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Rotterdam Bound 'Copenhagen Does Not Exist,' Written by 'Worst Person in the World's' Eskil Vogt, Drops Trailer (EXCLUSIVE)
By Leo Barraclough
Leo Barraclough
International Features Editor
LeoBarraclough
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Courtesy of Jacob Moller
Danish production outfit Snowglobe and sales agent TrustNordisk have released the international trailer (below) for Martin Skovbjerg's "Copenhagen Does Not Exist," ahead of its world premiere in International Film Festival Rotterdam's Big Screen Competition next month. The psychological drama, based on the novel "Sander" by Terje Holtet Larsen, is penned by Eskil Vogt, who was Oscar nominated with Joachim Trier for best original screenplay for "The Worst Person in the World."
The film stars Angela Bundalovic, whose credits include "Copenhagen Cowboy" and "The Rain," Zlatko Burić, who won the European Film Award for best actor for playing Dimitry in "Triangle of Sadness," and Vilmer Trier Brøgger ("Sticks and Stones"), alongside newcomer Jonas Holst Schmidt.
"Copenhagen Does Not Exist" marks the second feature for Skovbjerg, whose debut "Sticks and Stones" premiered at the BFI London Film Festival in 2018.
Bundalovic stars as Ida, a young woman who has disappeared without a trace. Three months later her boyfriend Sander (Holst Schmidt) agrees to an unusual arrangement: to be locked in an apartment and interrogated by the woman's father (Burić). It soon becomes obvious that long before her disappearance, the two lovers had chosen a strange and unconventional life: cut off from the world, isolated in the middle of the city.
Skovbjerg commented: "Producer Eva Jakobsen introduced me to Eskil and when I read the script, the story had such an impact on me. Eskil did what he does so well: he created these beautiful, but complex characters, whom you feel biased about at first and then start to fall in love with. Or the other way around. They aren't that straightforward.
"'Copenhagen Does Not Exist' revolves around a radical and unconventional love story of two people breaking out of the norm. They decide to isolate themselves in the middle of the city, which might seem antagonistic to some, but it reflects on a longing for intimacy, which they need to define themselves. I hope that after seeing this film, audiences will reflect on their own lives and what it means to live in our fast-paced society."
"We have been intrigued by the mystique and thrill of this film from the very beginning, and now we are proud to present this gem to the world with the selection at IFFR. We congratulate the team and the talented Martin Skovbjerg, who besides directing the film has contributed to the spectacular film score," said Susan Wendt, managing director of TrustNordisk.
"Copenhagen Does Not Exist" is produced by Eva Jakobsen, Mikkel Jersin and Katrin Pors for Snowglobe. The film is co-produced by Oslo Pictures, Zentropa Sweden and Don't Look Now, with support from the Danish Film Institute, the Norwegian Film Institute, the Swedish Film Institute, Nordisk Film & TVFond, Euromages, The Media Program of the European Union, in collaboration with Danish Broadcasting Corp., SVT, Scanbox and TrustNordisk. International sales handled by TrustNordisk. Domestic distribution is handled by Scanbox Entertainment, which will release the film in Denmark on Feb. 9.
International Film Festival Rotterdam,
Martin Skovbjerg,
Trustnordisk