The American Dream by Solveig Selj on Ben Trovato

A lot has changed in the life of Solveig Selj since we last had a chat, most importantly perhaps is that she’s relocated from Oslo to New York City. A move that would inspire and influence every artist. Having followed her work for a while, I was waiting for the time when she would produce something exclusively for Ben Trovato. And here it is: The American Dream by Solveig Selj. An up beat, feel good fashion film with the ambition to inspire creative artists to seize the day, and live out their dreams. And what better place to do that then on a rooftop in Brooklyn, with the skyline of Manhattan in the background.

“Shooting the film was spontaneous and fun, and I wanted that feeling to be passed on to the viewer. New York is the city of cities, in the land of opportunities and home to so many creative artist, and right now myself included. Seeing all the creativity displayed in so many different ways really inspires me. Art, music, fashion and dance have all been part of the inspiration for this film, but most of all the people behind it - the artists, the musicians, the designers and the dancers. The people who’s actually leaving out their dream!” she says before adding: “A little clichè maybe, but living in such a vibrant city as New York you meet the most interesting and inspiring people.”

Such as dancer and model Gitte Lill? “- Yes! I meet up with Gitte Lill when she was in New York working with Ford Models. Dancing is her passion and she spends a lot of time at the dance studio. Even when she’s in New York busy shooting big campaigns and fashion shoots, she still finds time to practice dancing. Her hard work as a dancer was for me the perfect way of portraying creativity and fulfill my vision for this film. Gitte Lill is such an easy going and fun person to work with. She is professional as a model, and a very talented dancer. We had a great afternoon on set, and shared a nice thai meal and a beer on the rooftop afterwords.”

The music in the film is by the Norwegian band Supermale, and Solveig chose the music for a reason: “- They’re singing about how they want to live their life like there is no tomorrow, which is exactly what they are gonna do when they leave Oslo in November to expand their horizon in New York City.”