The star of the film is Mads Mikkelsen, who plays a warrior of supernatural strength, a misfit, by the name of One-Eye, a man who journeys to a fabled land where he discovers his true self. "I'm convinced that with Mads Mikkelsen in the leading role, we see here the makings of a new type of action hero, multi-facetted, austere and iconic," says executive producer Thorrir Sigurjónsson, talking to Kulturplakaten.dk — an internet site for Danish culture.
This is a return visit to Venice for Refn. His feature film, the dark and emotionally engaging "Bleeder" also screened at Venice.
"Valhalla Rising" will also appear at Toronto International Film Festival in September, in the prestigious Special Presentation programme.
Much courted by the international press this year, Refn has already seen the successful release in Britain and in France of his cinematic tornado, the British production "Bronson", which screened at Sundance and was commended by critics for actor Tom Hardy's brilliant performance.
International sales for "Valhalla Rising" are handled by Wild Bunch. Domestic distribution in Scandinavia is handled by Scanbox Film Distribution, in France by Wildside and in Great Britain by Vertigo. The film is scheduled for release in Danish cinemas in March 2010.
"Valhalla Rising" is produced by Johnny Andersen, Bo Ehrhardt and Henrik Danstrup with co-producer Karen Smyth for Nimbus Film Productions ApS, One Eye Production, La Belle Allee Productions Ltd, Scanbox Entertainment A/S and Blind Eye Productions, Scotland. The film is supported by the Danish Film Institute as well as Scottish Screen, the BBC, Glasgow Film Office, and the Dumfries and Galloway Council.
For interviews with Nicolas Winding Refn, please contact producer Bo Ehrhardt +45 2627 1110, bo@nimbusfilm.dk