Refn and Gosling to Cannes

CANNES 2013. Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn is back in competition in Cannes with his Danish-produced "Only God Forgives", starring Ryan Gosling in the lead as a gangster in Bangkok's criminal underworld.

"Drive" brought Ryan Gosling and Nicolas Winding Refn together on the red carpet in Cannes in 2011, winning them the Best Director Award for their stylish neo-noir. Now the duo is bringing their second collaboration, the Danish-produced "Only God Forgives", to Cannes to compete for the Palme d'Or.

Set in Bangkok, "Only God Forgives" takes its audience into an intense, feverish world of Thai boxing, crime, revenge and justice. Ryan Gosling plays Julian who runs a Thai boxing club which serves as a cover for the family's drug trafficking operations. When his brother Billy (Tom Burke) is murdered, their mother Crystal (Kristin Scott Thomas) arrives in Bangkok to bring the body of her firstborn home to America – and to get Julian to avenge his dead brother. Soon, Julian is caught in a spiral of brutality, putting him in the spotlight at a notorious Bangkok sheriff (Vithaya Pansringarm) who practices his own brand of justice karma.

OGF_Behind_The_Scenes_005Ryan Gosling and Nicolas Winding Refn in Bangkok

"Only God Forgives" is written and directed by Nicolas Winding Refn. Producer is Lene Børglum for Danish production company Space Rocket Nation. The film is supported by the Danish Film Institute and is set for national release on 30 May.

Also in competition is Gudmundur Arnar Gudmundsson's Danish-Icelandic short film "Whale Valley". Read about the film and director.

Thomas Vinterberg head of Un Certain Regard

Danish director Thomas Vinterberg will serve as Un Certain Regard's jury president. Vinterberg's "The Hunt" won the Best Actor award to Mads Mikkelsen in 2012. Vinterberg's international breakthrough came in 1998 with "The Celebration", winner of the Jury Prize.

See Danish films in Cannes over the years