Facts & Figures 2019 available

'Facts & Figures 2019' is the Danish Film Institute's annual publication with basic information on Danish film production and distribution in 2018, such as details on theatrical releases, top 20s for theatre and television, films supported for funding and market shares. 

In 2018, the domestic market share landed at 30%, ranking the Danish share fourth among European nations. 3.7 million admissions were sold to Danish films out of a total of 12.5 million admissions. A total of 26 Danish feature films were released in the cinemas.

In his introduction, CEO of the Danish Film Institute, Claus Ladegaard, describes the three best-selling films of the year as "three ambitious, very different films that succeeded in merging quality and audience appeal". Christoffer Boe's crime film 'The Purity of Vengeance' took first place at the box-office while Ole Bornedal's biopic 'The Way to Mandalay' and Bille August's literary adaptation 'A Fortunate Man' came in second and third.

Claus Ladegaard also notes the number of strong low-budget films by first-time directors that made a mark in 2018, both domestically and internationally: "The trend was most sharply defined by Gustav Möller's 'The Guilty', supported by the New Danish Screen talent development scheme. Winning an audience award at Sundance and raves from moviegoers and critics alike, the film ended the year by being shortlisted for a Foreign Language Oscar."

And as CEO Claus Ladegaard points out, 2019 looks promising following the new Film Agreement, which sets the framework for public funding in the 2019-2023 period: 

"With a stable financial framework of about DKK 560m (EUR 75m) annually, the Film Agreement proves that there continues to be wide political support for developing Danish Cinema. We can look forward to less red tape in the funding system, while the Agreement also strengthens Denmark's two regional film funds, ensuring the inclusion of stories from all over the country. Finally, the Agreement emphasizes talent as an important driving force in Danish film."

The Purity of Vengeance

Christoffer Boe, 2018

In an old apartment in Copenhagen, some craftsmen make a scary discovery. Behind a fake wall, they find three mummified bodies sitting around a dining table with a free space ready. Carl Mørck and Assad from Department Q now have to find out who the mummies are and for whom the fourth place is intended.

The Way to Mandalay

Ole Bornedal, 2018

The film tells the story of the popular Danish singer-songwriter John Mogensen and his turbulent life as a father and a husband, but first and foremost as a musician. We follow John Mogensen from childhood to manhood and throughout his career which spanned more than twenty years, first with great succes in the vocal group Four Jacks and later as a solo artist. John Mogensen died suddenly of a heart attack in 1977.

A Fortunate Man

Bille August, 2018

On his quest for happiness, Per decides to leave Jutland and an upbringing in a strict religious home. He runs from his family and his patriarch father and sets sail towards Copenhagen to become an engineer. Parallel to his studies, he works on a visionary energy project based on wind and wave energy, a project so much ahead of its time, that his professors consider him insane and far too self-confident.

The Guilty

Gustav Möller, 2018

Alarm dispatcher and former police officer Asger Holm answers an emergency call from a kidnapped woman. When the call is suddenly disconnected, the search for the woman and her kidnapper begins. With the phone as his only tool, Asger enters a race against time to save the endangered woman.