Dramatic scenes with flames, smoke and a long tunnel will be a new Norwegian action film with a budget of over 3 million Euro. In recent years Norway have experienced several major tunnel fires that could quickly turn out to be disasters, with many killed. A real scenario well suited for an action film, they say.

The last three years, the writer has investigated the many tunnel fires in Western Norway, and wrote a script for a new Norwegian catastrophe drama film. The film has a total budget of 34 million Norwegian kroner and they aim to start the production this winter. The film is about a father and a daughter who is caught in a terrible fire inferno in the mountains of Norway. There is a winter storm when it breaks out a catastrophic tunnel fire that captures people heading home for Christmas in an inferno where they must do everything to survive. In the film we follow several stories on the inside and outside of the tunnel, a dramatic interpretation of how the victims, emergency agencies and other characters react and act before, during and after a severe incident.

This is the third Norwegian catastrophe drama film. A film about a tsunami in the Norwegian fjords and a film about earthquake in the capital of Norway, have received good reviews in both Norway and Internationally.

The relevance of the scenario is absolutely real. In some of these mountain passings, emergency services are just staffed with a few voluntaries, with maybe up to 1 hour reaction time. In many cases, weather conditions can make it impossible to reach the tunnel at all. And the evacuation out of a burning tunnel might be difficult or impossible due to snow and wind conditions. These scenarios are discussed in risk analysis for several tunnels in Norway, but difficult to mitigate with cost-effective measures. Often is the risk on the open road much higher, where risk mitigating measures are more needed. We have to understand that most of the tunnels are build to reduce risk for avalanches, landslides and other high risk, and a large part of the road network have a need for similar risk reducing measures, like tunnels. Even so, leading experts agree that the minimum safety equipment in a tunnel shall ensure that now one have go through the horror the injured had to go through in the Oslofjord tunnel incident in 2011 and Gudvangatunnel in 2013.

We are looking forward to the movie picture The Tunnel, and also all the discussions that will be raised as part of the focus on risk. Similar discussions have started as a result of the other disaster scenarios presented on the movie screen, and an increased focus on risk have a tendency to lead to improved safety.

We are looking forward to the movie picture The Tunnel, and also all the discussions that will be raised as part of the focus on risk. Similar discussions have started as a result of the other disaster scenarios presented on the movie screen, and an increased focus on risk have a tendency to lead to improved safety.