[Published July 22 2024 - updated September 5]
Three Danish feature films and a series have been selected for the prestigious Canadian festival, which begins today. Joshua Oppenheimer’s 'The End' and Magnus von Horn’s 'The Girl with the Needle' will be screened in the Special Presentations program, while Frederik Louis Hviid’s 'The Quiet Ones' will be featured in the festival’s Discovery program, and Thomas Vinterberg’s series Families Like Ours will be presented in the Primetime program.
The End
Tilda Swinton and Michael Shannon in 'The End'. Photo: Felix Dickinson
Featuring stars like Tilda Swinton, George MacKay, Moses Ingram, and Michael Shannon, Joshua Oppenheimer's 'The End' will premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in the prestigious Special Presentations program.
The acclaimed director has created a Golden Age musical about one of the last families alive on Earth. When the sudden arrival of a young stranger threatens the family’s luxurious compound deep underground, the son of the family begins to question their seemingly perfect existence.
'The End' is written by Joshua Oppenheimer and Rasmus Heisterberg and produced by Signe Byrge Sørensen for Final Cut for Real with support from the Danish Film Institute. Signe Byrge Sørensen previously produced Joshua Oppenheimer's two Oscar-nominated documentaries 'The Act of Killing' and 'The Look of Silence.' 'The End' is also supported by the West Danish Film Fund, FilmFyn, the Nordic Film & TV Fund, and Eurimages, and produced in collaboration with the national Danish broadcasting company DR.
The Girl with the Needle
The Girl with the Needle
Karoline a young factory worker, finds herself abandoned and pregnant while striving to climb out of poverty in post WW1 Copenhagen. Amidst her struggles, she meets Dagmar a charismatic woman running a secret adoption agency within a candy store, helping poor mothers find foster homes for their unwanted children. A strong connection is formed between the two women, but Karoline’s world shatters as she stumbles upon the dreadful revelation of the nightmarish fate she unknowingly embraces.
Also featured in the Special Presentations program is Magnus von Horn's 'The Girl with the Needle,' which had its world premiere in competition at the Cannes Film Festival in May.
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.
The director co-wrote the screenplay for 'The Girl with the Needle' with Line Langebek. It is based on the true story of Dagmar Overbye, who, from 1913 to 1920, killed numerous infants born out of wedlock. The film is produced by Nordisk Film Creative Alliance, with support from the Danish Film Institute.
The Quiet Ones
'The Quiet Ones'. Photo: Henrik Ohsten
Denmark's largest heist in history is the focal point of Frederik Louis Hviid's second feature film 'The Quiet Ones', which will have its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in the Discovery program.
The Quiet Ones
In 2008, a group of men from Denmark and across Europe pull off the biggest heist of all time on Danish soil. Kasper, a boxer with few chances left in life, is offered the opportunity to plan the robbery by its foreign initiators. At the risk of losing his family and everything that matters to him he takes on the challenge in a bid to break all records and secure his place in the history books.
In 2008, amidst the financial crisis hitting Denmark, a group of 25 men from Denmark and across Europe decide to carry out the largest heist ever on Danish soil. These ambitious and uncompromising men share a singular goal: to succeed against the odds—despite significant obstacles, internal conflicts, secret agendas, and personal sacrifices. The film is inspired by the 2008 heist at Dansk Værdihåndtering, where a group of robbers got away with approximately 70 million DKK, of which only a small portion has been recovered.
Gustav Dyekjær Giese stars in the lead role as one of the main masterminds behind the heist, with supporting performances from Amanda Collin and French star Reda Kateb.
Frederik Louis Hviid made his directorial debut with 'Shorta' in 2020, which had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival. The screenplay for 'The Quiet Ones' is written by Anders Frithiof August, and the film is produced by Kasper Dissing for Zentropa with support from the Danish Film Institute.
The film has also received funding from Canal+, Cine+ OCS, Nordisk Film & TV Fond, the Swedish Film Institute, DR, SVT, and the European Union.
Families Like Ours
Amaryllis August in 'Families Like Ours'. Photo: Sturla Brandth Grøvlen
'Families Like Ours' is director Thomas Vinterberg's first series and will celebrate its North American Premiere at the festival's Primetime program. The series is Vinterberg's first project since his Oscar-winning film 'Another Round' in 2021.The cast includes Amaryllis August, Albert Rudbeck Lindhardt, Nikolaj Lie Kaas, Paprika Steen and Thomas Bo Larsen.
'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 series is written by Thomas Vinterberg and Bo Hr. Hansen, with Vinterberg directing all seven episodes and produced by Sisse Graum Jørgensen and Kasper Dissing for Zentropa Entertainments for TV 2 Denmark, STUDIOCANAL, and CANAL+. The series is supported by the Danish Film Institute through the Public Service Fund.
The festival will screen 'Families Like Ours' in its entirety. The series will premiere in Denmark on TV 2 and TV 2 Play this fall.
