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Seasoned Danish writer-director Birgitte Stærmose, recently credited for the Netflix show “In From the Cold,” Starz’s “The Spanish Princess” and Göteborg 2023 closing pic “Camino,” debuted her hybrid pic “Afterwar” in the Berlin Film Festival’s Dokument program, after which the film plays at Cph:dox.

Variety has secured in exclusivity the trailer for the helmer’s anti-war pamphlet produced by Magic Hour Films in Denmark (“Burma VJ”) in co-production with Sweden’s Vilda Bomben Film (“Excess Will Save Us”), Finland’s Bufo (“Fallen Leaves”) and Kosovo’s Kabineti.

A meditation on the long-term effects of war, “Afterwar” is the feature-length spinoff of Stærmose’s short film “Out of Love.” The story of a bunch of street kids in Pristina trying to survive in the aftermath of the Kosovo war, snagged multiple awards in 2010, including a Berlinale Generation 14Plus Special Mention.

15 years in the making, “Afterwar” was co-created with four of...

Bridgend

Written by Jeppe Rønde, Torben Bech, and Peter Asmussen

Directed by Jeppe Rønde

Denmark, 2015

A feeling of gloom pervades every frame of Bridgend, the Danish teen drama which makes its Canadian premiere at Fantasia. Even as the kids drink and dance in ecstasy (in a scene which wouldn’t be out of place in Skins, the British soap where star Hannah Murray got her break) or skinny dip in large groups, there’s an undeniable sense of melancholy in their maniacal celebrations. Given the sadness evident in otherwise ebullient scenes, the ominous shots of the countryside shrouded in darkness or mournful messages on a computer screen make life in the film’s titular Welsh town seem unbearably grim.

You can understand the despondency. Bridgend provides a fictional look at a real-life incident in which there were 79 recorded suicides in the town between 2007 and 2012, none of which had an easy explanation.

Andrew Renzi‘s directorial debut about a third wheel starring Richard Gere, Dakota Fanning and Theo James, Reed Morano‘s relationship testing drama featuring Olivia Wilde and Luke Wilson, Onur Tukel‘s secret unleashed on the airwaves and Gregory Kohn‘s hallucinatory tale with Eléonore Hendricks topling are part of the American independent offerings at the 14th Tribeca Film Festival. Renzi’s Franny and Morano’s Meadowland will be competing in the dozen selected in the World Narrative Competition while Tukel’s Applesauce and Kohn’s Come Down Molly are among the in the Viewpoints sidebar. Here are the selected titles below sans synopsis.

World Narrative Feature Competition (12)

The Adderall Diaries, directed and written by Pamela Romanowsky. (USA) – World Premiere.

Bridgend, directed by Jeppe Rønde, co-written by Jeppe Rønde, Torben Bech, and Peter Asmussen. (Denmark) – North American Premiere.

Dixieland, directed and written by Hank Bedford. (USA) – World Premiere

Franny, directed and written by Andrew Renzi.

Breaking the Waves

Written by Lars von Trier and Peter Asmussen

Directed by Lars von Trier

Denmark, 1996

Director Lars von Trier is nothing if not creative. From films like Epidemic in 1987 and Europa in 1991, to last year’s two-part Nymphomaniac, he has managed to bring a continually imaginative photographic and narrative formula to nearly all of his films, the best of which ultimately end up masterpieces of contemporary international cinema. It was arguably his 1996 feature, Breaking the Waves, that first, and most dramatically, catapulted him to the front ranks of modern-day global filmmaking, particularly within the arthouse arena and festival circuit, and understandably so. This affecting film is a powerful work that delves deeply into often unspoken and unconventional recesses of faith and love. Its themes are profound, its performances staggering throughout, and its visual palette and filmic technique are replete with saturated hues, vigorous camera work, and an unabashed intimacy.

Today’s film is the 2003 short Nu, also known as Now. The film is directed by Simon Staho, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Peter Asmussen, and stars Elin Klinga, Mikael Persbrandt, and Mads Mikkelsen. While Mikkelsen first drew the attention of film fans as part of filmmaker Nicholas Winding Refn’s Pusher trilogy, he gained widespread attention for this role as Le Chiffre in 2006′s Casino Royale. He also won Best Actor at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival for The Hunt, before taking on the titular role in NBC’s Hannibal. His newest feature, Charlie Countryman, opened in limited release in American theatres this weekend.

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The post Sunday Shorts: ‘Nu’, starring Mads Mikkelsen appeared first on Sound On Sight.

Year: 2009

Directors: Simon Staho

Writers: Simon Staho & Peter Asmussen

IMDb: link

Trailer: link

Review by: quietearth

Rating: 3 out of 10

The Bottom Line: Minimalism at it's worst.

Less it not always more. To wit, Warriors of Love is largely comprised of huge gaps of silence and melancholy stares, all framed with a motionless camera which lets the action play out before it. The promised beautiful cinematography was rare, instead focusing on rather uninspiring sets and nature shots. This should of been a short film and I doubt if it would of been enjoyable even then.

The story very loosely lives up to its billing: a "lesbian Romeo and Juliet". The plot is so simple and so little happens that I can't tell you anything about the film without ruining it, but I can say that beyond our two lesbian lovers, noone else is seen throughout the entire film, only their voices are heard.