Score - I Am Greta eco-friendly and limited-edition vinyl will be released on February 12, 2021

By Mulder, 16 december 2020

Rebekka and Jon’s dynamic score to I Am Greta is huge and intimate, uplifting and melancholic, and manages to carry the emotional nuance of Greta’s story. The score forms a musical parallel to Greta’s journey and narrative voice throughout the film. It’s energy, urgency and emotional depth reminds us that the time for climate action is now.” - Nathan Grossman

Oona Recordings is thrilled to announce a limited edition environmentally conscious vinyl pressing of the ‘I Am Greta’ soundtrack by Rebekka Karijord and Jon Ekstrand. Manufactured at RPM Records in Denmark, the records are pressed of 100% recycled PVC, and printed on 350 gsm 100% recycled uncoated card stock with plant based inks. The records will be sealed with a sticker printed on recycled stock, and no plastic or shrink wrap will be used in the packaging or production apart from the recycled PVC in the vinyl record itself. One can read more about the process and the drive to create more sustainable productions on the RMP Records website here.

The eco-friendly and limited edition ‘I Am Greta’ vinyl will be released on February 12, 2021 and is available for pre-order today.

‘I Am Greta,’ the intimate HULU documentary by director Nathan Grossman, tells the story of teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg through compelling, never-before-seen footage. Starting with her one-person school strike for climate action outside the Swedish Parliament, Grossman follows Greta- a shy student with Asperger’s – in her rise to prominence and her galvanizing global impact as she sparks school strikes around the world. The film culminates with the extraordinary wind-powered voyage across the Atlantic Ocean to speak at the UN Climate Action Summit in New York City. The film was released in the U.K. on October 16 and is now streaming on HULU in the U.S. The soundtrack is available on all streaming platforms from OONA Recordings.

“Our endless muse in writing this score has been a tremendous respect for Greta and all the children in the Fridays for Future movement. And the important work to do together.”

To musically accompany Greta and the children of the ‘Fridays for Future’ movement on their journey, composer duo Rebekka Karijord and Jon Ekstrand spent quite a lot of time searching for right balance when it comes to how much emotional triggers the music should offer:

“With the music for ‘I Am Greta’ we aimed to find a sonic counterpoint to the friction between the shy, contemplative inner world of Greta, and the unbounded energy of the natural world and climate change movement. From the start we found it useful to separate the score into three distinct voices: Greta’s voice, the voice of natural world, and the voice of the climate chance movement.”

Through the sketching process, Rebekka and Jon discovered that when they set more melodic music to the pictures it just did not meld: “It came off as too sentimental in relation to Greta as a person. Too leading, somehow. So, we choose to work with repetition and persistent musical patterns, often illustrated through energetic string arpeggios. This we felt helped underline the remarkable persistence and focus Greta has on the climate issue, as well as that of relentlessness of nature. Then we found a few places throughout the score, were more melodic aspects could be introduced and carry the score through its dramaturgical journey. It allowed the melodic aspects to shine through when they are introduced.”

The synergy between the two composers with very different backgrounds as well as the blend of classical instrumentation and usage of electroacoustic elements let to a unique, compelling score:

“The score consists of a string octet, modular synthesizers and a voice instrument built by Rebecca of 25 male, female and non-binary singers from around the world in their full range. Our soloist in the score is the cellist Linnea Olsson, whom has a very specific airy and organic tone. From the first sketch recordings with Linnea it just felt like this was the tone of the soundtrack.”

Track List:
Side A
Tic Toc
Fridays for Future
Riksgatan
Depression
Childhood
The Wind
Nervous Feet
Katowice
Side B
Fridays for Future (alternative version)
The Movement
Grief
The Ocean
The Arrival
People Are Waking Up
Grief (credits version)

Synopsis :
Greta Thunberg, 15 years old, starts a school climate strike on her own. She quickly becomes a global icon and the spokesperson for millions of young people who want to change the world of tomorrow.

Greta
Directed by Nathan Grossman
Produced by Fredrik Heinig, Cecilia Nessen
Starring Greta Thunberg
Music by Rebekka Karijord,Jon Ekstrand
Cinematography : Nathan Grossman
Edited by Charlotte Landelius, Hanna Lejonqvist
Production company : B-Reel Films, Swedish Film Institute, Storyville, Filmbasen, WDR, SWR, SVT, Good Pitch
Distributed by Dogwoof, Filmwelt, Hulu
Release date : 3 September 2020 (Venice), 16 October 2020 (United Kingdom), 16 October 2020 (Germany), 13 November 2020 (United States), 20 November 2020 (Sweden)
Running time : 97 minutes

(Source : press release)