PRESENTS THE SALVATION A FILM BY KRISTIAN LEVRING FILM FESTIVALS 2014 CANNES FILM FESTIVAL 2014 CHICAGO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2014 LONDON FILM FESTIVAL 2014 CANBERRA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2014 TALLGRASS FILM FESTIVAL 93 MIN / DENMARK / U.K. / SOUTH AFRICA / COLOUR / 2014 / ENGLISH / DANISH Distribution Publicity Bonne Smith Star PR 1028 Queen Street West Tel: 416-488-4436 Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M6J 1H6 Fax: 416-488-8438 Tel: 416-516-9775 Fax: 416-516-0651 E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] www.mongrelmedia.com High res stills may be downloaded from http://www.mongrelmedia.com SYNOPSIS The mighty Mads Mikkelsen unleashes a maelstrom of bloodshed in the Wild West in this white-knuckle tale of revenge. When he lays waste to the scoundrels who killed his wife and son, a Danish ex-soldier (Mikkelsen) incurs the wrath of a sadistic gang leader hell-bent on hunting him down. Exploding with eye-popping action, dazzlingly dramatic frontier landscapes, and a smoldering performance by Eva Green, The Salvation is a rip- roaring, blood-spattered saga of sin and redemption. DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT Ever since I was a child I have loved Westerns. Making THE SALVATION was like reliving my childhood imagination of a world that in every sense of the word was far away from my life. THE SALVATION is a tribute to the classic American Western. In filmic terms the Western is archaic. There have been many times that I’ve asked myself why I wanted to go back to a genre that some call dead? The simple answer is that John Ford, Sergio Leone, Akira Kurosawa are some of my biggest heroes. To be allowed to make a film in the genre where they excelled has been like a hallucinatory dream. The majority of people who survived in the ‘Wild West’ were European immigrants. These people had fled from wars or poverty in the hope of making a new life. The Wild West’s history is also our history. It’s a tale about people who no longer had a viable life in Europe. People who left their roots to join the birth of a nation. To imagine how life was fought in this new world makes you think. How do you build an existence in a world without law and order? Which mechanisms are triggered when there is no help to get anywhere? A family killed, brothers killed, the strength of a man, the sufferance of a man & a time for vengeance. Bad men will bleed in a Nordic saga and so they would in an American Western… I wanted THE SALVATION to tell a tale of revenge and survival in a mythical landscape. Filming in waste barren landscapes has always been my favorite element. There is an almost meditative fascination that builds while waiting for the light to cast the desired shadow on a hill. Recreating dust storms or torrential rain are some of the childish pleasures that transcend this kind of filmmaking, I have to admit that I have enjoyed every second of it. Let’s never forget the actors. No matter how distilled down the dialog and characters are, they are always the ones that the director leans on to bring life to his tale. In the making of THE SALVATION I have been blessed with the privilege of working with some of the most talented of their trade. I am deeply grateful to them all. CAST BIOGRAPHIES MADS MIKKELSEN, Jon Internationally acclaimed and multi-award winning actor Mads Mikkelsen is among the most prolific, accomplished and in demand actors working today. As versatile as he is striking, Mikkelsen has embodied everything from war hero, pianist, schoolteacher, Viking and gangster to stylish mass murderer. Recently, Mads Mikkelsen starred in back-to-back Academy Award and Golden Globe nominees for Best Foreign Picture; first he played the lead role of Johann Friedrich Struensee in Nikolaj Arcel’s double Golden Bear-winning, 2012 nominated historical drama, A ROYAL AFFAIR; the following year, he starred in the Cannes and European Film Award winner, and 2013 nominee, THE HUNT by Thomas Vinterberg – a performance that earned him the Cannes Best Actor award. Mads Mikkelsen made his silver screen debut in Nicolas Winding Refn’s PUSHER (1996). They continued their collaboration with 1999’s BLEEDER, 2004’s PUSHER II and 2009’s VALHALLA RISING. Around the same time, Mikkelsen had his television breakthrough with a leading role in the Emmy Award-winning Danish drama series UNIT ONE, which ran from 2000 to 2004. In 2002 he also starred in Oscar-winner Susanne Bier’s critically acclaimed Dogme contribution OPEN HEARTS. 2006 marked their second collaboration on the Danish Academy Award nominee AFTER THE WEDDING. Aside from his landmark dramatic roles, Mikkelsen has also showcased his comedic talents with leading roles in Anders Thomas Jensen’s FLICKERING LIGHTS (2000), THE GREEN BUTCHERS and ADAM’S APPLES. Mikkelsen and Jensen will reunite for another darkly comic collaboration in the latter’s MEN AND CHICKENS, slated for a 2015 release. Mikkelsen’s international career began with his role in KING ARTHUR (2004), soon followed by his international breakthrough as 007-villain Le Chiffre in CASINO ROYALE (2006). Since then, Mikkelsen has appeared in several significant roles in international feature films such as COCO CHANEL AND IGOR STRAVINSKY (2009); CLASH OF THE TITANS (2010); THE THREE MUSKETEERS (2011); and the eponymous starring role in the 2013 Palme D’Or nominee AGE OF UPRISING: The Legend of Michael Kohlhaas. In 2011, Mads Mikkelsen was awarded the prestigious European Film Award for Achievement in World Cinema in recognition of his unique contribution to the world of film by the European Film Academy. In one of his most distinct and celebrated roles yet, Mikkelsen currently stars in the iconic role of Hannibal Lecter on NBC’s HANNIBAL (2013-), Bryan Fuller’s critically acclaimed television adaptation of Thomas Harris’ novels. Next year, he will be lending his voice to KUNG FU PANDA 3, joining an all-star voice cast including Jack Black, Angelina Jolie and Bryan Cranston. EVA GREEN, Madelaine Described by Bernardo Bertolucci as "so beautiful it's indecent," Eva Green is one of the most intriguing actresses working today. Born in Paris, Green’s early stage career included her 2002 Moliere-nominated turn in JALOUSIE EN TROIS FAX, directed by Didier Long. Soon after, she made her screen debut in Bertolucci's critically acclaimed THE DREAMERS (2003), where she played the lead role of Isabelle. The film set against the backdrop of the ’68 Paris student riots, also starred Michael Pitt and Louis Garrel. In 2005, Green was introduced to Hollywood audiences in Ridley Scott’s KINGDOM OF HEAVEN as the female lead, starring opposite Orlando Bloom and Liam Neeson. This was followed by her memorable role as Vesper Lynd in the highly successful James Bond feature CASINO ROYALE. Directed by Martin Campbell, the film introduced Daniel Craig in the role of 007 and Vesper as the character’s first, great love interest. Other high profile roles followed, including parts in Chris Weitz’s THE GOLDEN COMPASS (2007). Eva played Serafina Pekkala, the queen of the witches, alongside Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig and Dakota Blue-Richards. In 2011 Eva starred as Susan opposite Ewan Mcgregor in David Mckenzie¹s PERFECT SENSE. 2012 saw Eva star in Tim Burton’s DARK SHADOWS, opposite an all star cast including Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter. Eva also played lead character Miss G in CRACKS (2009) directed by Jordan Scott and also starring Imogen Poots and Juno Temple. Eva played Rebecca alongside Matt Smith and Lesley Manville in WOMB (2010) and starred in Gerald McMorrow’s FRANKLYN (2008). This film also featuring Sam Riley and Ryan Philippe. Eva’s most prominent television credit saw her star as Morgan in CAMELOT (2011), an epic television adaption of the classic Arthurian legend. The 10 part series aired in the UK on Channel 4 and was a big hit for Starz in the US. More recently, Green starred with Shailene Woodley in the thriller WHITE BIRD IN A BLIZZARD (2014), which recently premiered at this year’s Sundance Festival. In March she played the lead in 300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE (2014) Green will next be seen in Showtime TV-series Penny Dreadful, premiering in May, which also stars Timothy Dalton and Josh Hartnett. In August she will be appear in Robert Rodriguez’ SIN CITY: A DAME TO KILL FOR, as part of an all-star ensemble including Josh Brolin, Mickey Rourke and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. JEFFREY DEAN MORGAN, Delarue Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s charisma, undeniable charm and versatility have landed him a variety of prestigious films working alongside a number of award-winning actors and filmmakers. Having worked nonstop in back-to-back features the past few years, Morgan has captured the attention of Hollywood and has emerged as one of the industry’s most sought-after leading men. Morgan is currently on location shooting DESIERTO with Gael García Bernal for director Jonás Cuarón and recently completed filming the supernatural thriller SOLACE (2014) opposite Sir Anthony Hopkins and Colin Farrell. In 2012 he starred in PEACE, LOVE & MISUNDERSTANDING alongside Catherine Keener, Jane Fonda and Elizabeth Olsen for director Bruce Beresford. He also starred with Kyra Sedgwick in the thriller THE POSSESSION (2012) for producer Sam Raimi and in the reboot of the 1984 action movie RED DAWN. In 2011 Morgan starred with Sam Worthington, Chloe Moretz and Jessica Chastain in the murder mystery THE TEXAS KILLING FIELDS directed by Ami Canaan Mann and produced by Michael Mann. Prior to that Morgan starred in the Warner Bros.