"Sorrow and Joy" by Nils Malmros is off to the Rome Film Festival, running 8-17 November. Announcing part of its line-up today, 14 October, the festival has selected Malmros' film as one of around 16 world premieres competing for the prestigious Golden Marc'Aurelio award.
"Sorrow and Joy", Malmros' eleventh film, tells the story of Johannes, a film director, and his wife Signe, a schoolteacher, who experience the biggest sorrow and misfortune one can ever imagine. Nevertheless, in the midst of all the hopelessness, they must reach out for each other and develop a deeper, more mature love in order to live on.
Jakob Cedergren and Helle Fagralid feature as the troubled couple. Cedergren was nominated for a European Film Award for his performance in Thomas Vinterberg's "Submarino" (2010) and won Best Actor at the two big national film fests, the Bodil and the Robert Awards, for his lead in "Terribly Happy" (2008). Helle Fagralid has a string of performances to her credit, recently in "The Killing III". Fagralid is soon to appear in Ole Bornedal's upcoming historical drama "1864".
"Sorrow and Joy" is written by Malmros and John Mogensen, and Thomas Heinesen has produced for Nordisk Film. International sales are handled by Trustnordisk. Domestic release is set for 14 November.
About Nils Malmros
Nils Malmros is considered one of Danish cinema's major auteurs. Displaying a strong autobiographical element, Malmros' films draw on the director's memories of growing up in the provincial town of Aarhus. His films are characterized by a unique psychological realism, often using amateur actors from the actual milieus he is depicting.
Malmros' breakthrough came with "Lars Ole 5c" (1973), followed by "Boys" (1977) and "The Tree of Knowledge" (1981), all considered classics in Danish cinema. Selected for competition in Berlin were "Beauty and the Beast" (1983), "Pain of Love" (1992) and "Barbara" (1997). Rome Film Festival 8-17 November 2013
