Thomas Vinterberg headed for Cannes

CANNES 2012. Mads Mikkelsen plays the lead in Thomas Vinterberg's "The Hunt" which has been selected for the main Competition in Cannes.

As the first Danish-language film in 14 years, Thomas Vinterberg's "The Hunt" is selected for the main Competition at the Cannes Film Festival. Vinterberg's drama will be one of the 20 films competing for the prestigious Palme d'Or.

A pleased Thomas Vinterberg comments:

"Naturally I am very proud on behalf of my co-writer Tobias Lindholm, the film and myself. It is a huge surprise and quite incomprehensible to have been able to make it through to one of the world's toughest competitions." 

"The Hunt" features Mads Mikkelsen in the lead. The cast includes Susse Wold, Thomas Bo Larsen, Lars Ranthe, Anne Louise Hassing and Bjarne Henriksen.

"The Hunt" takes place in a small rural town just before Christmas. Following a tough divorce, 40-year-old Lucas has a new girlfriend, a new job and is in the process of reestablishing his relationship with his teenage son, Marcus. But things go awry. Not a lot. Just a slight comment. A random lie. And as the snow falls and the Christmas lights are lit, the lie spreads like an invisible virus. The shock and mistrust gets out of hand, and the small community suddenly finds itself in a collective state of hysteria, while Lucas fights a lonely fight for his life and dignity.

Vinterberg co-scripted "The Hunt" with Tobias Lindholm. DP is Charlotte Bruus Christensen, and Anne Østerud and Janus Billeskov Jansen are editors. The film is produced by Morten Kaufmann and Sisse Graum Jørgensen for Zentropa. "The Hunt" is set for national release on 10 January 2013. International sales are handled by TrustNordisk. The film has received production support from the Danish Film Institute. 

Already selected for Cannes 2012 is the Danish short film "Slug Invasion", directed by Morten Helgeland, which will be showcased in Cinéfondation, the competition programme for film school films. The Cannes Festival has yet to announce the films in the remaining programmes.

About Thomas Vinterberg

Vinterberg was, together with Lars von Trier, Søren Kragh-Jacobsen and Kristian Levring, one of the four original Dogme brothers. Has received a score of awards at international festivals for his short films, the Academy Award-nominated "Last Round" (1993) and "The Boy Who Walked Backwards" (1993).

Vinterberg's international breakthrough "The Celebration" (1998), the first film released adhering to the Dogme concept, won the Jury Award in Cannes, and his two English-language films that followed, "It's All About Love" (2003) and "Dear Wendy" (2005), were selected for Sundance. In 2010 "Submarino" was selected for Berlin's main competition, and the film won the Nordic Council Film Prize. "The Hunt" is Vinterberg's seventh feature film.

Born 1969, Denmark. Graduate of the National Film School of Denmark 1993.


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