Danish Films IDFA ISSUE 2014
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DANISH FILMS / idfa ISSUE 2014 FILMS / idfa DANISH Danish FILMs IDFA ISSUE 2014 FILM is published by the Danish Film Institute FILM is published by the Danish Film Institute The Look of Silence Warriors from the North Something Joshua Oppenheimer revisits Indonesia’s Young Somali Danes in holy war. Why? Better genocide, this time telling the story from the victims’ perspective. Good Things Await to Come In defense of slow farming. Hanna Polak sends the message that Democrats you can be a success as a human being Camilla Nielsson follows the bumpy road The Newsroom – Off the Record even if you are living in a landfill. to Zimbabwe’s new constitution. A fly-on-the-wall of a struggling industry. FILM is the Danish Film Institute’s international festival magazine, issued prior to the festivals in Berlin, Cannes and Amsterdam. FILM includes a comprehensive catalogue in the reverse section. DANISH FILMS HOLDING A MIRROR The Look of Silence sees Joshua Oppenheimer back in uncharted territory. While IDFA ISSUE 2014 8 The Act of Killing took a surreal look at Indonesia’s genocide through the imagination FILM Digital Issue is the Danish Film Institute’s Published by the Danish Film Institute TO HORROR of the killers, his follow-up tells the victims’ story through a young optician boldly online release bringing articles on new films, a catalogue confronting the men who killed his brother – and who are still in power. Editors section and useful information about people and Susanna Neimann (SN) Annemarie Hørsman (AH) companies. Editorial team FILM Digital Issue: www.dfi.dk/film Lars Fiil-Jensen (LFJ) Anders Budtz-Jørgensen (ABJ) Jan Fredslund (JF) Support: Nynne Østergaard (NØ) The Danish Film Institute is the national agency that supports and encourages Danish film and DFI Festival team Anne Marie Kürstein cinema culture. Translations Glen Garner Design HUMAN BEAUTY IN A LANDFILL ON THE ROAD TO DEMOCRACY WARRIORS FROM THE NORTH Rasmus Koch Studio For 14 years Hanna Polak has been tracking A rare chemistry emerged between Camilla Søren Steen Jespersen and Nasib Farah Art Direction 16 20 24 homeless children in Moscow. Now the Nielsson and the protagonists of Democrats, provide a unique window into a world where Pernille Volder Lund Polish director is presenting the fruit of her two former political foes united by their young Somali Danes are willing to die for Type labour, Something Better to Come. efforts to write Zimbabwe’s new constitution. the terrorist organisation al-Shabaab. Holton, Swift, Akzidenz Paper MultiDesign White Printed by Centertryk A GOOD PLACE TO BE A TRANS BOY BECOMES A MAN 04 NEWS & NOTES I Circulation 28 Phie Ambo goes to bat for sustainable 37 Elvira Lind’s Songs for Alexis acts as a 2,500 agriculture in Good Things Await about a magnifying glass on youthful vulnerability. 47 NEWS & NOTES II farmer fighting to run his farm biodynamically. ISSN 1399-2813 (print version) DOUBLE ARMS DEALING 48 NEWS & NOTES III ISSN 1903-7511 (online version) THE FUTURE OF NEWSPAPERS 40 Andreas Koefoed’s The Arms Drop is a real- 30 Mikala Krogh is a fly on the wall for a whole life thriller about betrayal and forgiveness. 50 DANISH CO-PRODUCTIONS Cover Something Better to Come year at a Danish tabloid in The Newsroom Photo: Hanna Polak – Off the Record. THE HIDDEN WAR CRIME 51 DANISH FILMS AT IDFA FORUM 42 Katia F. Petersen and Annette Mari Olsen Danish Film Institute A CIRCUS LOVE STORY view a taboo in Mission Rape – A Tool of War. Gothersgade 55 34 A budding romance between two circus DK-1123 Copenhagen K heirs fuels the drama of Anders Riis- YOUNG LIVES IN MOTION + CATALOGUE T +45 3374 3400 Hansen’s The Circus Dynasty. 44 Simon L. Wilmont’s The Fencing Champion and Lea H. Mathiesen’s Malek Means Angel REVERSE SECTION www.dfi.dk/english follow two children on the cusp of youth. 2 FILM | IDFA Issue 2014 FILM | IDFA Issue 2014 Category news & notes to work in Afghan courts. What was initially a financially driven Films for Change News & Notes working personal decision has quickly Zentropa developed into an obligation Photo: There is no shortage of global crises to confront these towards the underdeveloped days: climate change, epidemics, war, terror threats, for Afghan legal system. But time is poverty, refugees streaming across borders. As citizens running out. Nobody knows what of the world we see these things every day, in person will happen in Afghanistan when Olmo & the Seagull Phie Ambo afghan the last international troops leave. or through the ubiquitous media. Or when the risk will be too high Photo: justice for Kimberley to stay in the country But even if we sometimes despair at the disastrous and continue her work for justice. direction the world is headed, there is optimism to be NEW FILM. Afghan Justice is the Afghan Justice is directed by Nicole found in the work of smart, visionary documentarians. story of Kimberley Motley who left N. Horanyi (Au Pair, The Devilles) Songs from the Soil her husband and three children and is produced by Helle Faber for At least that’s my thought looking at the Danish line- in America to work as a defence Made in Copenhagen. The film was up for this year’s film festival in Amsterdam. Take lawyer in Kabul. She is the only pitched at last year’s IDFA Forum “Danish” with a grain of salt. These are international foreign lawyer, not to mention the and is expected to release in spring documentaries, in their themes, funding and the only woman, who has a license 2015. NØ creative teams behind them. reenactments, Olmo & the Seagull is a hybrid film with roots in classical Once again, we marvel at the courage and dedication Life With theatre performance. The two actors of documentary filmmakers depicting a slice of the are themselves but at the same time world. But for many of them, depicting isn’t enough. dramatising their feelings about A Child life with a child. At first, the couple They deeply want to make the world a better place. Afghan Justice. Framegrab by lingering on things that don’t is delighted. But the months of Here are just a few examples: normally get our attention, for NEW FILM. Olmo & the Seagull Olivia’s pregnancy unfold as a rite Songs instance the combination of colours by Lea Glob (Denmark) and Petra of passage for Olivia who has to In The Look of Silence, the sequel to The Act of Killing about on a yellow and black snail shell, an Costa (Brazil) is an existential confront her inner demons and deeply orange reflection in a lake alongside the 1965-66 Indonesian genocide, Joshua Oppenheimer journey into a woman’s mind during seated fears while slowly trying to from bright green duckweed, a red wants to show – in human, intimate terms – how the nine months of her pregnancy. put together a new philosophy of life earthworm pulling out of black soil,” The collaboration between the and love. necessary truth and reconciliation are in a society the Soil says the director, adding: “I wanted two directors began in 2012 with Lea Glob won a Gold Panda built on terror and lies. to break out of my own concepts CPH:DOX’s international talent Award for Most Innovative of ‘real’ dramaturgy and get to a programme DOX:LAB. Documentary at the Sichuan TV NEW FILM. As she was making more sensual, and perhaps truer, Camilla Nielsson spent more than three years making Festival in China for her graduation her new film Good Things Await, description of nature changing her film Democrats, a unique look at the efforts to write For the past 10 years Olivia has been film Meeting My Father Kasper Top about an idealistic farmer working over time.” an actress with the famous Théâtre Hat. Olmo & the Seagull is her first a new constitution and establish a modern democracy according to biodynamic principles The renowned vocal group du Soleil company, where she met feature. Petra Costa’s first short film, in Zimbabwe. In Warriors from the North Søren Steen (read page 28), Phie Ambo was Theatre of Voices, singing Jóhan her boyfriend Serge, who is also her Undertow Eyes, screened at MoMA Jespersen and Nasib Farah shine a light on what inspired to create an experimental Jóhannsson’s expressive choral acting partner. Part Italian diva, part and won awards at several festivals. piece, Songs from the Soil, depicting work in Good Things Await, are also drives young Somali-Danish men to go fight a holy war. punk rocker, Olivia has been used Her feature Elena, which premiered nature’s transformations over the lending their voices to Songs from to being the centre of attention her at IDFA, was the most watched course of a year in images and the Soil, performing music by Arvo whole life. That abruptly changes documentary in Brazil in 2013. None of these films offer unequivocal answers or easy music only. Pärt. Ambo’s “visual poem,” as the when she’s 34 and finds out she’s Olmo & the Seagull is produced by solutions. That’s their strength. They provide nuanced “I wanted to see how far I could director calls her film, premieres at pregnant. Charlotte Pedersen for Zentropa. The and conscientious cinematic depictions of complex take a story that exclusively works CPH:DOX 2014 accompanied by a Translating this emotionally charged film world premieres at CPH:DOX in an associative way with images live performance by Theatre of Voices issues, and invite the audience to think for themselves. time in the couple’s life into dramatic 2014.