Two major festivals are just around the corner: Venice Film Festival opens on 27 August, followed by Toronto International Film Festival on 4 September. Here’s an overview of the Danish presence:
The Last Viking in Venice and Toronto
The Last Viking will screen in the official out-of-competition program in Venice and in the Centrepiece section in Toronto.
The film tells the story of loner Anker, released after 15 years in prison for robbery. His brother Manfred is the only one who knows where the stolen money is hidden – but he has since suffered a mental condition that prevents him from remembering. Together, the brothers return to their childhood home to search for the money, but also to rediscover who they are.
The lead roles are played by Nikolaj Lie Kaas and Mads Mikkelsen, alongside Sofie Gråbøl, Lars Brygmann, Bodil Jørgensen, Søren Malling, Nicolas Bro, and Lars Ranthe.
Produced by Sisse Graum Jørgensen and Sidsel Hybschmann for Zentropa with support from the Danish Film Institute, FilmFyn, Eurimages, the Nordisk Film & TV Fond, the Swedish Film Institute, and TV 2.
The Last Viking premieres in Danish cinemas on October 9th 2025 and is among three films competing to become Denmark’s submission for the Best International Feature Film category at the upcoming Academy Awards in Los Angeles.
Danish VR installation in Venice
Denmark is also represented in VR at Venice. The project Dark Rooms has been selected for the Immersive Competition and invites audiences into four intimate stories about desire, sexuality, and the boundaries we set ourselves. A sensuous VR experience that challenges participants’ own perceptions. Dark Rooms is directed by Laurits Flensted Jensen and Mads Damsbo, in co-creation with the performers, and produced by Maximillian Mayershofer of Morph Film with support from the Danish Film Institute.
Two Danish co-productions in Orizzonti
Venice’s Orizzonti program includes two Danish co-productions:
- Mother, directed by Teona Strugar Mitevska, opens Orizzonti on 27 August. Co-produced by Maria Møller Christoffersen for Frau Film, it tells the story of a nun in 1948 forced to choose between faith and ambition. Distributed in Denmark by Scanbox.
- Milk Teeth, directed by Mihai Mincan, screens in Orizzonti on 29 August. Co-produced by Monica Hellström for Ström Pictures, it follows a young girl whose sister mysteriously disappears during the final days of Ceaușescu’s Romania. The film will also screen in Toronto’s Centrepiece section. Distributed in Denmark by Angel Films.
More Danish contributions in Toronto
In addition to The Last Viking and Milk Teeth, four Danish co-productions will screen in Toronto:
- The Icelandic-Danish film The Love That Remains, directed by Hlynur Pálmason, is part of Toronto’s Centrepiece section. Produced by Katrin Pors of Snowglobe Film and distributed in Denmark by Scanbox.
- Tarik Saleh’s Swedish-Danish political thriller Eagles of the Republic, previously in competition at Cannes, is also selected for Toronto’s Centrepiece. Co-produced by Monica Hellström for Ström Pictures, with Nordic distribution handled by SF Studios.
- Joachim Trier’s star-studded Norwegian-Danish film Sentimental Value will screen in TIFF’s Special Presentations section. Co-produced by Sisse Graum for Zentropa, with Danish distribution by Camera Film.
- Annemarie Jacir’s Palestine 36 screens in TIFF’s Gala section on September 5th. Set during the British Mandate, the film explores the lead-up to and events of the Palestinian Arab revolt from 1936 to 1939. Co-produced by Katrin Pors for Snowglobe Film, with Camera Film distributing in Denmark. Palestine has selected it as its Oscar submission. Read more on Screen Daily.
