Thomas Vinterberg's first television series, 'Families Like Ours,' has been selected for the official program of the Venice International Film Festival, where it will be shown out of competition. This series is his first project since 'Another Round,' for which he received an Oscar in 2021. It also marks Vinterberg's debut at the Venice Festival.
'Families Like Ours' takes place in Denmark, in the not-too-distant future. The rising water levels can no longer be ignored and the country needs to be evacuated. As people disperse in all directions, they must bid farewell to what they love, what they know, and who they are. Slowly but steadily, everything is different. All property becomes worthless, all fortunes change, and luck favours only a few. Those who can afford it travel to affluent countries while the less well-off depend on government-funded relocation to more challenging destinations. Families, friends, and loved ones are separated. Some will be overcome by hatred and division while others will nurture love and foster new beginnings.
The cast includes Amaryllis August, Albert Rudbeck Lindhardt, Nikolaj Lie Kaas, Paprika Steen and David Dencik
The series is written by Thomas Vinterberg and Bo Hr. Hansen, with Vinterberg directing all seven episodes.
Produced by Sisse Graum Jørgensen for Zentropa Entertainments and Kasper Dissing for TV 2 Denmark, STUDIOCANAL, and CANAL+, the series is supported by the Danish Film Institute through the Public Service Fund.
This marks the third consecutive year that Zentropa has a title featured at the festival. In 2022, it was Lars von Trier's 'The Kingdom Exodus,' and in 2023, it was Nikolaj Arcel's 'The Bastard.'
The Venice Festival will screen 'Families Like Ours' in its entirety. The series will premiere in Denmark on TV 2 and TV 2 Play this fall.
Pusher
Nicolas Winding Refn's debut film 'Pusher' will be revived at the festival as part of the Venice Classics series, 28 years after its original release. The film, which has become a cult classic, features memorable performances by Mads Mikkelsen and Kim Bodnia, who both had their breakthroughs with this gritty tale of two drug dealers. Refn's unique style and ability to create intense and gripping scenes have made 'Pusher' an unforgettable film in Danish cinema history.
In addition to this celebration of 'Pusher,' Nicolas Winding Refn also presents the Italian-Danish short film 'Beauty is Not a Sin' at the festival, which will be shown out of competition.
The Danish director's last time at the festival was in 2022 with his Netflix series 'Copenhagen Cowboy.'
Minor Co-productions
The Venice Festival has also invited two minor co-productions supported by the Danish Film Institute: 'Kill the Jockey' and the documentary 'Songs of Slow Burning Earth.'
Kill the Jockey
Luis Ortega's Argentine-Spanish-Danish film 'Kill the Jockey' will have its world premiere in the festival's main competition.
The film follows a legendary jockey, whose self-destructive behaviour is beginning to outshine his talent and threaten his relationship with his girlfriend Abril. On the day of the most important race of his career that will clear him of his debts from his mobster boss Sirena, he has a severe accident, disappears from the hospital and wanders the streets of the city. Free from his identity, he starts to discover who he is truly meant to be. But Sirena wants him found, dead or alive.
The Danish contribution to the film is primarily in sound and visual effects. Claus Lynge did the sound design, while Sune Wagner composed the music. Esben Syberg is the VFX Supervisor, and Mikael Windelin is the VFX Producer. Additionally, a large Danish VFX team has worked on the film. It is co-produced by Katrin Pors, Eva Jakobsen, and Mikkel Jersin for Snowglobe with support from the Danish Film Institute.
Snowglobe has also co-produced 'Basileia' by debut director Isabella Torre, which is selected for the Giornate degli Autori in Venice. The film stars Danish actor Elliot Crosset Hove.
Songs of Slow Burning Earth
The Ukrainian-Danish documentary directed by Olha Zhurba 'Songs of Slow Burning Earth' will have its world premiere in the main competition at the Venice Film Festival 2024. It is an audiovisual diary of Ukraine’s immersion into the abyss of the first two years of Russia's
Edited by Michael Aaglund and co-produced by Anne Köhncke for Final Cut for Real with support from the Danish Film Institute.
