'True North,' a film companion to upcoming a-ha album, arrives in theaters this September

Sony Music Entertainment Premium Content and Trafalgar Releasing 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 September 15, with the album following on October 28. This film will also include a special behind-the-scenes featurette, exclusive to cinemas. Watch teaser trailer here.

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 an 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 official music video is extracted from the long-form film integral to True North. Watch here.

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