‘Speak No Evil’ Review: A Queasily Effective Danish Horror Film on the Discomfort of Strangers

Leo Barraclough International Features EditorCopenhagen Intl. Documentary Film Festival, which runs March 21-April 3, has revealed the lineup for its international financing and co-production event CPH:FORUM.Women are taking central stage in the lineup both as characters and storytellers, and the Forum will feature new projects by Jialing Zhang (“One Child Nation”), Ilinca Calugareanu (“Chuck Norris vs.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentOne of Scandinavia’s leading film distributors, Scanbox Entertainment is changing ownership with a new board including CEO Thor Sigurjonsson. The company was bought back from Scanbox Chairman Joni Sighvatsson. New owners include COO Kim William Beich, commercial director Torben Thorup Jorgensen, and producer Chris Briggs.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentNordic streamer Viaplay is partnering with filmmaker Mikael Håfström to produce the ambitious period film “Stockholm Bloodbath.” The female-led epic adventure movie will mark the service’s second English-language film original, following Oscar-nominated helmer Lasse Hallström’s biopic “Hilma,” which will premiere later this year.Set in 1520, “Stockholm Bloodbath” explores a dark chapter in Sweden’s history, which saw the infamous massacre of nearly 100 nobles and civilians in the Swedish capital. The story is told through the eyes of Anne and her foster sister Freja as they seek revenge on the men who murdered their family at Anne’s wedding.

COPENHAGEN, Denmark -- An appeals court in Denmark has increased the fine imposed on a newspaper for violating the copyright of Copenhagen's The Little Mermaid statue by publishing a cartoon depicting the bronze landmark as a zombie and a photo of it with a facemask.The Berlingske newspaper published the cartoon in 2019 to illustrate an article about the debate culture in Denmark and used the photo in 2020 to represent a link between the far right and people fearing COVID-19.Both were found to be infringements of the Danish Copyright Act. Copenhagen’s district court fined the newspaper 285,000 kroner ($44,000) in November 2020.

Komplizen Film, the German indie run by Janine Jackowski, Maren Ade and Jonas Dornbach, has joined The Creatives, an alliance of independent production companies that has a three-year partnership for developing and funding series with Fremantle.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief“Yanagawa,” which this week won the top prize at the Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinemas in France, has been set as the opening title of the 17th Osaka Asian Film Festival in Japan. The festival, which runs as an in-person event, March 10-20, 2022 will close with multinational co-production “Miss Osaka.”Yanagawa, was directed by Korean-Chinese auteur Zhang Lu, and was filmed in China and Japan.

A number of films have been nominated for International Film (previously known as Foreign Film) and Documentary Feature, but none have earned nods in those categories and Animated Feature. That is until today when Jonas Poher Rasmussen pulled off that remarkable feet with “Flee.” Denmark’s submission to the Academy Awards is also the first documentary to earn an Animated Feature nomination in the 20 year history of the award.

Alissa Simon Film CriticDanish debut feature helmer-writer Tea Lindeburg’s period drama “As In Heaven,” that portrays a fateful summer day and night in 19th century farming society, came away the biggest winner at the 44th Göteborg Film Festival, scoring on Saturday the best Nordic film kudo, this year worth approx. $44,000.Meanwhile, Seidi Haarla of Finland’s Oscar-shortlisted drama, “Compartment No.

EXCLUSIVE: Freestyle Digital Media has acquired North American rights to Double Play, the latest feature from award-winning filmmaker Ernest Dickerson (DMZ, Juice). The digital film distribution division of Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group/Entertainment Studios will release the film, based on Curaçaoan author Frank Martinus Arion’s internationally acclaimed Dutch-language novel Dubbelspel, on digital and VOD platforms on February 22.

Bas van der Ree has been elected chairman of the Association of Film Commissioners International, becoming the first European to chair the organization in more than a decade. Van der Ree, who has been the Netherlands Film Commissioner since 2014 when the nation’s film production incentive was launched, previously served as AFCI’s 1st vice chair.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentHigh profile Danish playwright Christian Lollike spoke to Variety about his feature film debut “The Cake Dynasty” at the Goteborg Festival’s Nordic Film Market. Lollike is presenting the movie in the market’s work-in-progress sidebar.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentAnders Klarlund’s Nordic noir feature “The Last Client” with “Borgen” star Signe Egholm Olsen has been acquired by international sales and aggregation outfit LevelK. The thriller, produced by Morten Rasmussen (“Held for Ransom,” “White Sands”) at well-established Danish banner Deluca Film AS, revolves around the intense relationship between a psychotherapist and her dangerous new client. The strong cast is headlined by Egholm Olsen and Anton Hjejle (“Liberty”).“The Last Client” was written by Anders Klarlund and Jacob Weinreich, the creative duo known as A.

John Hopewell Chief International CorrespondentIcelandic smash hit drama series “Blackport” won on Wednesday the 2022 Nordisk Film & TV Prize, Scandinavia’s top plaudit for drama series writing.The award was announced on site at the end of an intense first day of conference panels at the Göteborg Festival’s TV Drama Vision, with two of the series’ three writers, Gísli Örn Garðarsson and Mikael Torfason on stage to collect the Nordic TV Drama Screenplay Award, carrying a €20,000 ($22,600) cash prize. They were accompanied by producer Nina Dögg Filippusdóttir.

The UK government has forged a £21M ($28M) Global Screen Fund to help build the nation’s reputation for independent film internationally.

Everton supporters are revelling at the prospect of seeing Donny van de Beek in action at Goodison Park.

A woman has tragically been killed by a fallen tree in Aberdeen amid gale-force winds during Storm Malik.

Annika Pham Scandinavia’s leading sales outfit TrustNordisk has beefed up its Nordic film slate with the culinary doc “Nordic By Nature,” about the world’s most remote food destination – the two-star Michelin restaurant Koks in the Faroe Islands.The Danish film “Nordic By Nature” has already opened up festivals and audiences’ appetites, world premiering at San Sebastian and segueing to the Newport Beach Film Fest where the pic won an Audience Award for best culinary film.In his second doc in a Michelin Star series after “Michelin Stars – Tales from the Kitchen,” director Rasmus Dinesen captures the poetic mind of the young Faroese chef Poul Andrias Ziska, and his connection to the rugged local natural habitat and ancient traditions. “’We are excited to represent this fascinating film which gives us a unique and tasteful insight into the exquisite world of fine dining, and we look forward to bringing it to the global audience,” said TrustNordisk managing director Susan Wendt.TrustNordisk has a full slate of Nordic delights at the hybrid Göteborg Film Festival and parallel Nordic Film Market.On the heels of its Sundance world premiere, Christian Tafdrup’s psycho horror “Speak No Evil” will receive a market screening.

The 72nd Berlin International Film Festival has confirmed its various juries, including who will be joining M. Night Shyamalan to award the International Competition prizes.

2021 Oscar winner Emerald Fennell (Promising Young Woman) has set up her second feature as a director with MRC Film, with production expected to kick off this summer.