What Lies Between Us
Amalie Næsby Fick’s feature film What Lies Between Us will have its world premiere in Discovery, a programme showcasing emerging voices and filmmakers from around the world.
A small suburban community is shaken by an alleged sexual assault on a teenage boy, committed by two boys. When successful real estate agent Anne Sofie discovers that her son is more deeply involved than she initially thought, she must protect him and her family’s reputation – whatever the cost.
This puts her on a direct collision course with her longtime friend Sara and a third mother, Ulrikke, in a battle in which all three women fight to save themselves and their sons.
The screenplay is written by Sara Isabella Jønsson and Nikolaj Arcel. The film is produced by Louise Vesth for Zentropa and stars Sidse Babett Knudsen, Sofie Gråbøl and Asta August.
What Lies Between Us is supported by the Danish Film Institute and is also one of three films shortlisted by the Danish Oscar Committee in the race to become Denmark’s submission for the International Feature Film category.
Rescue
Sine Plambech’s documentary Rescue will have its world premiere in the prestigious TIFF Docs programme.
On a calm morning in the Mediterranean, a Médecins Sans Frontières rescue ship spots a sinking rubber boat. Among the refugees is Roro, a Yemeni mother travelling with her husband Hani, their two-month-old baby and their two young sons.
During the rescue operation, a Libyan militia intervenes. Roro and the children are abducted and taken back to Libya, while Hani is rescued and arrives in Europe alone. The family is thus separated across the Mediterranean. From Europe, Hani fights to be reunited with his family, while Roro struggles to survive in captivity, protect her children and find a way out of the system in which she is trapped.
Director and anthropologist Sine Plambech is a Senior Researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS) and Adjunct Assistant Professor at Barnard College, Columbia University in New York. Over many years of research, she has worked with migrant communities in Thailand, Nigeria, Italy and Denmark, among other countries.
Rescue is produced by Sofie Husum Johannesen and Andreas Dalsgaard for Elk Film with support from the Danish Film Institute.
Woman Unknown – From Venice to Toronto
May el-Toukhy’s Woman Unkown will have its North American premiere in Centrepiece, a programme presenting a broad range of new works by international filmmakers.
The film follows Marie, who in May 1945 is preparing for her summer wedding to an older, respected widower. For several years, she has worked in his household and cared for his daughter, and now a new life finally seems within reach. But beneath the seemingly idyllic surface lies a secret that could shatter her dream. The closer Marie comes to being exposed, the higher the price she is willing to pay to keep her past hidden.
With Woman Unknown, May el-Toukhy returns to psychological drama, turning her attention to the women who, following Denmark’s liberation in 1945, were branded and condemned to a life of shame.
May el-Toukhy’s previous feature, Queen of Hearts, won the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival and the Nordic Council Film Prize, as well as Robert and Bodil awards in Denmark. She has since directed episodes of the Emmy-winning series The Crown and was one of the initiators of Dogme25, launched during the Cannes Film Festival in 2025.
The screenplay for Woman Unknown is written by Maren Louise Käehne and May el-Toukhy. The film is produced by Mikael Christian Rieks for Nordisk Film and stars Mathilde Arcel and Carsten Bjørnlund.
Woman Unknown is supported by the Danish Film Institute and will have its world premiere in the main competition at the Venice Film Festival, where it is competing for the Golden Lion. Like What Lies Between Us, the film is among the three titles shortlisted by the Danish Oscar Committee.
Danish Co-Productions in Toronto
Brace Your Heart
Amanda Kernell’s Brace Your Heart has been selected for Platform, where it will have its world premiere in the festival’s competition programme dedicated to distinctive directorial voices. The film is a nuanced portrait of what Sámi women sometimes have to endure to hold on to what is rightfully theirs.
Nordisk Film is the Danish co-producer of the Swedish feature film, with support from the Danish Film Institute.
Growth of the Soil
Hans Petter Moland’s Growth of the Soil, based on Knut Hamsun’s novel about a farmer’s struggle in early 20th-century Norway, has been selected for Special Presentations, where it will have its world premiere.
Scanbox is the Danish co-producer of the Norwegian feature film, with support from the Danish Film Institute.
Fjord
Cristian Mungiu’s Fjord, winner of the prestigious Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, will screen in Special Presentations.
Fjord follows married couple Lisbet and Mihai Gheorghiu, who move to a small village by a Norwegian fjord. There, they become friends with their neighbours, the Halberg family, and the families’ children form close bonds despite differences in their upbringing and values.
Snowglobe is the Danish co-producer of the Romanian feature film, with support from the Danish Film Institute.
Julián
Louise Bagnall has directed the animated film Julián, which has been selected for the Centrepiece programme. The film is a warm and poetic story about the boy Julián, who spends the summer with his grandmother and gradually finds the courage to express his true identity. Through his Dominican roots, new friendships and family history, Julián discovers something magical: he is a mermaid.
Sun Creature is the Danish co-producer of the Irish animated film, with support from the Danish Film Institute.
Danish-Supported VR Project to Have World Premiere
The Canadian-Greenlandic VR project TARTUPALUK by Greenlandic artist Laakkuluk Williamson will also have its world premiere in connection with TIFF.
The project will be presented in the Innovation Hub at TIFF The Market. It is not part of TIFF’s Official Selection, but the presentation is open to both market delegates and the public and marks the project’s official world premiere.
Emile Peronard is the Danish co-producer, with support from the Danish Film Institute.
