Discoveries from Denmark World Cinema

At Helene Dragstrup's 20th birthday, her grandmother Margrethe decides that it is time that Helene learns something about life outside the protective walls of the estate.

Danish drama about a young woman's rites of passage in finding romance.

Although Danish-American George Steffenson comes from poor circumstances, he has built a large financial empire, where the money rolls in. But the busy life is wearing on George, and when no medicine helps, he goes to Denmark on vacation, where no one knows him and he may find the true values ​​of life. But it is no easy matter to turn your back on the empire, while sneaky backers are making insidious plans.

Vielgeschrey is a fidget merchant constantly prone to believing that he is much more busy than he really is. This eventually makes him suffer a tragicomic fate. TV adaptation of Holberg's satirical play from 1723.

A tortured soul seeks meaning in life. "The Wide Open Project" is an artistic and experimental visual album about the emerging artist Zinity. Created under self-destructive circumstances and sleepless nights, the film weaves emotion through three individually crafted songs. Together, they form a fragmented escape from the grip of depression. Through the eyes of a fragile artist, the world appears cold and indifferent. Because art is not a choice — it’s an obsession, an addiction. But how do you live with a part of yourself that you are doomed to destroy?

As Asger peers through the rear window of his car, he cannot remember why his heart is pounding. Why there is blood pouring from his forehead? Why is his side mirror broken? And whose is that mobile on the passenger seat?

Dirch Passer wasn't just Denmark's funniest man and most beloved comedian. He was also a workaholic and in a constant pursuit of his audience's laughter. In this documentary, colleagues, family and friends tell the story of a man who couldn't say no and ended his days on the stage he was addicted to.

Most of the ingredients in this filmed circus performance are familiar and simple, but something special has been added—something as simple as ordinary humanity. They talk and behave just like everyone else.

In the idyllic provincial town of Gammelkøbing lives Emanuel Thomsen, known as Thummelumsen. It is his great dream to buy the Møllegården, which was once owned by the family, and for 15 years he has been scrimping and saving to get by. In the meantime, he has been followed by several hopeful female glances, because even though Thummelumsen is no Adonis, he is full of energy. And when one day he wins 12,500 kroner in the lottery, everything seems to be going well. But then the bag is shaken once again...

Attorney Krogh and his wife, Gerda, are distraught about their only son, Kai, a wastrel and ne’er-do-well with no aim or direction in life. Kai again asks his mother for money and Gerda cannot refuse, even selling her jewellery when her son falls deep into debt. Can Kai be steered away from the abyss that awaits him? (stumfilm.dk)

Morten the hedgehog suddenly acquires a baby brother and getting mummy and daddy's attention becomes very difficult. Morten decides to get rid of his baby brother and put back the clock.

What happens when we meet in the street? Suddenly, mistakenly, intimately. Estranged, rushed, too much, too little, too late. Smiles, small talk, and promises.

A coming-of-age story about a 14-year-old girl who works at a car mechanic's and hangs out with her friends. She challenges boundaries in her search for identity, but her behaviour has repercussions that force her to acknowledge new aspects of who she is.

Danish Katja looks for a lost falcon while on vacation in Italy.

In the 1940s war-torn Denmark, the young girl Marie turns 10 ye$ars old. It is celebrated in the parents' bakery shop where she and her cousin Sebastian on 13 years daily work. But the normally sheltered life comes to an end as a group of soldiers storms the shop and take both Marie's father and mother with them. Together with Sebastian, Marie goes out to find her parents. Although the reality gives little chances Marie is hopeful, while Sebastian fears the day he will have to tell her the truth

80,000 Thoughts is a poetic autobiographical and fictional film about testing oneself and one's possibilities—sexually, gender-wise, and bodily—conveyed through dance, music, poetry, and images. It is also a personal story about the narrator's traumas and memories, her love affair and one-time crush, God, drugs, missing her mother, and violence and abuse. Director Michele Mwikali Lauritsen deftly employs crackling prose to position her film in the impossible—and refreshing—position between the gallery-smart contemporary art of the time and a more accessible and popular format.

Writer and cineast Jørgen Leth is the fascinated observer of a country where reality often seems surreal and resembles fiction. Haïti’s history is written in blood. Voodoo plays an important role in politics. Death and horror are part of Haïti’s everyday life. Over five years Leth and his small crew witnessed dramatic events, but he also captured moments of sensuality and beauty in his epic and very personal documentary.

An analysis of the spirit and human qualities of Knud Rasmussen, who made a unique contribution to the exploration of the life and myths of the Polar Inughuit.

Also known as Life on the Hegn Farm, this domestic drama is based on a popular novel by Jeppe Aakjear. Simple in the extreme, the story concerns the romantic travails of country lass Trine (Karen Nellemose), who is being forced into a wealthy marriage to a man she does not love.

The poet is tired of spring and can't write anything. Meanwhile, Lillemor thinks that spring should be used to get a lot done. Soon, a conflict is brewing. The poet wants to buy a small car, and even though he has no financial sense, he goes ahead and does so without Lillemor's knowledge. She gets angry and wants nothing to do with the car, and this is about to have serious consequences, but thanks to the wise Lillemor, happiness prevails over common sense.

Tom is a lonely soul who never really understood that thing called love, to him a great and uncharted mystery. But upon meeting Laura he is suddenly and unexpectedly made to feel the effects of love for the first time. Now, caught in a love triangle, Tom is about to discover exactly what lengths he'll go to for the woman he loves.

Katja and Emil is a young couple living and having a good time together. Emil is meditating, writing and drawing, often absorbed in his own fantasies. Katja is working, single mom with a structured life. She is attracted to Emil's sense for fantasy, trying to reach into it. When Emil leaves for a six month hitch hike tour, Katja stays at home. Each of them is now on their own to make new acquaintances and experiences.

1969. Nine-year old Caro lives on a pig farm in a small town with her four other siblings and another on the way. She is curious and determined to understand the mysteries of the world around her. But her devout catholic father can't explain the new world and her mother is too busy for philosophy so she converses to God. One day at school she is horrified to learn that man will soon set foot on the moon. In her eyes it's not possible that God would allow anyone to get so close to Heaven. Her clowning father agrees and, unable to cope with modern-day progress, hits the bottle. Caro is preparing for her first holy communion to become 'a bride of God' but before that she seals a pact with her father to overcome her fear of swimming in exchange, he will not touch a drop of alcohol.

A police lieutenant woman goes undercover into a mansion where a couple maintains a school to teach young women how to catch a man... Especially if they are rich and into marriage. The courses include a number of disciplines, including judo and strip-tease.

Convicted of murdering her husband, Tahereh served her sentence and now faces a ticking clock to negotiate with her in-laws who, under Sharia law, have the legal right to either execute her or forgive her- for a price.

'Olmo and the Seagull' is a poetic and existential dive into an actress's mind during the nine months of her pregnancy as she must confront her most fiery inner demons while trying to rewrite a new philosophy of life, identity and love. Underlying this hybrid film is mounting tension over what is real and what is enacted when one is performing one's own life.

Coffee has been outlawed and an organization of retired people smuggle coffee from the Swedish mafia, while Walter pursues his new love interest and Carlo deals with a midlife crisis after being dumped by his girlfriend.

The latest stand-up from Denmark's biggest comedian. "Anden paa coke?" toured the country in 2006 and was seen live by over 100,000 people. Anden takes the stand-up comedy genre to a level never before seen in Denmark. There are backdrops, there is scenography, there is multimedia, but at its core, it is still just stand-up comedy at its very best!

Lasse is a show dancer and he loves the euphoria of the limelight. 15 years ago he was known as 'Laze', a tap-dancing pop star with hit song "Steppin Out". Since then, his life has been a schizophrenic roller coaster ride with dance, drugs, and prison time. Most recently, Lasse has been sentenced yet another trip behind bars, and he has decided that this will be the last time. Once and for all, Lasse wants to abandon his chaotic life where the dream of starting a family is slowly but surely being suffocated by death threats and the addiction to intensity.

A father tries to stay connected with his unconscious daughter through music. He plays a windup music box and hopes she can hear it while fighting with his own emotions to stay strong. Meanwhile, his daughter follows the melody in her dreams and looks for a way back.

It's March 21, 1945. You’re a young navigator in the Royal Air Force. You’re flying in formation all headed for the same target: the Gestapo headquarters in Copenhagen. But in the critical minutes leading up to the planned attack, a sudden explosion wreaks havoc and disorients you. Should you drop the bombs? And where should you drop them?

Documentary about the filming and behind-the-scenes of Manderlay.

Skull Fracture or ‘Aren’t You Rather Young to be Writing Your Memoirs?’ is a story that emerges and crashes within the narrow, inventive, and organic confines of the memory. A story about a skull that breaks and needs healing. How do we see an experience in the light of another? How do we see the other in the light of the new? And does it all even make sense?

A soldier finds a magic tinderbox, and when he learns of its true power, he looks to use it to win over the local princess.

It is the young Christian Tafdrup's (Tafdrup himself) greatest wish to become a real film director. He joins the reputable company Zentropa, where he is even lucky enough to meet the famous Lars von Trier (von Trier himself), who does not have many positive words for Tafdrup. Tafdrup tells aspiring young women that he is actually a director, and he therefore gets them to show up for auditions

Danish theater production from 1985. Per Olov Enquist wrote this chamber play about three cultural figures from Danish history. H.C. Andersen, who tries to gain favor with the cultural elite, the powerful theater director Johan Ludvig Heiberg, and his wife, the actress Johanne Louise Heiberg. Like the poet, Mrs. Heiberg also comes from a poor background and has stubbornly fought her way up the social ladder. The recording is from the Royal Theater's production.

Martin has just returned home from Africa and meets Lis at an anti-nuclear demonstration. They begin a relationship, but it is disrupted by his memories of the war. Martin seeks out his old group from the war, but the others are unwilling to talk about the past.

An intimate portrait of Syrian actor Fares Helou, who calls for freedom of speech, is forced out of his home country and experiences the absurdities of exiled existence, told by Syrian director Rami Farah, who films - and shares - his struggle.

Claudius is a journalist who loses his job and is in love with Dorte. Her father refuses to give his consent until Claudius finds a suitable job with a good salary. And then a lot happens! At breakneck speed and with insane obstacles - where, among others, the Danish-American Miss Thomson - with African masks and tomato cocktails as her specialty - plays a decisive role. Of course, everything turns out for the best - and Claudius gets his Dorte.

Ersilla arrives almost lifeless when she seeks out the famous writer Ludovico Nota at his boarding house. It quickly becomes apparent that she has turned to prostitution in despair after her fiancé Franco cheated on her.

Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale is told here as a digital theater piece. The visual point of departure is fashioned by découpages created by Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, who is also the narrator. The découpages serve to establish the mood around the story of the children, Kaj and Gerda. They consist of a countless number of clippings, which are subsequently subjected to the processes of computer animation and mixed with graphics, live actors and music into an unique fairy tale universe.

In 1950s Copenhagen, Jens is a law student with a part-time job in a law firm. He lives at home and is more or less engaged to Lis. Jens' life is very regular and organized until he meets slightly older Erhard, a head clerk at the firm. Erhard lures Jens into the mysterious city nightlife, and from now on, Jens' life changes. The engagement is broken off and his education is neglected.

Documentary on jazz giants Ben Webster and Dexter Gordon's 1962-76 European exile. Multiple film festival award winner. Director: Janus Køster-Rasmussen

The faux documentary broadcast surrounds the Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen and his secret homosexual lover, Emil until the Prime Minister is assassinated. The film uses archival footage, actors, and computer effects to portray the assassination.

Penelope and her best friend go for one last boozy ride to try to rekindle their failing relationship, but find out the alcohol is giving them nothing but trouble. Dazed and confused, she run into a mysterious figure who shows up with an extreme solution. Now penelope must stand up for herself, and reconnect with her old friend if she is to once again see the light of day.

A train pulls into Copenhagen Central Station, and 16-year-old Dorte gets off. She needs to find some people on a road somewhere near Svanemøllen. Here, in a beautiful villa, lives Asger Haensen, a director who runs a large company in Copenhagen. He lives with his two children, Margot and Steen. Asger Haensen lives a superficial and overly expensive life—among other things, he has an expensive girlfriend. In the evening, the doorbell rings at the director's house. Outside stands Dorte with a letter that must be delivered to him personally. The letter reveals that Dorte is the result of a small youthful mistake on the part of the director. So Dorte stays in the house. Dorte does not quite fit into the elegant home. But she is feisty—and brings life to the house!

The Ship that Changed the World is a historical drama about the birth of the world's first ocean-going diesel-powered ship Selandia. A groundbreaking invention that changed the world forever. The film shows Selandia and the creators receiving worldwide acclaim. But for two of them success was short-lived. They died under mysterious circumstances shortly after the maiden voyage of Selandia. On the brink of the World War, and with Germany and England showing great interest in this invention, is it too farfetched to believe that these deaths were more than coincidental. - Written by Michael Schmidt-Olsen

Julia and Johanna, from the high-rise flats of Rosengård in Malmö, inseparable for as long as they remember. Curled up beside each other at night, carrying equal memories of abduction and abuse in their home country Azerbaijan. In Blood Sisters we follow their journey from twin sisters in symbiosis to young women trying to stand on their own feet.

Between Christmas and New Year's Eve 2022, it will be 30 years since Danish comedians first took to the stage to raise money for children in vulnerable situations.

A confrontational and friendly judge gets in trouble when his wife is trying to arouse his jealousy of her long-term relationship with their mutual friend Chief Klausen. Superintendent and is still convinced that he strives against his life. At the same time the judge's chess friend Lise not stand that he was not hitting on her. All intricacies rubs judge with a serious time hay fever

The stubborn and reclusive Kresten Flint lives alone on "Flintegården" with his daughter, Else, who is kind-hearted but not quite normal. One day, the young farmer Jesper Poulsen arrives to propose to Else. His girlfriend has let him down, so he comes with honest intentions—to be good to Else and get the farm back on its feet. Else gives birth to twins, two boys, Viggo and Martin, but she dies in childbirth, leaving Jesper alone with his two boys. Viggo and Martin grow up to be two handsome men who are also inseparable friends—until they fall in love with the same girl...

In the spring of 2002, six of Denmark's best stand-up comedians joined forces under the name Den Ægte Vare. The goal was to show the audience six different styles in the original form of stand-up - completely stripped of “borrowed” jokes and clap-friendly song numbers. Through 24 shows, Varen delivered the goods in sold-out theaters across the country. The tour ended with 3 nights in the circus building, and this recording is the first of these shows.

Harald has grown up in an alternative church movement and the day has come for his confirmation ritual. But what the head of the church doesn't know is that he has a secret, which could be devastating for his entry into the family.

Franco lives in a rough part of Copenhagen. His hooker mother has little time for him. Franco drifts into a life of crime, repeatedly confronting the authorities. To give him a new start, he’s placed in a foster home far away from Copenhagen. His new family greets him with warm hospitality. There’s also the beautiful countryside and, last but not least, the teen-aged daughter

Cirkusrevyen 2022 looks back on the past year with powerful satire and entertainment in a class of its own. Experience Merete Mærkedahl's parody of the prime minister, Pernille Schrøder as Pia Kjærsgaard, and Niels Olsen, Henrik Lykkegaard, and Carsten Svendsen as three eager cyclists who 'fill the whole road'. Cirkusrevyen is a festive extravaganza of sharp and funny lyrics, beautiful dance numbers, and a talented house orchestra. This year's revue ends with a beautiful tribute to Lisbet Dahl, who has directed the revue in the tent for the last time.

18-year-old Vibeke Henningsen is a student at a large modern school for girls and boys. She is an only child, and her parents, who are both self-employed, have not devoted the necessary time to Vibeke's upbringing. She was born with a combative and difficult character, and when she is demoted from 12th grade to 11th grade after a probationary period, she directs her hatred toward the school's most beloved teacher, Associate Professor Poulsen, whom she directly accuses of refusing to allow her to continue in 12th grade.

As Viktor Orbán dismantles Hungary’s democratic institutions, three women—a journalist, a politician, and a nurse—work tirelessly to fight for their country’s soul. A chilling exposé of far-right nationalism and an inspirational beacon of resistance.