When their father faces the death penalty, two Chinese twin sisters and their little brother are abandoned. No one in the family wants to take care of children with such a shameful background. Instead, they are taken in by Sun Village, an orphanage for children whose parents are imprisoned for serious crimes.
Together with the three newcomers, we follow the children’s lives as their destinies cross paths and they help each other through the hardest time of their lives. Many of the children have only just learnt to tie their shoelaces and now they are forced to grow up fast and learn to take care of themselves. If their parents are finally released, it turns out to be harder than expected to get a normal life going again – although that is the only thing the children are deeply longing for. With great sensitivity and from the children’s perspective, Kaspar Astrup Schröder depicts two years at the orphanage during which a group of children are growing up and gaining a foothold.
Together with the three newcomers, we follow the children’s lives as their destinies cross paths and they help each other through the hardest time of their lives. Many of the children have only just learnt to tie their shoelaces and now they are forced to grow up fast and learn to take care of themselves. If their parents are finally released, it turns out to be harder than expected to get a normal life going again – although that is the only thing the children are deeply longing for. With great sensitivity and from the children’s perspective, Kaspar Astrup Schröder depicts two years at the orphanage during which a group of children are growing up and gaining a foothold.
| Original title | De dømtes børn |
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| Danish title | De dømtes børn |
| Keywords | Children, Orphanages, China, Child care, Children placed in care, 2010-2019 |
| Director | Kaspar Astrup Schröder |
| Producer | Katrine A. Sahlstrøm |
| Director of Photography | Kaspar Astrup Schröder |
| Editor | Cathrine Ambus |
| Sound | Rasmus Winther Jensen |
| Composer | Povl Kristian |
| Production country | Denmark |
| Domestic distribution | Good Company Pictures |
| International sales | Autlook Filmsales |
| Danish festival release | 19.03.2017, Grand, DOX:BIO 2017 |
| Online release | 17.05.2017 |
| Comment | The film premiered at CPH:DOX 2017. Kaspar Astrup Schröder's films include The Invention of Dr. Nakamats (2009) and My Playground (2010), both selected for IDFA. Rent a Family Inc. (2012) was honoured with a Golden Eye Award at Zürich. He is also behind a film about the Danish architect Bjarke Ingels, Big Time (2017). |
| DFI subsidy | Konsulentstøtte |
| Danish rating | Allowed for children over the age of 11 |
Companies |
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| Executive Producer | Good Company Pictures |
| With support from | Det Danske Filminstitut |
| Domestic distribution | Good Company Pictures |
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Direction |
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| Direction | Kaspar Astrup Schröder |
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Production |
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| Producer | Katrine A. Sahlstrøm |
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Cinematography |
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| Cinematographer | Kaspar Astrup Schröder |
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Editing |
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| Editor | Cathrine Ambus |
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Music |
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| Composer | Povl Kristian |
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Sound |
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| Sound designer | Rasmus Winther Jensen |
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