Danish line-up at Toronto

As the Toronto Film Festival opens the doors to its 40^th anniversary edition, a number of Danish films and co-productions will be part of the programme, taking off Thursday 10 September:

Land of Mine in Platform

Martin Zandvliet's "Land of Mine," which scrutinizes a dark chapter in Danish WWII history, is the opening film of the festival's brand new auteur competition, Platform. The film – Zandvliet's third after "Applause" and "A Funny Man," both selected for Toronto – celebrates its world premiere in Toronto's spectacular, 1400-seat Elgin Theatre, with a screening followed by a Q&A on 10 September at 5 p.m.

Read interview with Martin Zandvliet in FILM: The Untold Story

Sparrows in World Contemporary Cinema

Following "Volcano" from 2011, Rúnar Rúnarsson's second feature "Sparrows" world premieres in Contemporary World Cinema, Toronto's section for art-house films from around the globe. Shot in Rúnarsson's home country of Iceland, the film is the story of young Ari who moves back, against his will, to his father and to his childhood village where everything has changed. First screening is Friday 11 September at 9.30 p.m.

Read interview with Rúnar Rúnarsson: Reality is a Grayscale

Men & Chicken in Vanguard

Anders Thomas Jensen's black comedy "Men & Chicken" with Mads Mikkelsen and David Dencik playing two odd-ball brothers will be celebrating its North American premiere in Toronto. The film is selected for the Vanguard section dedicated to storytelling with a twist, with its first public screening on Monday 14 September at 9 p.m.

Read interview with Anders Thomas Jensen: A Very, Very Odd Tale

Danish Filmmakers in Co-productions

Yaelle Kayam's Israeli-Danish "Mountain" is co-produced by Riina Spørring Zachariassen for Windelov/Lassen. Playing right now at the Venice Film Festival, the film will be meeting its first North American audience in the Toronto Film Festival's Discovery section.

Read interview with Riina Spørring Zachariassen: Creative Encouters

These Danish co-productions are also part of TIFF 2015, with links to the festival's factsheets:

Louder Than Bombs by Joachim Trier / Special Presentation
Rams by Grímur Hákonarson / Contemporary World Cinema
Horizon by Fridrik Thor Fridriksson, Bergur Bernburg / TIFF Docs
7 Sheep by Wiktoria Szymanska / Short Cuts

Eva Jacobsen in Producers Lab

Eva Jacobsen, whose producing credits include the two first films about superhero "Antboy", is selected as one of 24 producers to take part in Producers Lab Toronto 2015, organised by European Film Promotion.

See more at efp-online.com

Toronto International Film Festival / 10-20 September 2015

Discover more

Online Magazine dfi.dk/film

Read about filmmakers and films in our magazine FILM issued in connection with September's festivals in Venice, Toronto, San Sebastian and Austin, including screening times and an extensive film catalogue: dfi.dk/film

Follow the Danish Film Institute

Find us on Facebook and Twitter where we bring updates on Danish films and stories from international media: facebook.com/danishfilminstitute and twitter.com/danishfilm

Land of Mine

Martin Zandvliet, 2015

Taking place in May 1945 only a few days after the end of the war, the film tells the story of how a group of German prisoners of war were brought to Denmark and forced to disarm the two million land mines that had been scattered along the West Coast by the German occupying forces. In charge of the enfeebled young men performing the dangerous task is Sergeant Carl Leopold Rasmussen. Like so many of his fellow Danes, he has a deep hatred for the Germans after having suffered five years of hardships during the occupation.

Sparrows

Rúnar Rúnarsson, 2015

The films follows Ari, 16, who has been living with his mother in Reykjavik and is suddenly sent back to the remote Westfjords to live with his father Gunnar. Here he has to navigate a difficult relationship with his father, and he finds his childhood friends changed. In these hopeless and declining surroundings, Ari has to step up and find his way.

Men & Chicken

Anders Thomas Jensen, 2015

Gabriel and Elias are brothers, but very different from one another. Gabriel is a worn down university professor and Elias is masturbating fulltime, he is a man, whose only concern is women and trivial knowledge. During a lecture Gabriel receives a phone call telling him that their father has died.

Mountain

Yaelle Kayam, 2015

A young woman lives with her husband and children in the Jewish cemetery on Jerusalem's Mount of Olives. Her life is a routine of housework. In the daytime, she is left alone on the mountain.

Rúnar Rúnarsson

Director. Born 20 January 1977 in Reykjavik, Iceland. Graduated from the National Film School of Denmark in 2009.

Anders Thomas Jensen

Screenwriter, director. Born 6 April 1972. Self-taught.