Mads Mikkelsen on the red carpet in Berlin

BERLIN 2012. Nikolaj Arcel and Zentropa's "A Royal Affair" is selected for Competition in Berlin. Mads Mikkelsen is back in his first Danish role in years as Struensee in a highly dramatic story of Denmark of the 1770s.

Nikolaj Arcel's "A Royal Affair", based on the dramatic story of love and politics between King Christian VII, his English queen Caroline Mathilde and the king's physician Struensee, is selected for Competition at the Berlin International Film Festival. The film will enjoy its world premiere on Thursday, 16 February, in the Berlinale Palast.

"A Royal Affair" features two of Scandinavia's hottest names, with Mads Mikkelsen in the role of Struensee and Alicia Vikander as the young headstrong queen in a risky and fatal love story. A man of Enlightenment, Struensee arrives at the Danish court as the deranged king's physician. He soon becomes the king's confidant and the unofficial regent of Denmark, introducing reforms and diminishing the power of the aristocracy. But it's only a matter of time before the conservative powers regain control. The consequences prove tragic for Struensee and his lover Caroline Mathilde.

Playing King Christian VII is newcomer Mikkel Boe Følsgaard, and other main actors include Trine Dyrholm ("In a Better World"), David Dencik, Cyron Melville and Thomas Gabrielsson.

"A Royal Affair", shot on location in the Czech Republic, is produced by Louise Vesth, Sisse Graum Jørgensen and Meta Louise Foldager for Zentropa. TrustNordisk handles international sales. Domestic release is set for 29 March.

Already selected for Berlin is Simon Staho's feisty youth musical "Love Is in the Air" which will be competing in the youth section Generation 14plus. Read Simon Staho off to Berlin

About Nikolaj Arcel

Arcel made his feature debut with "King's Game" (2004), a boxoffice hit for Arcel and co-writer Rasmus Heisterberg who have collaborated on all Arcel's films, which include the children's action adventure "Island of Lost Souls" (2007) and his satirical profiling of a generation of men shrinking from big commitments, "Truth about Men" (2010) with Thure Lindhardt.

Arcel and Heisterberg also scripted Niels Arden Oplev's international co-production "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" (2009), the original Swedish adaptation of Stieg Larsson's Millennium trilogy. Arcel (born 1972) is a graduate of the National Film School of Denmark from 2001.

Follow Danish films in Berlin on our festival website dfi.dk/berlin