Danica Curcic, Angela Bundalovic topline Danish survival drama Stranger
NOTEL: This article is a republication- Source: Nordisk Film & TV Fond (by Annika Pham).
REinvent International Sales is handling sales on Mads Hedegaard’s anticipated debut feature pitched as ‘The Revenant meets Embrace of the Serpent’.
The major Danish/Norwegian co-production between Motor Film and Mer Film, has received support from Nordisk Film & TV Fond and will be released in the Nordics by Scanbox Entertainment.
Written by the director with seasoned writer Jesper Fink (Margrete-Queen of the North, Before the Frost), Stranger (Fremmed) is an epic adventure set in the Danish Stone Age, about 6,000 years ago.
When the 19-year-old girl Aathi and her family, as the first farmers ever, arrive in what is now known as Denmark, her family is killed by a local tribe of hunter-gatherers. Alone in the vast and eerie forest, Aathi and her brother are forced to live with the tribe that killed their family and learn their traditions in order to survive. But gradually, the demands of what Aathi must submit to, become more and more ruthless. In the end, it is clear that there can be no peaceful solution to the first and biggest culture clash not only in Danish but in European history. Aathi must decide if she will take her revenge.
In the starring roles as Aathi is Danish fast-rising acting talent Angela Bundalovic (The Rain, Copenhagen Cowboy) and star actress Danica Curcic (The Chestnut Man, Darling) as the leader of the hunter tribe.
The feature produced by Andreas Hjortdal is among the rare non-SF Studios feature films picked up for world sales by REinvent which co-financed it as well.
Speaking to us, the company’s CEO Rikke Ennis said: ”Stranger is fresh, original, something that hasn’t been seen before. The director who has a brilliant vision has even created a language for this film. I almost have the goose-bump when I talk about it. There is so much passion in this project and this is exactly what we’re looking for.”
REinvent’s sales and marketing director Helene Aurø also praises the script which has “a fantastic balance between action and dramatic elements” and says she is looking forward to discussing it with buyers at the upcoming Marché du film in Cannes.
Stranger is set to start filming in Hungary in July, with a premiere set for the fall 2024.
The film has also received co-financing from DR, NRK, SVT, Yle, support from the Danish Film Institute, the Norwegian Film Institute and Creative Europe Media Programme.
Since its launch in 2018, the auteur-driven Motor Film, founded by producer Jesper Morthorst and writer Christian Torpe, has carved itself a solid base among the major production players in Denmark. Among the company’s recent high-profile titles are the features Camino by Birgitte Stærmose which closed the last Göteborg Film Festival and Niclas Bendixen’s upcoming feelgood drama Rome starring Rolf Lassgård, Bodil Jørgensen and Kristian Halken, set to open in 2024.