When the Göteborg Film Festival opens from 29 January, the line-up will include the world premiere of Lisa Jespersen's feature film debut, 'Persona Non Grata'. The comedy drama will run in the main competition, Dragon Award Best Nordic Film.
With its regional focus, the Göteborg Film Festival is considered an important international window on new Nordic talents. This year, the festival is held as a digital event where both audiences and professionals participate online.
Thomas Vinterberg's drama 'Another Round' has also been selected for the Nordic feature film competition, while the festival has chosen Jonas Poher Rasmussen's 'Flee' for the Nordic Documentary Competition. The animated story of a refugee's journey to Denmark will be getting its European premiere following the world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival.
Danish names this year also include Maja Jul Larsen and Kim Fupz Aakeson, who are both in competition for the Nordisk Film & TV Fond Prize for best TV script, for the DR series 'Cry Wolf' and the Norwegian HBO production 'Welcome to Utmark', respectively.
Debut film about finding your place
'Persona Non Grata' is a humorous drama about Laura who has distanced herself from her family in the countryside and has moved to Copenhagen to be a writer and live the bohemian lifestyle. When she is forced to return to her childhood home to participate in her brother’s wedding, she discovers that he is about to marry her worst childhood enemy Catrine. Laura realises that Catrine has taken over her place in the family, and now she feels a strong need to get it back.
Persona Non Grata
The film is a humorous drama about Laura who has distanced herself from her family in the countryside and has moved to Copenhagen to be a writer and live the bohemian lifestyle. When she is forced to return to her childhood home to participate in her brother’s wedding, she discovers that he is about to marry her worst childhood enemy Catrine. Laura realises that Catrine has taken over her place in the family, and now she feels a strong need to get it back.
Rosalinde Mynster plays Laura, and the film features Bodil Jørgensen and Jens Jørn Spottag as her parents. The cast also includes Anne Sofie Wanstrup, Thomas Hwan, Adam Ild Rohweder and Jesper Groth.
Lisa Jespersen wrote the script with Sara Isabella Jønsson, who also co-wrote Jespersen's 2017 graduation film 'September' from the National Film School of Denmark. Jønsson, who graduated as script writer from the film school in 2019, co-wrote Daniel Dencik's two feature films, 'Gold Coast' (2015) and 'Miss Osaka' (2020).
Daniel Mühlendorph, Lisa Jespersen's co-graduate in 2017, is producing 'Persona Non Grata' for Hyæne Film, the company behind Ulaa Salim's debut film ‘Sons of Denmark’ from 2019 and Gigis' 'Blockhagen' from 2020.
‘Persona Non Grata' is supported by the Danish Film Institute's talent programme New Danish Screen. The film is set to release on 1 July as part of the nation-wide Biografklub Danmark cinema club.