Thomas Vinterberg is reteaming with Tobias Lindholm, his co-scripter on "Submarino", for his new drama "The Hunt", a disturbing depiction of how a lie becomes the thuth when gossip, doubt and malice are allowed to flourish. The film starts shooting on 4 November through to 21 December.
"The Hunt" takes place in a small Danish town just before Christmas. 40-year-old Lucas is finally coming to grips with his life. He has a new girlfriend, a new job and is slowly rebuilding his relationship with his teenage son Marcus. But something goes wrong. Not a lot. Just a small comment here, a random lie there. As the snow falls and the Christmas candles are lit, the lie spreads throughout the small community wich suddenly finds itself in a state of collective hysteria.
Mads Mikkelsen, who was announced last week as recipient of the European Film Academy's honorary award in December, will play the lead as Lucas. The cast also includes Susse Wold, Thomas Bo Larsen and Lars Ranthe ("A Funny Man").
"The Hunt" is produced by Morten Kaufmann, Vinterberg's producer on "Submarino", and Sisse Graum Jørgensen, producer of Susanne Bier's Oscar winner "In a Better World".
Zentropa steers the production which is backed with financing from the Danish Film Institute and the national broadcaster DR. Co-producers include Zentropa International Sweden and Film i Väst with support from the Swedish Film Institute and Sweden's Television, and the film is supported by Nordic Film & TV Fund, Eurimages and the EU MEDIA progamme. International sales are handled by TrustNordisk.
Domestic release for "The Hunt" is expected at the end of 2012.
About Thomas Vinterberg
Born 1969, Denmark. Graduate of the National Film School of Denmark, 1993. 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 Special Prize of the Jury at Cannes, and his two English-language films that followed, "It's All About Love" (2003) and "Dear Wendy" (2005), were selected for Sundance. The comedy "When a Man Comes Home" (2007) was Vinterberg's first film in Danish since his pivotal "The Celebration". "Submarino" (2010) was selected for Berlin's main competition and won the Nordic Council Film Prize 2010. Releases 2012: "The Hunt".