Aaslaug Vaa

Astrophysicist Jean Surdej brings a small group of teenage pupils on a trip to the Lofoten islands in northern Norway, for a very special class on the solar system. Using the geography of the archipelago to illustrate the distances between the planets, they journey through space by car and ferry, with the picturesque landscapes standing in for the black emptiness that surround the heavenly bodies. A masterstroke of both pedagogy and filmmaking, Children of Stars is a captivating documentary about humanity's place in the grand scheme of things.

Over centuries, lay songs have had a central place in Norwegian culture. This film is about a small community, high up in the mountains near Hardangervidda, where this musical tradition is understood and continued to this day.