Kristian Levring's "Fear Me Not" has been selected for the official competition at this year's San Sebastian International Film Festival (18-27 September), as announced today by the Festival Selection Committee.
"Fear Me Not" is a Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde-inspired drama with a strong Danish cast, including Ulrich Thomsen, Paprika Steen, Lars Brygmann and Stine Stengade. Thomsen, who was previously honoured in San Sebastian for his performance in Susanne Bier's "Brothers" (2004), plays the family man Michael who suffers a minor breakdown and decides to enrol in a clinical trial for a new antidepressant. The effects soon prove discomforting, as Michael finds himself increasingly at the mercy of his dark sides.
As one of the original Dogme Brothers, Kristian Levring was director of "The King is Alive" (2000), marking his international breakthrough. "Fear Me Not" is Levring's first Danish-language film in more than 20 years and is co-written with Anders Thomas Jensen who was also co-writer on "The King is Alive".
The film is produced by Sisse Graum Jørgensen for Zentropa and will be released in Danish cinemas in 2009. For further information:
San Sebastian International Film Festival
DFI Factsheet
Fear Me Not/ Den du frygter
Interview in FILM#63
Power Game in an Ice-cold World
Danish Film Institute
Christian Juhl Lemche, +45 3374 3464, christianjl@dfi.dk