Toronto International film festival, kicking off 9th September, has selected three Danish films. After announcing the participation of Susanne Bier's "In a Better World" in Special Presentation, Toronto has now selected "Armadillo" and "Erotic Man". More Danish films could yet be selected.
After Jørgen Leth's films were celebrated at Toronto in 2004, audiences will be looking forward to his latest opus "Erotic Man", which will receive a world premiere in Toronto.
Factbox
Programme director
Steve Gravestock on:
Erotic Man
Armadillo
In Better World
DFI Press release: Bier's film
In a Better World to Toronto
35th Toronto International Film Festival (9-19 Sep)
About Jørgen Leth
Film director, journalist, poet, Jørgen Leth has directed over forty films since the early 1960s. A key figure in the 1960's milieu of experimental documentary filmmakers and advocate of Danish poetic modernism, Leth developed a unique mythic and epic approach to the genre of sports documentaries. His most important films are "The Perfect Human" (1967), "Life in Denmark" (1971), and "66 Scenes from America" (1981), "Haïti. Untitled" (1996?) and "New Scenes from America" (2002). "The Five Obstructions" (2003), co-directed with Lars von Trier, attracted attention at its world premiere at Venezia Festival D'Arte Cinematografica.
Leth's most renowned sports documentaries are »Stjernerne og vandbærerne«/»Stars and Watercarriers« (1973) and »En forårsdag i helvede«/»A Sunday in Hell« (1976).
Leth's achievement awards and honours include the Thomas Mann Award 1972, the Danish Academy's Special Prize 1983, the Hammerich Award 1992, and a lifelong grant from the Danish Art Foundation in 1995, and the Athens Honorary Award 2009 in recognition of his multifaceted contributions to the art of filmmaking.
Read more about Jørgen Leth in FILM#Special (PDF version).
About Janus Metz
Metz lived in Johannesburg for one year (2002-03), working on a South African drama series, »Soul City«. The stay inspired him to make his debut film, the documentary »Township Boys« (2006). Also in 2006, he produced the programme »Eventyrerne«/»Clandestine« for the national broadcaster DR, which follows a group of illegal African migrants through Sahara on their way to Europe. »Fra Thailand til Thy«/»Love on Delivery« (2008), recipient of two GuldDok awards at CPH:DOX and selected for IDFA's Silver Wolf programme, is Metz' first film about Thai women and their pursuit of a Danish husband. Succeeding this is »Fra Thy til Thailand«/»Ticket to Paradise« (2008), selected for IDFA's Reflecting Images: Panorama, and honoured with a Special Mention at CPH:DOX.
The film is about Jørgen Leth, the anthropologist, who is collecting material for his study on the nature and meaning of the erotic. "Erotic Man" is filmed in the cities of Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Belém, Panama City, Dakar and Manila, and not least Jacmel, Haïti.
"Erotic Man" is written and directed by Jørgen Leth; Lars von Trier collaborated on the film as creative producer. Marianne Christensen produced for Zentropa and Nordisk Film. International sales handled by TrustNordisk, www.trustnordisk.com
Armadillo by Janus Metz
The awardwinning feature length documentary Armadillo, by Janus Metz, is selected for Toronto's Reel to Real, and will mark the film's North American premiere.
"Armadillo", a thought-provoking and frightening portrayal of the loss of innocence, is about two young soldiers, Mads and Daniel, on their first mission in Afghanistan. Armadillo is the name of one of the Danish camps in the Afghan Helmand province, where director Janus Metz and cinematographer Lars Skree followed soldiers close at hand for a period of six months.
Ronnie Fridthjof and Sara Stockmann produced "Armadillo" for Fridthjof Film Doc, Lars Skree was director of photography. International sales handled by DR TV www.drsales.dk
A festival hit, "Armadillo" swept up Semaine de la Critique's Grand Prix. Read more about the film in an interview with the director Between Heroes and Killers and the press releases Trades applaud Armadillo and Danish Triumph in Cannes.