Sony Music Entertainment Premium Content and Trafalgar Releasing today announced the release date for a-ha’s forthcoming film “True North,” the accompaniment to their new studio album of the same title. “True North” will be released in select cinemas worldwide on Thursday, September 15, with the album following on Friday, October 21. This film will also include a special behind-the-scenes featurette, exclusive to cinemas.

The original idea for “True North” was for the Norwegian trio, formed of Morten Harket, Paul Waaktaar-Savoy and Magne Furuholmen, to record their first session in the wonderous studio location just 90km above the Arctic Circle then to film it. Eventually, the project expanded into more of a production, and they were joined by the talented Norwegian orchestra, Arctic Philharmonic. What spawned from these sessions is a magnificent album, and film to match, that details the band’s vision of a collective connection to the environment. “’True North’ is a letter from a-ha, from the Arctic Circle, a poem from the far north of Norway,” says Furuholmen.

In recurring vignettes, the multidimensional “True North” film follows this narrative arc through actors portraying life in the North as well as documenting the band recording music over two days in Bodø, Norway. This is a unique release from a-ha that embodies the spirit of their new songs, with long-time a-ha collaborator Stian Andersen at the helm as director: “It’s been an honourable assignment to direct the True North movie. It’s also been a great pleasure to write and create the narrative to match a-ha’s beautiful songs in this film.”

??Since their worldwide breakthrough with “Take On Me” in 1985, a-ha have continued to adapt and evolve. Now, with what is both their 11th studio album and the documentation of its creation, a-ha have entered a new phase. “First, we had the idea to record a studio session live,” says Waaktaar-Savoy. “Then, to film a studio session. That grew into more of a production with the Norwegian orchestra, the Arctic Philharmonic, who we have collaborated with.”

a-ha’s first offering from the forthcoming album is the single “I’m In,” and the deeply affecting and inscrutable official music video is extracted from the long-form film integral to “True North”. Watch here.

“True North” is the band at their most revealing, most personal and most affecting. Never before has the spirit of a-ha been so exposed.

“True North” is produced by Aparent in conjunction with Sony Music Germany, Bodø2024 and Aker Horizons and distributed by Sony Music Entertainment’s Premium Content Division. The film is distributed theatrically worldwide by Trafalgar Releasing.

The “True North” film is out in select cinemas worldwide on September 15, 2022 via Trafalgar Releasing. Tickets on sale from August 4 – visit ahatruenorth.com.

The “True North” album is out on October 21, 2022, pre-order now and sign up for further information at ahatruenorth.com.

About Sony Music Entertainment Premium Content
Sony Music Entertainment’s (SME) Premium Content division is a full-service content development studio showcasing the Company’s global legacy, scale and robust offerings for top creative talent around the world. Designed to provide our artists and creators with unique opportunities to captivate new global audiences, the team develops, produces, and distributes a range of premium projects across film, television, podcasting, gaming and more. Tapping into SME’s vast portfolio and catalog libraries, the division champions innovative ideas and collaborations across the Sony entertainment companies to amplify our artists’ creative vision and engage fans with captivating content across all formats.

About Trafalgar Releasing
Trafalgar Releasing is the global leader in event cinema distribution. A subsidiary of Trafalgar Entertainment, Trafalgar Releasing’s global operations include production, acquisition, marketing, and distribution of specialised content to over 8,000 cinemas in more than 120 countries worldwide.

A full spectrum of releases includes world-class opera and ballet (The Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera House), award-winning theatre (including “The King and I” from the London Palladium, Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company’s “The Winter’s Tale,” and “42nd Street”), iconic moments (“Monty Python’s Life of Brian” 40th Anniversary, David Bowie is happening now, “They Shall Not Grow Old”), heritage music acts (Metallica & San Francisco Symphony: S&M2, Depeche Mode: SPIRITS in the Forest, Oasis Knebworth 1996) and contemporary music sensations (“BLACKPINK THE MOVIE,” “Coldplay: A Head Full of Dreams”), including four global events with K-pop superstars BTS (“Burn The Stage: The Movie,” “Bring The Soul: The Movie,” “Break The Silence: The Movie” and the record-breaking live concert broadcast “Permission To Dance On Stage – Seoul: Live Viewing”).