*Published April 11. Edited May 13*. There is a strong Danish presence at this year's Cannes Festival with one major Danish film in The Main Competition and addition three Danish co-productions are also featured this year's festival, that runs from from 14 to 25 May.
Lizette Gram Mygind, Festival Consultant at the Danish Film Institute: "A Danish film selected for official competition in Cannes is a great honour and acknowledgement of the team, and it also serves as a powerful testament to the quality and innovation which currently characterizes Danish cinema. Participation at the Cannes Film Festival puts an international spotlight on our creative talents and underscores Denmark's position as a strong nation in regards to film as an art form as well as in regards to international collaborations."
'The Girl with the Needle' by Magnus von Horn
Magnus von Horn and Line Langebek co-wrote the screenplay, inspired by the true story of Dagmar Overbye who killed a large number of babies born out of wedlock in Copenhagen between 1913 and 1920.
Karoline, a young factory worker, is struggling to survive in post WW1 Copenhagen. When she finds herself unemployed, abandoned and pregnant, she meets Dagmar, a charismatic woman running an underground adoption agency, helping mothers to find foster homes for their unwanted children. With nowhere else to turn, Karoline takes on the role of a wet-nurse. A strong connection is formed between the two women, but Karoline’s world shatters when she stumbles upon the shocking truth behind her work.
Vic Carmen Sonne ('Godland', 'Holiday') plays Karoline, while Trine Dyrholm (Birthday Girl', 'Queen of Hearts') takes on the role of Dagmar Overbye. Besir Zeciri ('Wildland') stars as the husband of Karoline.
Swedish-born Magnus von Horn graduated from the Polish National Film School in Lodz, Poland. Von Horn's Swedish-produced feature debut 'The Here After' premiered at the Directors' Fortnight in Cannes 2015, while his second feature film, the Polish-produced 'Sweat', was part of the official programme in Cannes in 2020. 'The Girl with the Needle' is Magnus von Horn's first Danish-language feature film.
Malene Blenkov and Mariusz Włodarski produced the film for Nordisk Film Creative Alliance with support from The Danish Film Institute, The Swedish Film Institute, The Polish Film Institute, Nordisk Film & TV Fond and Eurimages, among others. The Match Factory holds world sales rights.
'The Girl with the Needle' will be screened at the following times
Three minor co-productions
In addition to 'The Girl with the Needle' three Danish minor co-productions have been selected for Cannes this year.
'The Apprentice' by Ali Abbasi
Ali Abbasi's 'The Apprentice' is also in the main competition. The film, his first since 'Holy Spider', is a Canadian-Irish-Danish co-production starring Sebastian Stan, Jeremy Strong and Maria Bakalova. Key members of team behind the film are Danish and includes cinematographer Kasper Tuxen and film editors Olivia Neergaard-Holm and Olivier Bugge Coutté. Jacob Jarek has co-produced for Profile Productions 2 in collaboration with Canadian Apprentice Productions Ontario and Irish Tailored Films.
'Everybody Loves Touda' by Nabil Ayouch
Danish production company Snowglobe is in Cannes again, this time as co-producers on Nabil Ayouch's 'Everybody Loves Touda'. Moroccan director and writer couple Nabil Ayouch and Maryam Touzani were last in Cannes in 2022 with 'The Blue Caftan', however this time Nabil Ayouch is the director and Maryam Touzani is the co-writer. In addition to producers Katrin Pors, Eva Jakobsen, Mikkel Jersin and Anna Dammegaard Søllested, the film features original music is by Flemming Nordkrog in collaboration with Kristian Selin Eidnes Andersen and sound design by Jacques Pedersen. The film is screened as an official Cannes Premiere.
Both films are supported by the Danish Film Institute.
'The Brink of Dreams' by Nada Riyadh and Ayman El Amir
Danish documentary producer Mette-Ann Schepelern has co-produced the Egyptian-French-Danish 'The Brink of Dreams' for Magma Films. Shot over four years in a remote village in southern Egypt, a group of girls rebel by forming an all-female street theater troupe. They dream of becoming actresses, dancers and singers, challenging their families and villagers with their unexpected performances. The film follows them from childhood to womanhood, facing the most crucial choices of their lives. The film will premiere in Semaine de la Critique.
Producer on the Move
Lina Flint is selected to to be part of European Film Promotion’s 25th edition of Producers on the Move. The programma gives 20 promising emerging European producers from 20 European countries a platform and the opportunity to build and enlarge their international network. Participants will meet potential co-production partners and sales companies in one-on-one meetings and take part in project pitching, case studies, social events and a comprehensive promotional campaign.
Read more about the programme.
Danish Professionals in Cannes
Danish Films at Cannes
Danish films have celebrated a strong presence in Cannes in recent years. Most recently in 2022 where Ali Abbasi's 'Holy Spider' participated in the official selection programme winning lead actress Zar Amir Ebrahimi the ‘Best Actress’ Award. Additionally that same year Hlynur Palmason’s Danish produced ‘Godland’ was presented in Un Certain Regard as part of the Official Selection of the prestigious festival. In the past ten years, there have been a total of eight Danish films in the official programme.
Get the historical overview of Danish films in Cannes.
This year, the festival runs from 14 to 25 May.