Et helvete uten like

About the film:

Et helvete uten like, tells the story of a group of workers from Rjukan and their families embarked on an audacious journey: to emigrate to Brazil and build a utopian community deep in the jungle. The documentary unfolds as both a chronicle of hope and a penetrating study of disaster. What promises to be a dream of new beginnings soon descends into chaos and anguish, as the settlers confront environmental extremes, isolation, and a failure of their idealistic vision.

Stopar draws from survivor testimony, archival documents, and poetic reflection to unearth a story of migration—its dreams, its betrayals, and its painfully human cost.

One of the survivors sent back to Norway a warning: this was “et helvete uten like”—a hell unlike any other. More than a historical account, the film becomes a mirror: in a world that debates immigration, belonging, and the illusions of utopia, this is a story that reminds us who we were—and who we still might be. Evocative, somber, and unflinching, Stopar’s work probes the tension between idealism and catastrophe, and asks what it means when dreams of paradise collide with the raw forces of nature and human frailty.

The screening of the film will be followed with a conversation with the director Mirko Stopar

About the festival:

ESCENA. Oslo Ibero-amerikanske filmdager is a platform for cultural exchange between Norway and the Ibero-American region.

The aim of the festival is to promote the interest in film from the Spanish and Portuguese speaking nations of Europe and the Americas and showcase the vibrant film expressions of these nations.

The films convey social, political, and historical aspects of this cultural context as well as the challenges currently facing the societies of the region. Even though these nations share a common cultural mainstream; they form a rich tapestry of diverse backgrounds that translate into their cinematic expression.

ESCENA also provides a gathering place and discussion forum for film enthusiasts, for those with roots in the region and others who have an interest in Ibero-America.