Magnus | |
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![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Benjamin Ree |
Written by | Linn-Jeanethe Kyed Benjamin Ree |
Produced by | Sigurd Mikal Karoliussen |
Starring | Magnus Carlsen Viswanathan Anand Garry Kasparov Henrik Albert Carlsen |
Cinematography | Magnus Flåto Benjamin Ree |
Edited by | Martin Stoltz Perry Eriksen |
Music by | Uno Helmersson |
Distributed by | Nordisk Film Distribution |
Release dates |
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Running time | 78 minutes |
Country | Norway |
Languages | Norwegian English |
Budget | 7 million (NOK) |
Magnus is a 2016 documentary film[1][2][3] by Benjamin Ree about the early life of Norwegian chess prodigy Magnus Carlsen, him becoming a Grandmaster at age 13[4] and winning the FIDE World Chess Championship in 2013.[5] The film premiered at Tribeca Film Festival in 2016,[6] and was sold to 64 countries.[7]
Magnus premiered at Tribeca Film Festival in 2016.[8] and became the first Norwegian feature documentary to have its world premiere at the festival.[9] Magnus Carlsen did not attend the premiere of the film, but his family was present.[10] The film became the fastest sold out film at the festival that year,[11] and the artistic director at Tribeca Film Festival Frederic Boyer said the film was one of his favorites that year.[12]
Magnus received mostly positive reviews from film critics. It holds a 81% approval rating on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 21 reviews, with a weighted average of 6.2/10.[13] BBC put the film on its top 10 list, November 2016, as the only documentary on the list, calling the film: "an intimate look Carlsen’s extraordinary life through archive footage, home movies and interviews."[14] Later BBC published a behind the scenes featurette about the film, showing a clip of Magnus Carlsen playing blindfolded chess against 10 lawyers at Harvard University, beating them all.[15]