her work competed for attention, making it hard to fully understand what she was doing. But seeing the footage from her younger years made me look at her differently, It’s very pure in its form, and so are the women in their transparency.
I had assumed men and women had equal opportunities in film because my parents worked as a team. But when I entered adult life, I realized that wasn’t the case. It was a wake-up call, and I am still puzzled by it. Women have to prove so much more in everything, from mothering to working, facing a bar set impossibly high, both by others and by ourselves. Somehow, we are never enough and always risk criticism.
We often believe past generations have paved the way, but gender equality is still an ongoing struggle, especially where power, money, and creative language exist. Too often, women are expected to adapt to a male perspective instead of telling and living stories in their own voices. True progress isn’t about making everything the same; it’s about valuing differences and supporting them. Women’s narratives don’t need to mirror men’s to be compelling. Their strength lies in their own perspectives, experiences, and the depth they bring to storytelling.
Stories help us understand the human condition, and we cannot afford to sideline half of them, we have to recognize their full value, not as an alternative or a side comment, but as an essential part of the narrative landscape.✨✨
Bertine Zetlitz is one of the few people who knows me from the early stages of my life, someone who truly knows my family and connects me back to memories I can re-remember or revisit. Despite spending most of our adult lives on different continents, me in the US and her in Norway, we share a history that ties us together. Talking to Bertine feels like seeing everything come full circle: reflecting on who we used to be, who we still are, and who we’re becoming.
This conversation is about revisiting those foundations that shaped where we are today, but it’s also about the freedom that lies in commitment. Using that as a framework, we’ll explore recurring and new themes in our lives, both professionally and personally. While our paths have been very different, there are certain foundational values we both hold and continue to build on.
Together, we’ll discuss Bertine’s longstanding music career, mutual childhood memories, and the lessons we’ve learned along the way. We’ll explore themes like motivation, self-preservation, discipline, ambition, and the freedom commitment brings through life’s ebbs and flows.
Looking into how true freedom sometimes dosen’t come from keeping endless options open, but committing to something you love. Commitment that rather than limiting us, provides the structure and direction to help us grow into who we’re meant to be and how our experiences, ambitions, and choices have shaped the lives we lead today.
I’m excited to dive into Bertine’s new music, which reflects the complexities of human interactions and relationships, and to hear how it contrasts with her earlier work in preparation for our upcoming conversation this spring. #closeupseries ##BertineZetlitz
Black has depth.. you can go into it.. And you start seeing what you're afraid of. You start seeing what you love, and it becomes like a dream.
RIP the great David Lynch
This is impossible to grasp. I have no words. Twenty years of my life tied to this city. My friends who lost their homes. Our communities wiped out. The places we love, the places that shaped our daily lives. The landscape that will never be the same. My kids’ lives, their communities- gone. It’s incomprehensible.
The numbness, the shock, the anxiety. It’s all too much. But also endless gratitude for the firefighters, so much love for everyone here, and all the memories we’ve shared over the years.
Our hearts are beyond broken. Sending love everywhere. ❤️💔
A pose for the New Year. I am deeply grateful for all the old and new collaborations and newfound friendships over the last year, and for the loyalty and continued support, both professionally and personally, from many people I have deep admiration for—people who inspire me to explore and merge the new with the old, to keep being curious, and to look through new doors regardless of challenges or obstacles. Past, present, and future merging. I’m excited to see 2025 unfold and for every new chapter that awaits. ✨✨✨🌎
Amid the magical and seductive world of Leonard Cohen, the incredibly talented and brilliant @tisifi and I had our first free-flowing CloseUp conversation at @theconduitoslo . It became a vibrant canvas for exploring themes of love, inspiration, and artistic identity, as we reimagined the concept of the muse from a woman’s perspective, transforming it into a path toward agency and self-definition.
Thea shared her journey of preparing to portray Marianne, her experiences filming in Hydra, and her thoughtful reflections on navigating the world as a young actress today. ❤️
The very endearing and very talented @tisifi will join me in conversation this Friday, in my first round of Close up @theconduitoslo . Against the evocative backdrop of Cohen’s music and creative world, this discussion will explore love, inspiration, artistic identity and the muse as both a timeless and reimagined concept, a personal reflection on the evolving narrative of women in storytelling, Thea’s experiences as a young actress today and her preparation for the role as Marianne Ihlen in the acclaimed series “ So Long Marianne”
To align the concept of a muse with the experiences, needs, and ambitions of a grown woman, it’s essential to recognize her as an active participant in the creative dialogue. This involves acknowledging her own artistic talents, perspectives, and contributions. By doing so, the muse is not just a passive source of inspiration but a collaborator whose influence is intertwined with her own creative identity. This perspective honors the full scope of a woman’s experiences, needs, and ambitions, recognizing her as an integral part of the creative process.✨
DM for info about the conversation
Scene from : So long Marianne
Redpoint Productions
NRK
Director : Øystein Karlsen
Producer: Ingeborg Klyve
DOP: Ronald Plante
Editor: Simen Malmø
Rediscovering the Muse Through a Woman’s Eyes
In this edition of CloseUp, I’m delighted to be in Oslo to moderate my first conversation in the collaborative series, featuring the brilliant and talented @tisifi . We will dive into the concept of the muse from a woman’s perspective, reimagining it as a journey of self-agency and discovery.
We’ll be discussing her preparation to embody Marianne, her experiences filming on Hydra, and her reflections on being a young actress today. This conversation will be a personal reflection on art, identity, and the evolving narrative of women in storytelling, all with the poetic legacy of Leonard Cohen serving as our backdrop. ✨
CloseUp at The Conduit is co-created, curated, and moderated by @bengesland and @tonjekstory , who bring extensive expertise in event curation, moderating, writing, and talent management, in collaboration with President and Impact Lead of @theconduitoslo , @dilekayhan .
Nov 22nd - info to follow.
Women in motion ✨✨
A moment of gratitude as I feel so lucky to have met these extraordinary women in Norway. They’ve enriched and expanded my life, both professionally and personally. I can’t wait to connect them with my international network of incredible women, exchange perspectives and ideas, and have some fun!
❤️
My story on the charismatic and engaging being that is the pop artist @dagnymusic in this month’s ELLE cover story. The muse issue out now @ellenorge ✨
In the center of Dagny’s life philosophy is creativity as a symbol of the ability to elevate reality out of the mundane and transform the everyday into something extraordinary. As an artist, she lets curiosity drive her forward and is not afraid to say yes to new opportunities. ✨
Happy to contribute to the Muse issue in this month’s ELLE cover story, featuring my story on the brilliant young mind of @amandadelara among others. Story out now. @ellenorge ✨
Amanda is careful to surround herself with people who enrich her life both in her creative work and in her personal life. - One of the most inspiring things for me is people who excel. In times when the world can seem frightening, it is important not to give up hope. Finding strength in community and defying fear is essential. Amanda is focused on hope and has never been afraid to be uncompromising and outspoken. She emphasizes the importance of using her own voice to represent those who cannot.
- As a public figure, one has a responsibility, she points out. ✨
